So, I know my way around a can of tuna and a can of salmon, and I can do a baked tilapia filet...and that's it. I'm not much for fish, but someone gave me a whole bunch of fresh northern walleye (love MN!) and I don't know what to do with it. I want to fry it (yum) but here's the catch...
We are GF, so no beer, no real flour. I have on hand rice flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, gf rice krispies, tortilla chips, potato chips. I could use any of that. I would really like to have a nice thick fried coating, but I'm not really sure how to do it. Oh, and canola oil is all I have for oil.
Could someone please give me some advice, please...the more detailed the better? :) I love to cook, but fish...eh. But I do love walleye and this is a rare treat and I don't want to mess it up!!
Thanks!
I don't have a deep fryer (funny story) so it'll be pan frying, and thank you so much for the ideas!! I do have cornmeal, which is what I use for the tilapia, but I want a thicker coating so mixing it with the flour sounds like a good idea. I would've messed this all up (no idea how to cook fish) so thank you very much!!!
(The funny story? Well, funny to me, anyhow. Before we had children my husband and I had this great idea to have a deep fried meal...we had deep fried boneless chicken things, deep fried onion rings, deep fried mozzerella things, and deep fried jalepeno poppers...and we ate it all. We both got so sick from eating all the fried food that we chucked it out and haven't deep fried anything since! That was eight years ago. :)
**Update** Yup, sitting here full of walleye. Oh my, it was SOOOO GOOD!!!! I did a mix of rice and tapioca flour, then egg, then a mix of the flours with cornstartch, seasoned the filets with salt and pepper, and fried it in a pan with the canola oil...and even my seven year old, who doesn't like ANY fish, thought it was yummy!!!! Thanks again, ladies!! What a great supper! (She also wants me to add that she and daddy really liked coleslaw dressing on it...)
Do you have any cornmeal? You can do a coating of salt/pepper and then a dip in one of the flours, rice, tapioca, spelt, etc, and then dip it in egg and coat the whole fish Then, dredge it in the cornmeal and fry in a hot oil pan to pan fry it. I had it done this way when I was at a friend's house and it was super yummy!
wow...do I ever miss walleye! Being from the MI/OH region now transplanted in AZ I miss it terribly!!!
Anyway...pat it dry first,
get a couple eggs and a little milk wisk together in a bowl
Next put some flour in a bowl (any will work...mostly for coating)
then crunch up those crackers/chips.
Dip fish in eggs, then flour, dip in eggs again, then coat with crunchies
Fry up in canola oil about 3-4 min per side or desired color is reached.
Good luck! I can taste it already and it's making my mouth water!!! yum!
You can also try cornstarch for frying...it works just as well as flour in my opinion. You can make it into a batter or just use it like you would the flour for the dry-wet-dry combo.
We're having pan fried fish (with cilantro lime coleslaw) for dinner too! :) BTW, have you tried Gluten Free Pantry's GF All Purpose Flour? It's nice to have around for "last minute" flour-type things....
do you have any GF cornmeal? If so, then mix the tapioca flour with the cornmeal and use it as a dredge. When frying fish, I think it is best to get any seasoning (salt, pepper, paprika, cajun, whatever you are using) directly on the flesh of the fish before you dredge. Do you want to pan fry (like a saute) or "deep" fat fry. Either way, make sure your pan is large enough so they aren't crowded. If you fry in a crowd you end up steaming so there is no crunch. If you saute or pan fry, just put enough canola oil to barely coat the bottom of the pan. Dredge the fish, put it and and don't mess with it! Let it cook 3 minutes (depending on the thickness of the filets) then flip. Just before it is done, deglaze the pan with lemon juice or dry white wine. If it is a deep fry get your oil at about 350 and then put your filets in, fry a few minutes then turn. Tell us how it turns out
I like the idea of cornmeal. Either way, dip the fish in one of the flours first (I'd probably try the rice flour or potato starch), shake, dip it in egg next, and dip it in the last substance (cornmeal, crushed potato chips, what have you) next.
yum.
