I’ve used JR Mads, regular corn meal, bisquick batter, and several other store bought fish breadings. They all taste great but my fish always seems to be mushy inside. I normally use a Fry Daddy with Canola oil to fix them. Any ideas why they don’t come out firm and flakey? Cooking too long maybe? I haven’t figured out the trick yet. Love fried crappie so will try new methods if there are better ones out there. Thanks!

Wife and I really like Slap yo Mama breading and one that I will tell you about on a PM. I soak my crappie in beer for about 30 minutes to an hour. Wife takes those out and sets them on a wire rack to fully dry before she starts the breading process. I think that my be your problem regardless of what breading you are using.

Ours always turns out cripsy and great. Try that next time out.

I’ll try some of that breading. I had these soaking in water overnight. But they weren’t dry before they went into the dry mix. If they’re dry how does the breading stick? I just can’t get them flaky inside.

Ok, my bad. She takes them right out of the beer and then breads them. Then she places them on the wire rack to dry before I cook them in the oil. Sorry about that. I would not soak them overnight. I literally soak for 30 min to an hour. That is all they need.

Sorry about that. My wife just corrected me !!

I would check the temperature in the fry daddy with a thermometer, the oil needs to be 350 when your u put the 1st piece in. Don't over load the fryer, try 6 pieces and see if it's crisp when it comes out.

I have two of the bigger fryers "Presto 06006Kitchen Kettle multi cooker/steamers" from Walmart, they are $47.59. We fry a lot of fish for big gatherings and they come out fine.

I soak fillets in milk a little while before breaking in Louisiana Fish Fry (blue label). Bread them one at a time and straight into the peanut oil.

Cook for 8 minutes and take them out.

I cook a lot of crappie and have for almost 20 years.

Your oil is not hot enough and the fish is absorbing the grease which makes it mushy. Get your oil hot hot hot like 375 hot. Let oil get back to set temp for each batch.

^^ This.

You can get an infra red thermometer to check oil temp from Academy. Not that expensive. Fry Daddys have a thermostat that cuts off about 340. The grease needs to be 375-385 before you start. Soaking fish in water allows the meat to absorb too much liquid. Excess moisture needs to be squeezed out of the meat.

Peanut oil at 375 does the trick for us.

Presto claims the Fry Daddy heats to 375 but I’m having my doubts if it thermostats off at 340. I’ll check it with a thermometer next time. IR thermometer is a good idea. Fry Daddy might get relegated to the non-critical frying, crappie being critical. Lol. I have a 3 liter single fryer from Cabelas that goes to 375. I’ll try that one and check its temp too. Sams has 35 lbs of peanut oil for $35. That’s about 4.5 gallons. A 3 liter fry would run about $6 vs about $4 for canola oil. But it sounds like peanut oil is the way to go. Lots of good info on here.

Spiderman, your Kitchen Kettle is only $26 and change at Walmart right now. Must be on sale. Good time to grab a backup.

BINGO!!! +1

I do mine in safflower oil in a cast iron. Turns out great every time and dang sure stays the right temp.

What they said. 375 minimum temp. I use peanut oil, Aunt Jemima self rising white corn meal with some Lawry's seasoning. Spot on every time.

I put my fillets in a bowl and pack them with ice all day. Add a little lemon juice. Place in the fridge.

Gets them nice and firm.

Then whip up an egg wash. Keep the egg wash kind of thick. You want it to stick to the fillet.

Take the fillets throw them in the egg wash one at a time.

If you go to the baking isle at your local grocery store get a box of Kellogg's Corn Flake Crumbs.
Dump into a Gallon Ziploc Bag.

Take the fillet out of the egg wash and place in the bag of Kellogg Corn Flake Crumbs. Shake and Coat the fillet.

Remove and let dry on a plate with a paper towel.

Fry when ready.

I like it better than corn meal or bread crumbs.

You can season the fish before or after to each persons individual preferences.

Eat and enjoy.

I agree with what everyone said about keeping the oil hot. One other thing that can produce mushy fish is if they get warm before they go in the oil. I keep mine on ice from the time they come off the stringer from the cooler to rinsing fillets always on ice if the air temp is over 55. I bumped into the issue of mushy fish about 25 some ought years ago cleaning fish in the back yard just rinsing fish with the hose and dropping them in a bowl of water. I now drop those fillets in ice water and will clean in the kitchen if the temps outdoors are pretty hot.

I also use peanut oil but not sure how much that has do with anything because I have even baked 'em using one recipe that calls for ranch dressing and smashed up "bugle" chips.

This is a very common issue with an easy solution. The fish needs to be frozen in water then thawed out for it to be flaky when cooked.

Anytime I know I am going to cook fresh crappie that have not been frozen I know the consistency of the fish will be like mashed potatoes inside, still crunchy batter on outside but the fish itself will be mushy. This has nothing to do with type of batter, oil, or temperature.

I also try to fry fish that have been frozen first, they will have a firm, flaky consistency always.

Trust me, you will notice a difference.

x2
MO

375 to 400 oil temp. Also helps to take fish out of the fridge an hour or so before you cook them so that they come up close to room temp...won't take the temp of your oil down as far when you put them in

Oil temp at 375...and I make sure my filets are COLD...like super cold.

Grease is not hot enough or you are overcrowding.

Lot of good advice here.

Most important thing to remember is that you must have the OIL HOT - FISH COLD.


I like my oil about 375. Cast iron pot holds the temperature better than lighter weight pots, as you drop fish in. But still, dont over crowd them. I keep a thermometer in the grease all the time, just easy to glance and see where I am.

I keep the fish breaded, laid out on flat pan or paper plates, in the fridge (or even freezer if in a hurry) and pull them out as I am cooking. Keeps the fish cold and firm. Drop in the grease cold... not frozen, but cold and firm. This will give crispy outside and flaky fish inside.

