Frying Fish The Fred Cormier Way!

During Lenten season, many of us Catholics abstain from eating meat on Friday.  In Louisiana, that's often an excuse to enjoy crawfish, oysters, shrimp, crabs and fish. And for this flyfisher who often practices catch & release, an excuse to keep a few fish.  

A recent early morning catch of eight large crappie was enough to provide a few meals. Some of the fish were caught on an olive Fluff Butt, while the rest were taken on a purple / white Crappie Candy.

I prepared the filets using my dad's method, which included a trick from Frank Davis' book, The Seafood Notebook.  

First the filets are seasoned with salt and grounded Zatarains cayenne pepper, a little water added, and thoroughly mixed. Then yellow mustard is added and the fish are stirred again.  Then each filet is patted down in Frank's mix recipe::  1/3 corn flour (seasoned Zatarains Fish Fry), 1/3 cornmeal and 1/3 baking flour. 

The fish are fried at 350 degrees in a mix of corn and canola oil.  The coating mix that Frank suggested keeps the oil clean and preserves the juicyness inside.  Make sure to only fry 2 -3 filets at a time to prevent the oil from dipping below 300 degrees.  That insures that the fish are not too greasy.

Incidently, I fry all my fish and shrimp in a black iron skillet or pot.  The heat retention allows me to cook in less time than an aluminum pot.  My wife also suggests that it gives a better taste.

If you would like to enjoy this type of fried fish at a restaurant, check out Prejean's in Carencro.  Their catfish is prepared this same way.