Published: January 5, 2023 | Updated: November 4, 2025
Growing up in the south, fried fish is a regular staple, especially on Fridays! My family and I enjoy serving our fish with fries, hushpuppies, or a good cold coleslaw. If at all possible, we always try to find fresh caught fish, or wild caught fish. You can fry fish using an air fryer, deep fryer, or a stove top. However, out of all of these methods, cooking fish on the stove top is still the best in my opinion! Continue reading as I share my family’s southern-style fried fish recipe.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read full disclosure here.
What is the Best Fish to Fry?
This recipe is super easy to follow and designed so you can use it on any popular fish used for frying! For a true southern fried fish, I recommend frying with a firm-fleshed fish such as flounder, whiting fish, mackerel, red snapper, fresh cod, or even catfish. Firm-fleshed fish holds together well during frying. If you’re new to the world of frying fish, this is literally one of the easiest meals for you to prepare and enjoy. Before we jump into the recipe, I will share a few brief tips to ensure you serve the best southern style fried fish!
Equipment You Will Need to Fry Fish
To yield the best results for frying fish, you will need to fry with a:
- Deep fryer, cast iron skillet, or a heavy deep pot such as a dutch oven.
- Heat Resistant Tongs: To properly remove your fish, you will also need a pair of heat resistant tongs OR a Spider strainer to sift oil as you remove hot fish from the fry.
- Deep Fryer Thermometer: (Optional) – Use a thermometer to monitor oil temperatures throughout the frying process.
- A Good Oil: The best oil to use for frying fish is canola oil, peanut oil, or vegetable oil. These oils have high-smoke points. Please avoid oils with a lower smoke points such as olive oil or butter.
Fried Fish Recipe Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients for this recipe:
- 1.5 pounds fresh fish fillets (Whiting, Flounder, Mackerel, Catfish, or Cod) – Use firm, white fish that holds together while frying. Whiting and catfish are traditional choices for a classic Southern fried fish with a light, flaky texture.
- Yellow mustard (as a seasoning binder) – A Southern secret ingredient that helps the fish coating stick and adds a subtle tangy flavor without overpowering the taste.
- Zatarain’s New Orleans Style Seasoned Mix – A ready-to-use cornmeal blend that delivers that signature crispy golden crust and authentic Cajun-style crunch.
- Cajun seasoning (my favorite is Slap Ya Mama) – Adds bold Southern spice and smoky flavor, enhancing the batter’s savory kick.
- Adobo seasoning – Balances salt, garlic, and herbs for a well-rounded flavor base in your fried fish coating.
- Old Bay seasoning – A classic coastal seasoning that gives your fish a mild, zesty flavor with hints of celery salt and paprika.
- Canola oil (for frying) – The best high smoke-point oil for deep frying fish, ensuring your fillets cook evenly and come out perfectly crispy without burning.
How to Make Southern-Style Crispy Fried Fish
This is such a quick and tasty dinner! Here’s how you make this southern-classic recipe:
Step 1: Prepare and Season the Fish – Clean your fish fillets, pat them completely dry, and cut into your desired serving sizes. Lightly coat each piece with yellow mustard. This helps the seasonings stick and adds a subtle tang. Season both sides with Cajun seasoning, Adobo, and Old Bay.
Step 2: Mix the Fish Fry Batter – In a large resealable bag, add the Zatarain’s New Orleans Style Seasoned Fish Fri Mix along with the remaining half of your seasonings (Cajun, Adobo, and Old Bay). Seal the bag and shake it well to combine the flavors.
Step 3: Heat the Oil and Fry the Fish – Pour 2 – 3 inches of canola oil into a heavy skillet, deep fryer, or Dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat to about 350°F – 375°F. Add some fish batter to test, if it sizzles immediately, the oil is ready. Place the coated fillets into the hot oil in batches and fry for about 4 – 6 minutes total, turning once, until golden brown and crispy.
Step 4: Drain, Keep Warm, and Serve – Use tongs or a spider strainer to remove each fillet and drain on paper towels for one minute. Then, transfer to a wire rack set over a baking sheet and keep in a warm oven until all batches are finished. Serve hot with fries, hushpuppies, or coleslaw. Enjoy!
