Deep-Fried Tilapia (Fish)
"This is a no-fail recipe for MILD, white, flaky, not greasy, and delicious fish for either sandwiches or as a main entree on a plate. The trick is to get the cooking oil plenty hot, 375-degrees F or higher. Also, there is no "drenching" in egg wash involved in this recipe. Tilapia works best but Whitefish fillets are also great. Use either Canola oil, Peanut oil, or Crisco. Others may "smoke" at high heat. If you wish to mix in additional favorite herbs or spices into the flour, (e.g., a teaspoon of dried basil, or, Old Bay Seasoning), go right ahead. Easy! Enjoy!"
photo by gailanng
- Ready In:
- 15mins
- Ingredients:
- 3
- Serves:
-
4
ingredients
- 4 tilapia fillets
- 946.0 ml cooking oil (or Crisco)
- 354.88 ml seasoned flour (I use Kentucky Kernel brand)
directions
- Heat the oil in a 3- or 4-quart pan to at least 375-degrees F. (just a couple of drops of water flipped off your hand will really crackle when the oil has reached this heat level).
- Roll the DRY and THAWED fish in the flour, shake off excess flour, and let the filets sit on a rack or, on wax paper, for 5-10 minutes.
- Roll the fillets in the flour a second time, shake off excess flour, and deep fry, no more than 2 at a time. (frying more than 2 filets at once drives down the oil temperature which will make the fish and coating soggy!) Turn once in the pan after a minute or so and remove when golden brown. They should be done in under 4 minutes, white and flakey inside at the thickest section of the filet. Do not overcook!
- Drain each filet on paper towels for a few seconds and serve.
Questions & Replies
Got a question?
Share it with the community!
Reviews
-
I followed this recipe and I loved it want be purchasing fish breeding for this fish anymore
-
-
Good afternoon. I also cooked my fish just like I was instructed, and the second half I also used some panko and it came out so delicious and crispy. Thank you for your support and time. 5 star, I can't wait another minute, The song remember....That's how I feel when I am going to eat my with your recipes. -
Simple and delicious: I fried the fish for about 3 minutes. It came out so crispy and light. My five years old son came back for seconds. ;-) This will be my go-to recipe when frying tilapia and flounder. -
Great recipe! I made this as written and used a deep fryer. I used a commercial product called "Southwestern Style" coating. The fish was golden brown and perfectly cooked in 4 minutes. Thanks for sharing. -
This was a breeze. The fish was nicely browned and the coating did not fall off. I did it in a deep fryer. Thanks for posting. Made for Bargain Basement.
see 2 more reviews
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
<p>I am a retired State Park Resort Manager/Ranger. <br /><br />Anyway, as to my years in the State Park System (retired now), I was responsible for 4 restaurants/dining rooms on my park and my boss at Central Headquarters said I should spend less time in my kitchens and more time tending to my park budget. I spent 25 years in those kitchens and worked with some really great chefs over those years, (and some really awful ones too!) <br /><br />I spent THOUSANDS of hours on every inch of that park and adjacent state forest (60,000 acres) and sometimes I miss it. But mostly I miss being in that big beautiful resort lodge kitchen. I miss my little marina restaurant down on the Ohio River too. I served the best Reuben Sandwich (my own recipe -- posted on 'Zaar as The Shawnee Marina Reuben Sandwich) in both the State of Ohio and the Commonwealth of Kentucky down there and sold it for $2.95. Best deal on the river! <br /><br />They (friends and neighbors) call my kitchen The Ospidillo Cafe. Don't ask me why because it takes about a case of beer, time-wise, to explain the name. Anyway, it's a small galley kitchen with a Mexican motif (until my wife catches me gone for a week or so), and it's a very BUSY kitchen as well. We cook at all hours of the day and night. You are as likely to see one of my neighbors munching down over here as you are my wife or daughter. I do a lot of recipe experimentation and development. It has become a really fun post-retirement hobby -- and, yes, I wash my own dishes. <br /><br />Also, I'm the Cincinnati Chili Emperor around here, or so they say. (Check out my Ospidillo Cafe Cincinnati Chili recipe). SKYLINE CHILI is one of my four favorite chilis, and the others include: Gold Star Chili, Empress Chili and, my VERY favorite, Dixie. All in and around Cincinnati. Great stuff for cheap and I make it at home too. <br /><br />I also collect menus and keep them in my kitchen -- I have about a hundred or so. People go through them and when they see something that they want, I make it the next day. That presents some real challenges! <br /><br />http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/parks/parks/shawnee.htm</p>
