Fish Fry Advice

[steve white]

Fl a big one was mullet but they were called mullet fry
Normally with roe included.
Allso suckers and gar ( gar was mostly gar balls)
But normally if the fish was not in the name cats and bream.
There was a cattle man that had ponds on alot of his places.
Every year he would set traps and catch enough for the cattle sell barn to do a fish fry
And for the local 4h
The kids would do everything but fry and sell plates.
After all that was done. The kids had there own fry for supper.

I miss that old man he was a staple for 4h for nearly 70 years

Man, you've gone "Coon-ass" now with talk about mullet Frys and gar balls--next you'll be talking about "goggle eyes," and Shellcrackers, which means you are a good ole boy!!
Is it "Scooters" restaurant on the highway down to Navarre beach that is always serving mullet--and the water/sand is so clean it's really good.
+1 on BREAM. Now that takes me back to my roots....4H or Masonic Lodge Frys where they seined up a mess and dumped them out of the fryers onto brown paper lined tables. Yum!

 

[steve white]

Gotta tell this true story: There was a young couple getting married in Mississippi who had already sent out the wedding invitations formally, when the young man said "we can't get married on that date, the shell crackers are on the beds!" His young bride told her mother, "he's right, mama--the shell crackers ARE on the beds then. Let's move the wedding."
(good woman...)

 

[Flbt]

Man, you've gone "Coon-ass" now with talk about mullet Frys and gar balls--next you'll be talking about "goggle eyes," and Shellcrackers, which means you are a good ole boy!!
Is it "Scooters" restaurant on the highway down to Navarre beach that is always serving mullet--and the water/sand is so clean it's really good.
+1 on BREAM. Now that takes me back to my roots....4H or Masonic Lodge Frys where they seined up a mess and dumped them out of the fryers onto brown paper lined tables. Yum!

Dad just called every thing bream
Except specks and warmouth

 

[Flbt]

Man, you've gone "Coon-ass" now with talk about mullet Frys and gar balls--next you'll be talking about "goggle eyes," and Shellcrackers, which means you are a good ole boy!!
Is it "Scooters" restaurant on the highway down to Navarre beach that is always serving mullet--and the water/sand is so clean it's really good.
+1 on BREAM. Now that takes me back to my roots....4H or Masonic Lodge Frys where they seined up a mess and dumped them out of the fryers onto brown paper lined tables. Yum!

I never thought there was much difference in a cracker and a coon-ass . Just we don’t eat as much pepper lol

 

[Flbt]

It’s time to get some fish scollops and Appalachiacola. oysters
And maybe stingray and have a fry

Or a bunch of little mudcats

 

[Wyatt Smith]

Buffalo, in the carp family, is very popular around here alongside catfish.

 

[Flbt]

Buffalo, in the carp family, is very popular around here alongside catfish.

Dad called them red horse suckers
And I have heard them called hog suckers
Catch them going up creeks on the spring and net or gig them
Slash them and fry hard there surprising good.

I have not seen it since the 80s but people would set up down below spill ways on the farm ponds and shoot at the fish to knock them out and had other people netting them

I remember them doing that and haveing Comuity sucker fry’s after church.
The different church’s would take turns hosting because the church would be standing room on the Sunday of the fry.

 

[steve white]

Dad called them red horse suckers
And I have heard them called hog suckers
Catch them going up creeks on the spring and net or gig them
Slash them and fry hard there surprising good.

I have not seen it since the 80s but people would set up down below spill ways on the farm ponds and shoot at the fish to knock them out and had other people netting them

I remember them doing that and haveing Comuity sucker fry’s after church.
The different church’s would take turns hosting because the church would be standing room on the Sunday of the fry.

Suckers are sweet and do run up the little creeks. A bit more round shaped.
Buffalo, both large mouth and small mouth is more like a carp. Flesh is white, tastes great, has 10k fan bones. In fish terms "Buffalo wings" are the rib bones and meat covering the guts that only have the long bones, not the little fan bones. Otherwise, score a fillet and cook it crunchy, or pressure cook to dissolve the bones.

Man, I haven't had sucker in decades.

 

[steve white]

Buffalo, in the carp family, is very popular around here alongside catfish.

Dad and the school principal used to hoop net the buffalo using cotton seed meal for bait, then sell them on the poor side of town.

 

[Hedge774]

Egg wash and corn meal. Beans and seasoned rice retain heat well.

Yes Sir!

 

[Flbt]

Suckers are sweet and do run up the little creeks. A bit more round shaped.
Buffalo, both large mouth and small mouth is more like a carp. Flesh is white, tastes great, has 10k fan bones. In fish terms "Buffalo wings" are the rib bones and meat covering the guts that only have the long bones, not the little fan bones. Otherwise, score a fillet and cook it crunchy, or pressure cook to dissolve the bones.