Breader - I like a light crispy coating, but not heavy. I use the Louisiana Yellow box - crispy Chicken breader. Depending on who I am cooking for, I put some Slap Yo Momma or Cajun shake, etc in it for a little more seasoning. Also, for a little more seasoning, when you can find it, the Hooters Breader works great.

To prepare the fish. Wash the fish in cold water. Shake dry all the water off. Put in a bag and coat with yellow mustard. Dont worry about the brand, because the mustard is going to all cook away, and does not really do anything to the taste. I KNOW some of you are thinking I am crazy here, but you need to try it. You can also google and search down in the cooking forum and see a lot of people like the mustard thing... anyway, coat with mustard lightly. This is just to bind the coating to the fish. I put my breader in a gallon freezer bag or a large bowl, and then just drop the mustard coated fish into the breader. Shake the breader around, then pick up the fish and kind of bounce it in your hand to remove excess breader. Just want a light coat. Lay it out flat on the paper plates or pan. Put the full pan or plate in the fridge and let it stay cool and firm.

I like peanut oil, as it wont burn as fast and will last longer if you strain it and keep it clean... if you want to reuse it. If keeping in a "fry daddy" type cooker, important that you clean - filter it now and again. The oil does not burn, but the excess breader and scraps will burn, and mess up your oil. Also, keep a fine mesh scoop, and clean the oil as you are cooking.

Another thing to remember is that if you are trying to cook up a bunch and feed everyone at the same time, is to keep the fish laid out in a pan in single layers and in the oven or grill on low heat, on paper towels to catch the extra grease. Want to keep it warm, and let the grease drip out.

Cook with HOT OIL - COOL FISH = great tasting fish!

Hardest thing you will have to worry about is people eating them as you are cooking, and it never making it to the table! LOL

Enjoy - stay safe everyone.

Ken

My recipe is peanut oil at 365 ish , cast iron pot on a propane cooker , fillets that have been frozen , Rinse lightly , Louisiana brand fish fry mix
( blue label ) cook until golden , does not take long ,,

I promise the fillets that have been frozen ( even for just overnight) will be firm,

MO

This^^

Have had this problem for years now. Haven’t found a way to make Lavon crappie firm. Problem is magically solved going up north to catch fish instead. I think not pulling fish out of 90 degree muddy bathtub water has the most to do with it.

^^^This^^^

maybe you just dont like crappie. crappie is not a firm flakey fish. try sand bass, striper, or black bass if you like a firmer flakey meat

give em an ice water bath with a good dose of sea salt 1 hour.

one part mustard, one part butter milk, and one part water. 10 minute soak

La Fish Fry breading 350-375 in a Dutch oven type cast iron pot on a propane burner

don't over crowd , when they float look golden brown leave em another half a minute.

blot to cool on clean paper towels

Cold in the fridge fish in a gallon bag in water. I let set several hours the morning I will be cooking. Dutch oven 375*. I drain the fish, shake the water out of the bag. Add mustard, and work the fish in the bag till it’s all coated. I put one part Louisiana fish fry “Blue bag” to one part Corn meal. The fish fry is to salty to me by its self., in a different bag. I add about three filets at a time to the dry mix. Shake well. Shake off and fry until golden brown. You can’t taste the mustard. It makes the dry batter stick to the fish while cooking. It’s awesome!

Not sure if anyone else mentioned how to store the fish after it comes out of the grease. If you put it in a covered dish, it will sweat and the fish will get soft. Old trick is to put paper towels in a paper bag. The fish has to breath, the best is to eat it straight out of the grease.

Taking notes on all this. But I can add the bisquick/club soda battered fish I fixed Saturday was good that night but even better both last night and tonight after 2 minutes at 365 degrees in the air fryer. Very crunchy. Wish I had more leftovers now.

This...key is gettin back to temp before next batch and don’t overload the cooker, regardless of what kind..
Good luck!

Lot's of good advice above. Cold fish, hot oil. Egg mix, mustard or mayo to bond the breading to the dry fish. Also try using a wok for frying. They are cheap and work great. Get a good oil thermometer too.

Also dont cover hot fried food. This steams it and makes it mushy

I use an old cast iron pan, Canola Oil, and heat it till it starts to smoke, then bump the heat down a bit. Egg Wash and Cajun Fish Fry. Always flaky inside, and crispy outside. Love me some crappie, never fails to please. Although I do love catfish too.

z289sec

Crappie and Blue Cat are about the best eating you will find here down south. Up in that cold water part of the world, the walleye and little tiger perch are pretty good too!

(just my opinion)

Tight lines - stay safe everyone.

Ken

Pat dry your filets so they are dry from any residual water and then mix mustard and Louisiana hot sauce in a bowl to dip them in . After that coat them in a 50/50 mix of plain corn meal of your choosing and Louisiana fish fry mix in the blue bag . Fry them in a cast iron skillet with peanut oil but don’t try to cover the filets in oil only fill the pan with enough oil to cover half the way up on the filet . Get the grease as hot as you can without it smoking . Hope this helps

Also use two forks to flip your filets and you can cut them into nuggets or in half so the are easier to work with as they tend to break sometimes when you flip them .

I dip my fillets in a egg wash then in crushed saltine crackers and fry in peanut or conola oil at 350° for 4 minutes in my fry daddy.

my grandmother used crackers, she smashed them between wax paper using a big roller...

My Fryer can be loaded :), but I only put in 2-4 at a time, and the temp must be 350+.
note, also putting a small dash of salt in your bags of fish when freezing (Crappie) will make them a bit less Mushy. JMO

Now thats a fryer!

That sucker looks like it would fix up a pretty good mash too.

Is that a dog or your arm?

Also, that fryer is AWESOME!