Have a Fish Fry!
The South is blessed with thousands of miles of coastline along with a network of lakes, rivers and streams, providing plenty of places for fishermen to indulge their passion. So it should come as no surprise that a big catch calls for a fish fry - a chance to get some friends together to eat good food and hear about the ones that got away.
Frying Fish
Catfish, crappie, bass, grouper, mullet and snapper are just a few of the fish that might be on the menu at a fish fry. Many of these varieties are available in local grocery stores and fish markets.
When you're ready to cook, purists will insist that all you need to do is salt and pepper the fish, roll it in Martha White® White Cornmeal and fry it up. And most of us will agree that this simple preparation strikes an almost perfect balance of mild sweet fish and crisp corn meal crust.
However, like other classic Southern recipes, there are many variations on this basic theme — like seasoning the corn meal with cayenne pepper, lemon pepper, garlic powder, dry mustard and/or herbs like dried thyme or dill. Other Southern cooks like to dip the fish in egg, egg white or buttermilk before rolling in seasoned corn meal to make a little thicker breading.
For a little different taste combination, you might like to try Corn Meal and Pecan Crusted Fish. Finely chopped pecans added to the cornmeal give the fish a delicious toasted nut flavor and rich brown crust.
For frying, select oil with a high smoke point, like canola oil. When the oil is hot, cook the fish in small batches so that the oil does not cool too much when the fish is added. The trick is to keep the oil hot enough to seal the outside of the fish and lock in moisture and flavor. Fillets will only take a few minutes to cook, depending on the thickness.
Pass the Hush Puppies
No one knows exactly how hush puppies got their name, but the prevailing wisdom suggests that fisherman threw bits of the batter from frying fish to the dogs barking around the campfire with the admonition to "hush puppies". Others believe Confederate soldiers were trying to silence their dogs to avoid detection by Yankee scouts. Whatever the origin of this delectable corn meal creation, it goes without saying that you don't really have a fish fry without hush puppies.
Made with simple cornbread batter, hush puppies are traditionally seasoned with onion and dropped by spoonfuls into the hot oil where the fish were fried. But hush puppies are not limited to accompanying fish, nor are they always little round balls. In some parts of the South, hush puppies are served with barbecue or as an appetizer, and sometimes they are crescent or finger-shaped.
If you want to create your own signature hush puppy, dress up Traditional Hush Puppies by adding chopped bell or jalapeno peppers, corn kernels, chopped green onions, chopped fresh parsley, crumbled bacon or herbs. Or to add a little spice to your next fish fry, cook up some Jalapeno Salsa Hush Puppies made easy with Martha White® Hush Puppy Mix.
Now all you need is French fries, coleslaw and a lot of fresh lemon wedges — and you have a classic fish fry with the true taste of the South.