CoastalAg, glad to hear it's working out. I've made a couple of tweaks if you noticed since last time I posted the recipe. It's dialed in now to where I don't think it can get any better.


buddybee - imo, nothing that has a breading can be made to taste that good by Air Frying. I'd honestly rather pick a healthy cooking method such as En Papillote than eat air baked breaded food. That said, it would be a better version than other coatings I suppose

trip98 - I'm fortunate to have a pretty much unlimited supply of Snapper. Flounder are a bit harder to come by sometimes, but, it's hard to beat Fried Flounder so worth it to me

Cod or haddock are pretty good. They basically built the British fish and chips industry.

Dang sounds like I need to try crappie

First it sounds like I need to go crappie fishing!

First it sound like I need a boat!!

Damn glad I opened this thread

We caught a bunch of striper on texoma a few weeks ago that fried up really well. One of my favorite freshwater species to catch as well

Fried snapper is delicious

Fido,
We need to make a trade. I've got some decent crappie just caught and I seem to get founder somewhat regularly when fishing salt. Have ZERO snapper.

Crappie is about the best tasting fried fish I've ever had. I'm glad my retired FIL goes fishing all the time and catches me a ton. I have about 8 lbs in the freezer.

My recipe is :

1/3 flour
2/3 yellow cornmeal

Egg/buttermilk mixed in a blender

Following spices in powder dredge and milk wash (I don't measure - I just know how much to put):

Tony's
Garlic salt
Lowrys
Onion powder
Lemon pepper
Cayenne

Peanut oil or coconut oil burns more. Shortening or vegetable oil works better.

Are there lots of bones in a crappie fillet?

None if you filet them correctly. I use an electric knife.

Hardheads of course!

As far as commercially available I'd stick with catfish, cut thin. Preferably wild caught. Less mushy and more tasty than farm raised imo.


Speckled trout and crappie would be my tops although crappie not available commercially .Prefer to grill, or broil but a fish fry is good now and then.

Would never, ever waste flounder in a fryer. Too good on the grill or broiled.

This will surprise a few folks but sheepshead are really good fixed almost any way you just have to figure out how to clean them. There's are multiple youtubes on how to clean them.

I like redfish fried as well.

A note on tilapia. We put Mozambique tilapia in our pond for bass forage and they grow mostly naturally, We feed the bluegill with gamefish chow and the tilapia eat a little of the feed. The "wild" caught tilapia are a ton tastier than the commercial . White and flaky.

Halibut is very good.

Ragoo said:

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rootube said:

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Ragoo said:

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Tilapia is disgusting trash fish.

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Meh. People not in the south often say the same about catfish.

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well, tilapia is an imported fish and don't survive in cold water so the regionality of your comment doesn't make sense.

Also, most people eat catfish bartered and deep fried exclusively. It isn't a delicacy but also doesn't taste foul, muddy sure but tilapia is down right putrid in taste.

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Because it's farmed commercially Tilapia is available in practically every grocery store in the country so I listed it. You made your point, you don't like Tilapia. I've tasted it fried and it's not bad. I would probably pick catfish but if offered Tilapia I wouldn't throw it in the host's face and run screaming out if his house if I were at a party.

buddybee said:

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Would FIDO *98* recipe work if you air fry the fish. Because of health reasons I now air fry any help is welcome. I love fried fish.

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Man, that sucks. Air frying is a scam like white chocolate.

This is my go to recipe for grilled fish tacos. I normally marinate for at least a couple of hours. I usually add some extra garlic salt, Tony's, and Lowry's. .

Works well on tilapia and mahi.

halfastros81 said:

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This will surprise a few folks but sheepshead are really good fixed almost any way you just have to figure out how to clean them. There's are multiple youtubes on how to clean them.

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Sheepshead are great. We usually Bowfish them in conjunction with a Flounder trip. When we have a mess of them we usually just run them up to Billings to clean. Short of taking the easy way out, an electric knife is a must.

You can catch Tilapia in the bayous in Houston. It is a trash fish and often used to clean up **** plants. The tilapia you buy in the store are from over seas in places like Thailand. I sell algeacides into that market. Their food source can be pretty disgusting.

