Kitchen Tip: How to Fry Fish
Recipe, video and photography provided by Heinen’s partner, Chef Billy Parisi.
Imagine the best fried fish you’ve ever had. You probably remember the crunchy texture and savory flavor of the exterior coating surrounding a fillet of light and flaky fish!
While many people rely on restaurants and local fish fries for deep fried fish, it’s actually quite simple to do at home. All you need is fresh fish from Heinen’s Seafood Department, a good frying oil, a thick and creamy buttermilk batter and a couple of minutes at the stove!
This tutorial features fresh cod fillets, which create the classic fish-and-chips-style fried fish, but there’s another deep-fried seafood that’s popular on restaurant menus and equally easy to create in your kitchen: fried calamari!
Available frozen in Heinen’s Seafood Department and prepared the exact same way as any other kind of fried fish, you’ll be amazed at how easy it is to make this elegant appetizer for yourself!
Let’s fry!
Kitchen Tip: How to Fry Fish
Servings: 2 Large Helpings
Ingredients
For the Cod
- Neutral flavored oil, for frying
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 Heinen’s cage free egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 1 lb. fresh cod, cut into smaller fillets
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Heinen’s lemon dill sauce, for garnish
For the Calamari
- Neutral flavored oil, for frying
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 Heinen’s cage free egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 1 lb. frozen calamari, tubes and tentacles (tubes sliced into rings)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Heinen’s marinara sauce, heated for garnish
Instructions
For the Cod
- Fill a large saucepan halfway with the cooking oil. Heat until it reaches 350°F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- In a 13×9 pan, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Working in batches, add a few fish fillets to the buttermilk, making sure they’re coated, then, one-at-a-time, add them to the flour mixture.
- Press down onto the fish to ensure the flour has coated it completely. Once coated, set the fillet aside on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat the process until all of the fish fillets are coated.
- Working in batches (3-4 fillets at a time), add the fish to the hot oil and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown and an internal temperature of 160°F is reached.
- Set aside to drain on a rack. Repeat the process until all of the fish is fried. Serve alongside the lemon dill sauce.
For the Calamari
- Fill a large saucepan halfway with the cooking oil. Heat until it reaches 350°F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- In a 13×9 pan, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Working in batches, add a handful of calamari to the buttermilk, making sure it’s coated, then, one handful at a time, add it to the flour mixture.
- Press the calamari into the flour mixture to ensure the flour has coated it completely.
- Transfer the coated calamari to a sifter and dust off any excess flour.
- Set the calamari aside on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat the process until all of the calamari is coated.
- Working in batches (3-4 pieces at a time), add the calamari to the hot oil and cook for 45 seconds to 1 minutes, or until golden brown and tender.
- Set aside to drain on a rack. Repeat the process until all of the calamari is fried. Serve alongside the heated marinara sauce.
