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Deep fried fish or pan fried fish?
I have to confess from the beginning that although it is a recipe that involves fried food, I love to eat deep fried fish, or pan fried fish. I don’t own a deep fryer so I can’t deep fry fish, but I’ve always managed to get a great taste and a crispy crust even if I pan fry the fish in oil.
For this recipe I chose to pan fry trout fish, but you can choose any other type of fish. Pan fried fish can refer to both whole, gutted fish, but pieces of fish fillets can also be used. I always choose trout or zander fish for pan fry, but in the end it is everyone’s choice which type of fish they prefer.
I assume that in seafood restaurants, this type of fish is mainly cooked deep fried, and I admit that it is delicious cooked that way. So, if you have the possibility to choose between these two options at home, I guarantee that both pan fried fish and deep fried fish are excellent, delicious dishes that will delight your taste buds. As I said before I manage to get the crisp feeling with this pan fried fish.
I do not recommend eating fried products often or in large quantities, but I still believe that occasionally enjoying such products is not a risk to our health.
How to get that crispy browny crust?
Certainly, in the case of cooking deep fried fish, the frying operation is easier, because you put the fish in a large amount of hot oil and it is fried evenly both on the outside and on the inside, without the need to supervise it very much. But if you’re in my situation and you don’t have a deep fryer to make your work easier during the frying process, I recommend choosing a large pan in which to pour a generous amount of oil. The oil in which you will fry the fish cannot be reused, because it will have a fishy flavor.
This pan fried fish recipe works best if the oil in the pan is hot before you add the fish to fry. In addition, it is very important that after gutting, the fish is well cleaned and, if necessary, left for 15-20 minutes in very cold water, in order to remove any impurities both inside and on the body of the fish.
Gutting the fish involves cleaning it of the outer scales and cleaning the inside of the fish, by removing the intestines and internal organs of the fish. Therefore, in the end you will get a fish cleaned of scales, from which you will be able to enjoy only the extremely healthy meat. If you choose to remove the bones as well, then you will get a fish fillet that you can cook according to the same recipe as for the whole fish. Fish fillets can be bought from seafood stores frozen or fresh, without the need to clean them at home.
Thus, after you have thoroughly cleaned the pieces of fish you are going to fry, it is important to wipe the fish with paper towels to remove excess water, which affects the frying process, whether we are talking about deep fried fish or pan fried fish.
Once the excess water is removed, the fish will be seasoned with salt and pepper, to taste, and will then be rolled in a mixture of flour and cornmeal. Keep in mind that this mixture of flour and cornmeal will be used to coat the inside of the fish as well. At the end, the fish will be placed into the pan with hot oil, and you have to turn it from one side to the other, after you get that crispy browny crust.
Eating fish is healthy for the body
According to nutritionists, fish is the healthiest source of meat of all that we normally eat. For this reason, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), recommends regular consumption of fish, in the case of adults being recommended a larger amount, than in the case of children, but anyway, two portions of fish consumed during a week can decisively influence the proper functioning of our body.
Fish is an important source of Omega 3 fatty acids, iodine, protein, vitamins and minerals, which actively contribute to maintaining brain health. For this reason, many nutritional supplements intended for children’s brain development are based on Omega 3 fatty acids.
Also, fish is an important source of vitamin D. Salmon and herring are among the varieties of fish with the highest level of vitamin D, according to a study from 2014.
In addition, it is important to note that fish is a recommended food in weight loss diets, because it is rich in protein, but has less calories than chicken, beef or pork. The most recommended types of fish in weight loss diets are: cod, trout or catfish.
A very important aspect for this recipe of pan fried fish is to choose varieties of fish that do not contain a large amount of mercury. For this reason, I always choose to cook trout or zander fish, these two types of fish being two varieties that do not contain much mercury. In addition, most of the time, the fish we eat at home is caught by us from local farms. If you are not able to get fish like this, I suggest you to be very careful when buying fish from stores. Try to choose varieties of fish that do not contain much mercury, such as: herring, sardines, sea bream, trout, salmon or catfish.
Full Recipe – Pan Fried Fish Recipe
Pan Fried Fish – super easy and delicious dinner recipe
Equipment
- 1 Pan
Ingredients
- 3-4 pieces gutted fish I used trout
- 3 tbsp flour
- 5 tbsp cornmeal
- Salt
- Pepper
- 4 pcs garlic cloves
- 1 tsp mustard
- 3 tbsp sour cream
- Vegetable oil
Instructions
- If you gut the fish at home, make sure you clean it well after finishing this process. If necessary, leave it into a large bowl with cold water. After that, take the fish out of the water and place it onto a plate with paper towels, and wipe it with paper towels, to remove excess water;
- Mix the flour and the cornmeal together into a large bowl, add some salt and pepper and roll over the fish through this mixture. Make sure the entire body is covered in mixture and add it also inside the fish;
- Fry the fish into a preheated pan filled with vegetable oil;
- Roll over the fish once you have a brownie crust, to make sure you get the same result on both sides;
- Meanwhile, prepare the garlic sauce. Using a garlic press, crush the garlic, add ½ teaspoons salt and the mustard. Using a spoon, mix the ingredients well and start pouring small quantities of vegetable oil while mixing. Continue to do this until you have a creamy consistency. In the end, add 3 tablespoons of sour cream, mix well and add salt and pepper if you feel the need.
- Serve the pan fried fish with garlic sauce and lemon juice.
Video
Nutrition
TIP: You can serve the pan fried fish next to potatoes au gratin, or a fresh salad.
Step by Step Video Recipe – Pan Fried Fish
Enjoy!
I hope you enjoy this super easy, healthy and delicious pan fried fish recipe. I am really curious to find out what you think about it, so please write your opinions or reviews in the comments section. Until the next article, I hope you will have a great time with your loved ones.
