The key to any good southern fish fry is a perfectly seasoned cornmeal coating that fries up golden with a smart, crisp crunch. And the easiest way to achieve that is with your own Homemade Cornmeal Fish Fry Mix!
Making your own cornmeal mix to dredge your fresh fish in for frying is so easy! It only takes just a few pantry staples and about 2 minutes. The benefits?
- You are in charge of your own ingredients, guaranteeing that your fish is always crispy with tender insides that taste just the way you like it.
- It also eliminates the extra preservatives and flavor enhancers found in store bought mixes, which is important when you want to make and serve only the best.
What Makes A Good Fish Fry
A true fish fry is all about gathering. It’s chance to get together with friends, family or neighbors, swap fishing tales and enjoy the latest catch. Where I live, that means looking forward to a Friday night fish fry where regional fresh water favorites like fried catfish, bass and crappie are served up by the piles.
TIP: Don’t have a fresh catch to fry up? Try individually frozen catfish filets from your local grocer’s freezer!
Besides a crunchy cornmeal breading for your fish, there are a handful staples that show up at every successful fish fry.
- creamy coleslaw
- french fries
- hush puppies
- lemon wedges
- dipping sauces, like cocktail sauce, tartar sauce or remoulade sauce
A fish fry is not all about the fried food though. It’s also a great place to find bright, fresh vegetables and other seasonal dishes, like:
- Southern Tomato Cucumber Salad
- Fresh Vegetable Crudite Platter
- Creamy Dill Potato Salad
- Southern Deviled Egg Potato Salad
- Green Chile Corn Salsa Dip
- Skillet Blackberry Cobbler
- Berry Watermelon Fruit Salad
Ingredients for Fish Fry Cornmeal Coating
- yellow or white cornmeal- This is what gives southern fried fish its great crunch. Either fine ground or regular ground cornmeal works for this recipe (finely ground cornmeal is usually difficuly to find outside of the southern United States). Regular ground meal does have a coarser texture, but with that comes a bigger crunch and a slightly nutty, fried corn flavor that is incredibly delicious with mild, white fish.
- all purpose flour– just a touch of flour helps the cornmeal coating stick to the fish
- salt- a must for any good recipe
- lemon pepper– ground black pepper and the bright zing of lemon zest are essential for delicious fish
- paprika– a little extra flavor and color
- cayenne pepper– a nice peppery kick
How to Make Cornmeal Coated Fried Fish
Mix the Coating. Simply measure all of the ingredients and dump them into a plastic bowl with a lid or into a brown paper lunch bag. I prefer a brown paper lunch sack because when I am finished, the bag goes straight into the trash- no clean up! Put the lid on or fold down the paper bag and give all the ingredients about 5 good shakes to mix.
Dredge, or Coat, the Fish. Drop several fish fillets or fillet strips into the bowl or bag, put the lid back on or refold bag top. Another 5 or 6 shakes and your fish is ready to drop into hot oil for frying.
Fry the Fish. Fry the fish in a dutch oven, deep fryer or outside propane fish fryer in peanut or canola oil heated to 375 degrees Fahrenheit until crisp and gold brown. This usually takes 5-7 minutes. Remove from oil and allow to drain on a wire rack (like a regular baking or cooling rack) with a paper towel lined baking sheet underneath.
Tips for Making the Best Fried Fish
- When cooking for a group, frying up fillets is best. This makes sure no one accidentally swallows any of those tiny fish bones!
- Additionally, cutting fillets into smaller strips or into “nugget” sized pieces ensures a good even, crispy cook and is genius when feeding a crowd.
- Keeping the oil at a steady temperature is must. Use a thermometer to make sure the oil doesn’t cool off or get too hot. The former results in wimpy, soggy fish, the latter in undercooked, overly browned fish.
- Put just a few pieces of fish in the hot oil at a time. This allows the fish plenty of room to evenly cook and get a nice crunch, while also not cooling off the oil by introducing too many fish pieces into it at once.
Hosting a Fish Fry?
There’s nothing quite like a fish fry to bring together family, friends and neighbors. Whether you’re hosting your first fish fry or you’re 50th, here are some of my favorite fish fry essentials from Amazon for an successful, easy event!
- Water proof/ Oil proof Tablecloth
- Fish Dipper
- Durable Paper Bags
- Heavy Duty Long Tongs
- Outdoor Fish Cooker with Cast Iron Pot
- Stainless Steel Thermometer
- Collapsible Batter Bowl
- Baking Sheet & Wire Rack
- Canvas Chef Apron
- Deep Fryer
More Seafood Recipes to Love!
