Fish Fry tips needed

Wifey really does not like fish, and hates it fried in the house. Usually what I do is put a caste iron skillet on the grill and fry outside, for a small batch this works well. Once a year I do many batches for a larger group, seems like the first batch gets golden brown but some time after that the oil blackens and the color and texture are not as good-Is it the caste iron? Is the oil getting dirty? Can the oil get too hot? Hove been thinking of getting a flying saucer, would this help?

Do you have a grease thermometer? The oil may be getting too hot and burning it sounds like to me.

For large batches I use an electric deep fryer, some coloration change is going to happen as the oil gets dirty, should not be black though.

Those are my favorite pieces.

The frying saucer is the best fish cooker I have bought. I only use it when I fry up more then just for the kids and lady and I. Otherwise I use a smaller wok type pan. But I’m guessing your oil is getting to hot and foamy.

My first guess would be the oil is getting to hot. You have to have a quality thermometer to make sure the oil is the proper temp. I also find that most people tend to fry their fish way longer than they should. I deep fry my fish at 375. At this temp a panfish fillet should only take 3-4 minutes. In between batches make sure you return the oil to 375 before dropping the next batch. I also found out that oil breaks down much faster if you use any sort of a egg or milk wash prior to dipping in a dry fish mix. now I go right from a beer soak into the dry batter. The last thing is what kind of oil you are using. Canola and Peanut oil have a higher smoke point and will tend to hold up better than other oils for more batches without breaking down.

what temp are you cooking at? you are likely getting your oil too hot like others said. Your oil temp drops when you put that first batch in and sometimes people will adjust the heat to compensate for that and bring it back up to temp but its easy to get the oil too hot when doing that.

what type of oil are you using? canola oil has a smoke point of like 375 whereas peanut oil is higher at like 450. both will work just fine, you just have to be a lot more careful with canola so you don’t burn it

Sounds like the oil may be getting too hot. Also, skim out as much of the crumbs between batches as possible. If they burn it will impart that flavor to the 2nd or 3rd batch. No experience with the flying saucer, but for a big fish fry we use an electric Butterball Turkey fryer and a cheapo propane one.

Like others have said I bet the oil is getting too hot and the fact that you are doing it in a cast iron pan means you have very little of it in there so its going bad/contaminated by the batter etc on the fish. Get a deep fryer for larger fish fry’s. Make sure after each batch the oil is back to temp and eat on!

I use an infrared thermometer. Just point and shoot to get the surface temp of the oil. I try to keep it in the 365 to 375 degree range. The oil is probably a little hotter under the surface. Vegetable and canola oil will burn if you get over 400 degrees for very long.

Agree on a fryer with temp control.

You can up your fryer game fairly cheaply. These counter top fryers work well for small and fairly large batches.

Something like this or search Amazon for a “Prime Day” deal today.

http://www.amazon.com/Swinod-Capacity-Stainless-Countertop-Commercial/dp/B0C59JPDQT/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=1TYTAVNMV3MS7&keywords=fry+daddy+deep+fryer&qid=1689193961&sprefix=fry+dady%2Caps%2C333&sr=8-2-spons&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.304cacc1-b508-45fb-a37f-a2c47c48c32f&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

-J.

Here’s one for a little more that has an oil filter. A nice feature to have if you reuse the oil.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B8MD8N3W/ref=sbl_dpx_kitchen-electric-cookware_B0C59JPDQT_0

Picked up a new fryer last week at menards on sale for $50

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I found that peanut oil doesn’t burn as fast as veggie. Good flavor too.

Some great tips-My oil was a combo of peanut & avacado, so 2 quality high SP oils. was worried about the oil not being hot enough as that makes the fish soggy/oily so how hot is too hot? My target was 350 now I hear that 370 is better because adding the fish makes the temp drop. Not a fan of deep fryers but may have to go that route—-Thx

Coletrain27 wrote:

Picked up a new fryer last week at menards on sale for $50

I use something similar to Coletrain. It is used outside so no smell inside. You can adjust temp but you need to use a thermometer. I try to keep it at 350. I just had a fish fry that used 15 boxes of shore lunch. Fried fish for 2 hrs. I change the oil half way through. Otherwise any batter that falls off eventually burns after a few batch’s. Even if you try to strain it out it’s tough to get all of it. The first batches are best. I’ve tried other electric fryers (cheaper ones less than 100) and they couldn’t keep the heat up or could handle any volume.

bzzsaw wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Coletrain27 wrote:</div>
Picked up a new fryer last week at menards on sale for $50

I use something similar to Coletrain. It is used outside so no smell inside. You can adjust temp but you need to use a thermometer. I try to keep it at 350. I just had a fish fry that used 15 boxes of shore lunch. Fried fish for 2 hrs. I change the oil half way through. Otherwise any batter that falls off eventually burns after a few batch’s. Even if you try to strain it out it’s tough to get all of it. The first batches are best. I’ve tried other electric fryers (cheaper ones less than 100) and they couldn’t keep the heat up or could handle any volume.

yea it came with a thermometer. i got tired of using my small electric fryer and the oil temp dropping so much while trying to cook. ill give it a good test outside this winter

Bearcat89 wrote:

The frying saucer is the best fish cooker I have bought. I only use it when I fry up more then just for the kids and lady and I. Otherwise I use a smaller wok type pan. But I’m guessing your oil is getting to hot and foamy.

^^THIS^^
Great for small batches or larger batches and you can adjust the temp as you go pretty easily because it uses a smaller amount of oil – Easy clean-up, too!

Looks like you’re contemplating one, just do it! You wont regret it!

I just saw this yesterday.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/firedisc-deep-cooker-24-in-red-1366286?cid=Shopping-Google-Product-1366286&gclid=EAIaIQobChMItfq4teKLgAMVieXjBx2ZKwf6EAQYAiABEgLeU_D_BwE

Might be an option for a fryer/somewhat flat top combo.

Anybody use one?