Frying Fish Tips
Best Seasoning Tips for Southern-Style Fried Fish
- Smell Your Fish: Your fish should not have a “fishy” smell. Fresh fish and good fish should not have a strong fishy smell. If you smell a strong odor, your fish is not fresh and should not be cooked.
- Press and Pat Fish Dry Before Seasoning: Using a paper towel, press and dry your fish filets. This will allow you to release any excess water in your fish and will help prevent it from going soggy after frying.
- A Little Bit of Mustard Goes A Long Way: Now I know this may sound strange, but I promise lightly coating your fish with mustard will add a nice bite to your fried fish! This is a secret ingredient many southerns use in their seafood recipes and bbq. You will barely taste the mustard! Yellow mustard acts as a nice binder before adding dry seasonings.
- Season Your Batter: Whether you use corn meal, all purpose flour, or prepackaged fish fry mix (I enjoy using the Zatarain’s New Orleans Style Seasoned Fish Fri Mix), still add seasoning to your flour mixture! Your fish should be flavored on the outside and on the filet. Even though you see measurements in my recipe below, remember to have fun and do not worry about exact measurements. The seasoned fish fry mix and combination of seasonings below will add amazing flavor that does not need to be over seasoned.
Fish Frying Cooking Tips and Techniques:
- Maintain A Good Temperature: Try to keep your oil temperature around 350°F to 375°F (177 – 191 degrees Celsius). When using a deep fryer, try not to crank the temperature all the way up to the highest setting since this could cause your oil to burn. To see if your oil is hot enough to start frying, I recommend adding a small piece of dry fish batter to the pan. If the batter begins to fry, your oil is ready for frying.
- If You Enjoy Fish Nuggets, Cut At An Angle: Cutting your fish fillets at an angle to make nuggets will leave thinner ends which beautifully cook into crunchy tips after frying!
- Shake Off Excess Fish Batter Before Frying: Try to avoid huge clumps of dry mixture on your fish. I recommend shaking any excess flour off of your fish before frying. To avoid this from happening, I usually take a large resealable food-storage plastic bag, add my dry batter breading to the bag, add the seasoned fish filets, seal bag, shake, remove and fry.
- Sift Out Your Clumps: If your fish breading/batter starts to form clumps from the moisture off of the fish, simply run the batter through a sifter to separate the clumps and continue breading!
How Long To Fry Fish:
Timing is Everything. If you’re worried about how long to cook your fish once you begin frying, an easy way to know if you’ve fried it long enough is to simply wait for it to turn golden brown and wait for it to float. Upon dropping your fish filet in oil, it will sink to the bottom, but will naturally float to the top when it is ready to be removed.
If you need a more scientific approach, I recommend using a deep fryer thermometer to measure the temperature of the oil. Fried fish should always be cooked over medium-high heat. Keep the oil hot and steady around 350°F to 375°F. Maintaining the right temperature during the cooking process will result in a crispy flaky fish.
Fried Fish Storage
Once I remove fried fish from the pan, I allow to it drain in a colander lined with paper towels for 1 minute and then I move these to pan or wire rack with the oven set to a warm temperature for the fish to maintain its crispness. If you allow the fish filets to pile up on top of each other in a colander, they will begin to sweat and become soggy.
FAQ
Can I use frozen fish for this recipe?
Yes, just make sure to thaw it completely and pat it dry with paper towels before seasoning. Any moisture on the fillets will cause the oil to splatter and can prevent the coating from crisping.
What’s the best oil for frying fish?
Use an oil with a high smoke point, such as canola, peanut, or vegetable oil. Avoid olive oil or butter since they can burn at frying temperatures and affect the flavor.
Why do you add mustard to the fish before seasoning?
A light coating of yellow mustard acts as a binder for the seasonings and fish-fry mix. It adds a subtle tang that enhances the flavor without leaving a strong mustard taste, It's a classic Southern secret!
How hot should the oil be for frying fish?
Keep your oil between 350°F - 375°F (177 - 191°C). If you don’t have a thermometer, test it by dropping in a pinch of batter. It should sizzle immediately. This temperature ensures a crispy crust and flaky interior.
How long should I fry fish?
Most fillets take about 5 minutes per batch, depending on thickness. The fish is done when it’s golden brown and floats to the top of the oil.