Man, I haven't had sucker in decades.

Yep slash them and fry hot makes it where you can just eat the bone.
Hush puppies and fry’s
Very good eating.

 

[Flbt]

Going to have to try and do a bit of it all this spring and summer the nephews need to experience it.

 

[Hedge774]

I agree 100%
I would rather eat cold and crunchy fish most anything at the fish fry except the cheese grits
I just can’t eat cold grits.
The only thing I can think of worse than cold grits are sweet grits. Seen some northerners make sweet grits at a restaurant one time nope

Sweet grits would get you hung in TN...now excuse me while I go wash.my mouth out with Ajax.

 

[Hedge774]

I’m from the Gulf Coast and have been frying fish since I could stand — everything from whole catfish to grouper and snapper fillets, shrimp, scallops, oysters, and more.

Here’s what I’ve learned about doing it on a larger scale:

Breading & Prep: Coat your fish and have it ready to fry — don’t cook it ahead of time and hold it. My tip: use a small amount of yellow mustard as a binder, then coat in Louisiana brand fish fry or Zaterain’s with Tony Chachere’s added to either mix to taste. Light coating keeps the fish delicate and cooks quickly. In the South, cornmeal-based breading is classic; up North, more of a beer-batter or flour mix.

Cooking: Fillets cook fast — usually 3–5 minutes at 350–375°F depending on thickness. Whole fish takes longer. Fry as needed; don’t try to hold batches, or you’ll end up with soggy fish.

Equipment: Commercial fryers work best — gas or electric is fine, but gas heats and recovers faster for large batches. Use neutral, high-smoke-point oil, keep it clean, and don’t overcrowd the fryer.

Workflow: Prep fillets → coat → fry in small batches → drain → serve immediately. If you have to hold, low oven (~200°F) for a few minutes works, but fresh out of the fryer is always best.

Bottom line: a light mustard binder, Louisiana brand fish fry, and cooking to order keeps your fish crispy, hot, and tasty — no matter the size of your crowd.… At least that’s how we do it in the south!

We do a lot of whole Boston butt BBQ fundraisers too, and the best strategy is to stagger your pickup times. Arrange for a set number of people per hour to pick up — it keeps the food hot and fresh, and it also staggers your cooking so everything comes out at the right temperature.

As for sides, in the south, we do fries, cheese grits, red beans and rice, slaw, new potatoes and of course hush puppies!

Good luck let us know how it goes…

Keep talking!!!

 

[Hedge774]

Yep slash them and fry hot makes it where you can just eat the bone.
Hush puppies and fry’s
Very good eating.

Horseheads are really good. And people call them trash fish!

 

[Hedge774]

View attachment 747270
Grits with Chocolate, shredded coconut and raspberries. Y'all just don't know good living.

These are soy laden Gen Z gryts made by Bill Gates!! Run Awayyyyyy!

 

[Hedge774]

lol….bass taste like lake water! Saltwater fish…Red snapper, grouper are where it’s at!


View attachment 747448View attachment 747449

Are those triggers as well?

 

[Hedge774]

We like Andy’s and Drakes, chicken breading shown. But the fish version is good also View attachment 747549

Andy's is hard to beat.

 

[DaddyFlip]

I didn't read all the replies. I just wanted to say for a large feed where time is not on your side, tater tots, hush puppies, and cheese curds or sticks with pickles and onion are the way to go. Those fried sides last a lifetime, as opposed to fries, which can easily piss people off if they go too stale, dry, soggy, cold, undercooked, overcooked, etc. Tater tots are good no matter what condition they're in. Hush puppies warm and keep for an eternity; curds and sticks nearly likewise. Pickles and onions are a fish fry staple; a cold and crunchy sidekick needing no attention. The problem with slaw and potato salad is keeping it fresh and unspoiled; there's nothing worse than serving a milk-based slaw that has soured to make folks sick. If it's a vinegar-based slaw, then it's less of a problem. Full disclosure- there's no such thing as a potato salad that I like, so I can't be objective.

Filets, tots, puppies, curds, pickles, onions. Done. If you want to keep filets crispy, just keep them warm, foil tented under a heat lamp. Don't cover with plastic wrap or styro.

 

[DaddyFlip]

Man, you've gone "Coon-ass" now with talk about mullet Frys and gar balls--next you'll be talking about "goggle eyes," and Shellcrackers, which means you are a good ole boy!!
Is it "Scooters" restaurant on the highway down to Navarre beach that is always serving mullet--and the water/sand is so clean it's really good.
+1 on BREAM. Now that takes me back to my roots....4H or Masonic Lodge Frys where they seined up a mess and dumped them out of the fryers onto brown paper lined tables. Yum!

Oh chit! Haha. Goggle eye, warmouth, rock bass, chinquapin BREAM, grinnell; I've caught 'em all with my granddaddy. That was a long time ago.