The best fried seafood

[Skitterpop]

Originally Posted by Fish On

Now that we have our mouths watering....I'll definately be printing this list and trying out a few when I get the chance.

I've always wanted to cook great fried seafood at home but it NEVER comes out any where near the restaurants. What is it about fried seafood that makes it so difficult and so good at the restaurants? You guys that work there, what can you tell us? We all catch tons of fish. How great would it be to be able to "fry it like the pros"?

Recipe's???? Please????

It might be that the commercial fryers are generally gas flamed and can reach temps your home setups cannot.... and some places its all the flavor from other stuffed cooked in same oil.

[Jenn]

HOT OIL, GOOD oil,did I mention HOT oil (350) , FRESH seafood, and DONT OVERCOOK IT!!!! Yeah I know your sitting their thinking..."oh no, not me, I dont overcook it" well I am here to tell you that you are!

but of course there is one more thing and that is the breading....while I will keep my exact recipe as secret as a great fishing spot I WILL tell you that you need corn flour!

[Bernzy]

Like Jenn said, good oil ( Peanut is my preference) and hot 350 deg. PLUS cold fish and the ability to keep the oil @ 350 deg. when you add the cold fish.
A cast iron dutch oven does nicely. I like to dip my filets in buttermilk and usually use a commercial fish breading (some are better than others) to coat the fish after soaking.
After coating, refrigerate the coated filets while you get your oil hot.
Then, after your oil is hot (350 deg.) add 1 piece of fish at a time, taking some time before adding another piece. Plan on doing several smaller batches rather than trying to cook it all at once. It usually takes me 30-40 minutes to fry up enough for my family.

Fried fish, lemon, cole slaw, fries and a cold brew or 3 =

Bernzy

[Fish On]

OK, I'll try peanut oil and a commercial breading. At 350 F how long is the right amount of time for:
1) haddock filet
2) sea scallops
3) clams
4) medium shrimp

[The Dad Fisherman]

Originally Posted by Fish On

At 350 F how long is the right amount of time for:

You'll know by looking at it.....if you have the fryer at 350 as soon as they are Golden Brown take them out.

[Skitterpop]

Originally Posted by The Dad Fisherman

You'll know by looking at it.....if you have the fryer at 350 as soon as they are Golden Brown take them out.

and they float


so if the oil is hot and you are doing small batches (hold cooked items in toaster oven covered at 200 preheated)

you are not looking at more than 4 to 8 minutes for the bigger items

[zacs]

i could write a book about fried seafood.

floating sometimes means overcooked. you can't just go by floating. you can only go by internal temperatures. most good restaurants have developed their recipes/fryer temps/times and have a system to make it right.

That is why they do it better than you. if you develop a good recipe, get the oil you like through testing, perfect the cook time, etc... you can do it just as good.

just like making a plug that catches. tested and tweaked over time.

Or you can just go pay to have them do it and not have to worry about cleaning up.