I agree with Marla. The technique that you want is dry-wet-dry. First pat the pieces dry. Then dip in a bowl something flour-like that has been seasoned with salt and pepper. Then dip it in beaten eggs. Then dip it in something with more texture - this would normally be breadcrumbs, but use whatever GF item(s) you have that would be like breadcrumbs (crushed potato chips would be really good). Season the "breadcrumb" mix - salt, pepper, Old Bay or whatever you have and like. This will make everything stick to the fish. Then just heat up the oil - you only need about a 1/2 inch - and fry for a few minutes on each side. If they're really thick, you can throw them in the oven to finish cooking through but fish is usually a fast cooker.
You may want to try layering on coats of batter. Like egg wash, flour, egg wash and flour/cornmeal. Be sure to season the heck out of the dry mix! Various flavors of salt and pepper will do the trick. A good friend of ours in St Cloud has a secret recipe, and we've figured out there are corn flakes in it. Dill is a great spice for fish. Usually if I'm pan frying pan fish I put them in the pan and sprinkle the dill right on top.
I probably put between 1/4 to 1/2 inch of oil in the pan and get the pan and oil heated up well. I start out a little a bit under halfway between medium and high heat to start with. You have to find the balance between cooking it quickly and browning it. The longer it sits in the oil, the more it'll absorb. I use a dinner fork and wooden skewer for flipping the pieces. Of course be sure to flip away from you, or you'll end up splashing oil on yourself. Be sure the cooking is your sole focus since it's fast and can be dangerous. Definitely keep the kids away! When it's brown enough I put it on those cookie grate thingys (haha, can't think of the name), but you put cookies on it when they're out of the oven. I prefer that to paper towels since often the fish can get mushy that way.
If it doesn't turn out great, don't worry about it, it's still a treat and honestly, it takes years to perfect fish batter recipes. Enjoy!!
I agree with the dry, wet, dry recommendations, usually the "wet" is beaten egg. I wouldn't try to grill it directly on the grill--Walleye is too delicate for that and will fall a part and fall into the grates of your grill. Not much of a treat. (-:
Sounds tasty--I'm envious.
I generally don't batter fish, but as far as gluten free coating goes: I make chicken nuggets using the gluten free flour mix from Bette Hagman's cookbooks. It is almost indistinguishable from a wheat flour coating on the nuggets. Dip the filet in the GF flour mix (can season the flour mix however you want), dip in a bowl with lightly beaten egg, then dip in the GF flour mix again. Then pan fry. The key to crispy is the oil temp, make sure it is high enough and is preheated.
Too late this time, but we never batter the walleye we catch from Lake Mille Lacs. Pour some melted some butter (or just dab some butter on the fish), then sprinkle lemon pepper all over and grill until flaky. Light and delicious!
Updated
Too late this time, but we never batter the walleye we catch from Lake Mille Lacs. Pour some melted some butter (or just dab some butter on the fish), then sprinkle lemon pepper all over and grill until flaky. Light and delicious!
The deep fry story is too funny. I can see how the deep-fry-everything meal might sound like a good idea at the time.
I bread meat for my wheat/milk free daughter using mostly rice flour with a handful of cornmeal thrown in for texture. Add salt pepper and garlic. Sometimes I dip ahead in beaten egg, sometimes not. It turns out either way. Then I pan fry. With plenty of oil, otherwise the coating sticks or the fish sticks and falls apart.
Another way I like to cook fish is in the oven. Put fish fillets in a baking pan that has been coated with olive (or canola would work) oil. Drizzle a few tablespoons olive oil on top of fish, sprinkle with chopped fresh garlic, lots of chopped fresh cilantro and squeeze a couple tablespoons worth of lemon or lime juice over the whole thing. Bake at 350 til done. Depends on the quantity and thickness of the fish, 10-25 minutes for what I normally cook. My dad uses the same combo of olive oil, garlic, cilantro and lemon or lime juice when he grills fish. He wraps it all in foil and sets the packet on the bbq.
Why not grill them? I was always afraid to grill fish, but just started this summer and we are loving it! We grilled some halibut last week with blackened seasoning and my husband said it was as good as any restaurant. Don't be afraid to throw the fish directly on the grates, just make sure they are well oiled. A large fish turner is also a good investment.
