The last couple if time I've fried up some crappie they have been a little mushy. I'm more used to eating catfish and bass. Are crappie just not as firm as the rest, or am I doing something wrong? Any advice is much appreciated.

Thanks,

Mike

Make sure your oil is hot enough and when you fried them. Fried them into golden brown almost crispy.

Make sure your grease is hott enough!!! I eat my crappie fillets crunchy and golden brown so I fry em a lil harder/longer than most folks!

If you are frying you're crappie, either you're oil is not hot enough, or, you're overcooking the filets. My observations have found that most times, the oil is under temp, or, you're frying too may filets at once. If you're oil is the right temperature, remove the filets as soon as they float.
I like peanut oil at 375�

Gman

on the P nut Oil!

I've had them come out mushy a couple times...don't know why. Like mentioned above get the oil to 375... use a thermometer if needed... I think it helps to pat the fish dry some before coating them... only takes about 3 (4 tops) minutes to cook... if you've never tried the mustard coating first, I think it helps the batter stay on which makes a crispier fillet.

IMO, crappie are not as firm as say sandbass. We fried some crappie up with sandbass and we both came to the conclusion that the sandbass was a firmer fish than the crappie.

Fillets unthawed in water will retain too much water in the meat. Let them drain and pat dry or squeeze lightly to remove excess water. As mentioned, the oil must be hot enough. Cooking at 325 will result in mushy fish. Oil at 375 is necessary for good fried fish of any type. My

Peanut at 375.
within a couple of minutes of the fish in there the oil should get back up to 375.
If not you are putting too many fillets in there.

Never have had that problem . Vacum pack all our fish

One tip is to refrigerate the fish getting them as close to 32� as you can before you put them in a freezer and freeze them. Speeding up the freezing process and limiting the size of the ice crystals formed in the fish.

These were fresh never frozen, I can't catch enough to need to freeze any. I'm thinking the oil just wasn't hot enough.

sometimes when they come out of warm water they will do that.i like them out of 40 degree temp water.

Another one, when you put them in bags, put a little salt in the water, keeps the meat from turning mushy

+1 The meat from warm water crappie is not as firm as cold water crappie.