Fried Fish Recipe

Pan Fried Fish is a thing of beauty, with its beautiful crispy golden crust and juicy flesh inside. It’s a super quick dinner because cooking fish fillets on the stove takes less than 5 minutes!

Wondering how to stop fish sticking to the pan? It’s easy: use a heavy based skillet (doesn’t need to be non stick), heat the pan before adding oil, and most importantly – do not move move the fish until it naturally releases from the pan!

I think that cooking fish on the stove is the BEST way to cook fish, especially when you invest in really good fish fillets – or you’ve caught your own! Crispy and golden on the outside – with or without skin, though I do love shatteringly crispy skin like Crispy Skin Salmon – and beautifully juicy on the inside. Pan fried fish is one of those things that is so quick and so good, we wonder why we don’t make it every night.

But unless you know a few little tips, you can end up with a disappointingly soggy fish fillet or, even sadder, all that golden crispy goodness stuck on the pan. So today I’m sharing my tips to nail pan fried fish perfectly, every single time.

Crispy Pan Fried Fish

Recipe video above. 3 key tips to ensure your pan fried fish comes out beautifully golden and crispy every time: pat the fish dry, press flour on well but shake excess off well, and heat the pan first before adding the oil or use a heavy duty non stick pan. With a good fish, well seasoned and crispy skin, I don’t need a sauce….but I’ve added a couple in the notes just in case! 🙂

Prep: 3min

Total: 8min

Serving Size: 1 serving

Nutrition Facts: calories 300 kcal, servingSize 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 2 thin fish fillets, around 150g/5 oz each, 1 cm / 2/5″ thick, skin on or off ((Note 1))
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup / 35g flour ((plain/all purpose, wholemeal))
• 1 tsp paprika (, optional (Note 2))
• 2 – 3 tbsp oil, enough to mostly thinly cover base ((I use vegetable or canola))
• Lemon wedges
• Finely chopped parsley or dill (, for garnish, optional)

Instruction:

1. Use scrunched up paper towels to pat the fish dry on both sides. This is especially important if you are using thawed frozen fish.
2. Season the fish well on both sides with salt and pepper (key!).
3. Mix the flour and paprika on a plate.
4. Coat fish on both sides with flour, pressing down firmly so it adheres, but shake well to remove excess. (Note 2)
5. Heat a heavy based skillet (normal or non stick) over medium high heat until you see wisps of smoke. Add oil and swirl to coat the pan – it will heat within seconds.
6. Add fish – it should sizzle straight away. Shake the pan lightly to move the fish. Cook for 2 minutes until golden and crisp, pressing down gently, then flip. Cook the other side for 2 minutes until crisp then remove.
7. If it’s browning too quickly, just remove pan from the stove briefly. If it’s stuck, don’t move – it will release naturally once golden.
8. Serve fish immediately with lemon wedges and garnished with dill or parsley, if using. It starts to lose crispiness after 5 minutes.

Crispy Fried Fish

Bring back the Friday night fish fry tradition with this updated fried fish recipe. While you could try out any old recipe for fried fish, this one has a secret ingredient: Progresso™ panko crispy bread crumbs help the crust stay extra-crisp while the fish remains moist. The end result is amazingly flaky, crispy fish. This dish is perfect for a tasty and quick dinner to kick off the weekend!

Prep: 20min

Total: 20min

Yield: 4

Serving Size: 1 Serving

Nutrition Facts: calories 420 , Carbohydrate 39 g, Cholesterol 240 mg, Fat 1 1/2 , Fiber 0 g, Protein 41 g, Saturated Fat 2 g, servingSize 1 Serving, Sodium 880 mg, Sugar 2 g, Trans Fat 0 g

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup dark beer or water
• 1 1/2 cups Progresso™ panko crispy bread crumbs
• Peanut or corn oil for frying
• 1 1/2 lb fish fillets (walleye, cod, whitefish or tilapia)

Instruction:

1. In shallow dish, mix flour and seasoned salt. In medium bowl, beat eggs and beer with whisk. Place bread crumbs in large resealable food-storage plastic bag.
2. In electric skillet or deep fryer, heat about 2 inches oil to 350°F. Coat both sides of fish fillets with flour mixture, then dip in beer mixture, letting excess drip back into bowl. Place 1 or 2 pieces of fish at a time in plastic bag with bread crumbs; seal bag and shake to coat completely.
3. Fry fish in batches in hot oil about 4 minutes, turning once, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot.

The Ultimate Fried Fish Recipe