Need that crunch in fried catfish

[sueinwis]

I love crunchy fried catfish. I can't seem to get the batter to turn out with the right crunch. Can anyone share a recipe? What frying temperature?

[café au lait]

sue, I would say most people in the South as a whole do not batter their catfish but rather dredge it in a mix of cornmeal/flour. You might be able to find a box of Fish Fry in your grocery store or at least in a Walmart grocery department. That product is a good approximation of what we would make from scratch. Many people just use the boxed Fish Fry or the Fish Fry with Lemon rather than making their own.

The grease needs to be very hot, and we prefer peanut oil for frying. I can't give you an actual temperature as we test it by dropping in a hushpuppy!

You might get more response to your question if you move it to the food board rather than the recipe board. Just a suggestion.

[gumbo lover]

I've never used a batter. Too heavy for catfish and the meat steams it, in my opinion. I used seasoned (by me)cornmeal only and maybe the occasional tossing in mustard. I fry in peanut oil. Comes out crispy every time.

[foodieCon]

i heard that using corn flakes in the mix works in making it crispy, but i've never tried it. I don't like to use cornmeal in my mix.