Well, whatever you fry, this recipe is pretty damned solid.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aaron-mccargo-jr/big-daddys-deep-fried-catfish-recipe-1948850.amp

RealTalk said:

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Flounder.

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This is the correct answer. Not sure why the rest of the thread was necessary.

aggie1819 said:

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You can catch Tilapia in the bayous in Houston. It is a trash fish and often used to clean up **** plants. The tilapia you buy in the store are from over seas in places like Thailand. I sell algeacides into that market. Their food source can be pretty disgusting.

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You never expect to wake up defending Tilapia. You are referring to fish farming practices and forgetting that this basically applies to all species of fish that are farmed including salmon, trout, and catfish. I think it's hilarious that people can turn up their nose at Tilapia and praise catfish. I'm not sure what you think those cats are doing at the bottom of a muddy lake in east texas but I assure you they are eating everything alive or dead that sinks to the bottom of the lake and that's the wild ones.

Haha I grew up on a lake in East Texas and well versed with how Catfish feed and live. Still would never eat Farmed tilapia. Conditions are no where close to the same.

I also never praised catfish. I eat it, but it's not one I frequent.

I said crappie, specs then white bass in that order.

Hopefully I catch a few specs in the next few days.

aggie1819 said:

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Haha I grew up on a lake in East Texas and well versed with how Catfish feed and live. Still would never eat Farmed tilapia. Conditions are no where close to the same.

I also never praised catfish. I eat it, but it's not one I frequent.

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I grew up in southwest Texas and every year we would bow fish for Tilapia during spawning season in a lake that was so clear you can see 30 feet down. If you are going to argue about what the wild fish eat you are on shaky ground because Talipia eat primarily vegetation where catfish will eat an old shoe if it's covered with grease. I feel like your inditement is of fish farming in general. It's funny how Tilapia has become the Nickelback of the fish world. Is it the best? Absolutely not, but it's not terrible.

Edit: Funny story where I grew up the only fish I had ever eaten was Tilapia, Bass, canned tuna and Catfish. My mind exploded when I moved to Houston and tasted fresh redfish and mackerel.

Definitely a difference in Tilapia in a clear lake than a farm raised Tilapia in Asia. You arent getting those clear lake tilapia in the store.

I caught a 4.25lb tilapia in my cast net at Gibbons when I still lived in CS. It was pretty dang good eating.

Going with the commercial varieties if your excluding catfish for frying your top choices are probably cod ,drum,talapia,balsa and red snapper.
On the regional disdain for catfish,one of my good friends, now departed ,yankee wife would not eat catfish.Through the years we would have fish fries with trout,redfish and red snapper; occasionally at home games.For my 80th bdy my kids decided to have a fish fry.,but with the changes in limits,our moving away from the coast they had no choice except to use catfish because the size of the crowd. My friend told his wife it was trout and redfish, I asked him how many times she went back for seconds and he said twice.Now for the rest of the story. About three weeks later I did some ribs and had some of the same people over for ribs,Sitting at one of the tables were my friend and his yankee wife another couple that was at my bdy party and my wife and I.The other Ag commented that sure was good catfish your boys fried at your birthday party I looked across the table at friend and yankee wife sensing a little uneasiness and said oh,there was some trout and redfish also to which Rock the good Ag replied "I DAMN SURE DIDN'T GET ANY'. Case closed.

Yellow Cat. Meat. eaters.

Shore lunch in Canada. Fry what you catch for lunch. Best ever.

Several mentions of crappie I would have to agree. Small black bass from private pond are hard to beat.

Several mentions of crappie I would have to agree. Small black bass from private pond are hard to beat.

Several mentions of crappie I would have to agree. Small black bass from private pond are hard to beat.

Halibut.

No close second.

agsalaska said:

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Halibut.

No close second.

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My favorite as well. Fantastic fish.

Crappie. No if and buts or maybe. Fortunate to fish a lot from coast to local lakes. My fave.

docb said:

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Walleye. Unfortunately I've never seen it on a menu down here.

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Walleye and northern pike are great when fried shore lunch style.