- Louisiana Pickled Shrimp
- Southern Salmon Patties
- Best Louisiana Crab Cakes
- Spicy Creole Shrimp Packets
- Million Dollar Shrimp & Crab Dip
- Creamy Seafood Mac & Cheese
If You Make This Recipe, I Can’t Wait To Hear About It!
Leave A Comment & Rating Below Or Snap A Photo To Share.
Homemade Cornmeal Fish Fry Mix
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups white or yellow cornmeal
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon lemon pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a plastic bowl with a lid or in a brown paper lunch bag. Shake vigrously to mix all ingredients.
- Drop cleaned and washed fish fillets into bowl or bag filled with cornmeal mix and shake vigorously again to coat and then drop fish into canola or peanut oil heated to 375° Fahrenheit to deep fry for 5-7 minutes or until fish is golden brown.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
I’m going to try them all. They look so good. Thanks
Hey, Betty! Sounds delicious! I can’t wait to hear all about it!
Great to Fry fish in all you have to do is the way it is described or you can add other things to the Receipt to suit your self just have to make it the way you like it
Hi, Dave! I couldn’t agree more! Happy fish frying!
Now this is perfect for big summer fish fry’s when we want to have varying levels of saltiness and heat. Perfect because we can control the flavor and make it in big batches for less than ready made. My family loves this and we won’t go back 🙌🏾
This is what I love to hear! Leontinae, you and your family made my day. Thank you so much and enjoy all those fish frys (my favorite summer thing!)
Love this I have been making the fish fry looks this for years but I never thought of lemon pepper seasoning omg it’s super good thank you for this.
Thanks, Crystal! I am just tickled you love it. A good fish fry is my absolute favorite!
Fabulous!!
Thanks, Lori!!
Perfect cornmeal coating for catfish fillets! It’s crunchy, perfectly textured, pretty color and so quick and easy!! I’m gonna make a bigger batch of the cornmeal coating and keep it in a Tupperware container for future uses! We are big catfish lovers, but being in the Texas Panhandle, we’re short on fresh fish.. I bought Gordon’s frozen fillets and they were good sized fillets! And it was so delicious!! My grandma and my mom would be proud if they were still with us!! Thank you for sharing!!
Hi, Tonya! Thank you SO much for your comment! It makes my day that your grandma and mom would be proud, and I am so tickled you enjoyed a good fish fry!
I forgot my fish fry at the store, searched on Google, and came across your recipe. This is a Godsend! I may start making your recipe instead of wasting money on store bought fish fry. Thanks for sharing and God bless!
Hi, Shaneeda! Oh my goodness, this made my day! Thank you. I am so glad you loved this recipe!
excellent
Thanks, Steffon! That makes my day!
Not a comment but a question. Could you do the same for chicken tenders?
Hi, James! I have never tried it, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Not sure how it would taste together, but it’s worth a try. If you decide to give it a go, let me know!
Do you have to pat the fish dry before putting it in the cornmeal mixture? How does the cornmeal stick to the fish if not dipping the fish in milk or egg ect? Ty
Hi, Katrina! We wash our fish fillets and shake off the excess water, but do not pat them dry before dipping/shaking them in the cornmeal mix. The crispy cornmeal won’t be a thick breading but just like the coating shown in the photos. Hope this helps! Enjoy!
This recipe is delicious. My dad would use a cornmeal coating whenever he went fishing for Lake Perch, this is as close as I’ve ever came to his recipe. It’s a keeper!
Hi, Laurel! This makes my day! My dad also uses this for lake perch, and it is my absolute favorite. I am so glad this recipe brought back memories of your dad and eating fish with him.
Excellent/ I use Dory which is pretty much tasteless, but with this recipe they were absolutely yummy dipped in Tartar Sauce
Hi, Robert! Thanks so much! I am so glad you love this recipe like I do. Fried fish is an absolute favorite!
The best batter I have ever had
Hi, Bobby! Thanks so very much! Would make my dad proud!
Wanted to fry shrimp but had no eggs because…so I tried this. Rubbed shrimp with mustard and combined with fry mix in plastic bag. Tastes really good. No mustard taste.
Sounds yum! Love it!
This is a great recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Your are so welcome! I am thrilled you like it!
on your southern fish breading if you pat the fish dry how does the breading stick
Hi, Donald! I don’t recommend that with this recipe. Maybe you heard it somewhere else?