Can I make this recipe in an air fryer?
Absolutely! Lightly spray both sides of the coated fish with oil, then air fry at 400°F for 8 - 10 minutes, flipping halfway through. The crust will be slightly lighter but still delicious and crispy.
How do I keep fried fish crispy after cooking?
Let the fish drain briefly on paper towels, then place it on a wire rack in a warm oven (around 200°F) until all batches are finished. This keeps the crust crunchy instead of soggy.
More Favorites from Elicit Folio
Southern Style Fried Fish Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds Fresh Fish Fish type examples: Whiting, Flounder, Mackerel, Catfish and more
- Yellow Mustard as season binder
- 1 package Zatarain's New Orleans Style Seasoned Fish Fri Mix
- 1 tsp Cajun Seasoning I used Slap Ya Mama
- 1 tsp Adobo Seasoning
- 1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
- Canola Oil for frying
Instructions
- Clean fish filets, pat dry and cut into desired serving size. Set aside. Note: Drying fish filets before seasoning will enhance the crispness of each filet when serving.
- Pour 2-3 inches of canola oil into a large skillet. Place skillet over a large burner and heat oil over medium high heat. To check if the oil is hot enough, drop in a few crumbs of fish batter. The batter should start to fry immediately when the heat is ready.
- While oil is coming up to temperature, take clean fish filets and lightly coat with yellow mustard on both sides. Season fish filets with 1/2 tsp of cajun seasoning, 1/2 tsp of Adobo, 1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning. Once fish is seasoned on both sides, take a large resealable food-storage plastic bag, fill bag with Zatarain's New Orleans Style Seasoned Fish Fri Mix and add remaining seasoning to fry mix – 1/2 tsp of cajun seasoning, 1/2 tsp of Adobo, 1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning. Seal food-storage plastic bag bag and shake to combine Fish Fri Mix and seasoning.
- Coat both sides of seasoned fish by adding filets to resealable food-storage plastic bag. Seal bag and shake to cover both sides of filets with fish fry mix. Fry fish in batches in hot oil about 4 minutes, turning once, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot. To keep fish filets crispy, you can also store them in a warm oven until filets are done cooking. Enjoy!
Nutrition
I hope you enjoy the crispy texture of this classic southern style fried fish recipe! One of my favorite ways to enjoy fried fish is with a few sprinkles of hot sauce with a side of french fries. Let me know in the comments below how well your fried fish turns out!
I have to try the mustard hack. My hubby just loves fish recipes so this is going to my to-cook list!
Well, now I’m starving! I love fried fish. It’s one of my favorite dishes. I’ve never had it with mustard before. Great idea!
Wow…I am so salivating on this one! Just look at how good that fish has turned out from the fire!
This post made me hungry! I love catfish. I’ll have to try this recipe soon.
This looks so delicious. Thanks for the tip on smelling your fish and not cooking it if it smells fishy. Good to know.
That cajun seasoning looks delicious! I’d love to give your recipe a try. Always nice to have a crispy finish!
So good! This brings back memories of the fish fries we had in Alabama when I was a kid.
This is so yummy and we had something similar to this one but not the same way and ingredients. Would love to try this one.
My dad in law loves fish recipes. Though I don’t make it but will share it with him to try.
My husband would be all over this! Looks yummy!
This is my husband’s favorite dish! SO good!
Really enjoyed this recipe. I made it for a few coworkers at work and now they are making me bring it in eveytime we do Cultural Awareness day.
So happy you enjoyed this recipe!
This is one of the best fried fish recipes I’ve ever made. You really knocked it out of the park with the flavor and the classic coating.
Thank you so much for the kind feedback and words!
Nice! I grew up in the south, so I know my fried fish. You did a great job with this. It’s as good as anything I ever had growing up. Loved it.
Thank you so much! So glad you enjoyed!
Yessss, this is the only way I will eat my fish, I love southern style fried fish, so much flavor and it taste great when you make sure to add all the right seasonings.
Thank you so much!
Trhese fried fish looks so good and the Slap Ya Mama is one of my hubby’s favorite spices for his grilling recipes. And yes, a good coleslaw would be perfect to pair with these.
I love a hefty serving of Southern Style Crispy Fried Fish. It looks so yummy! I can’t wait to try it.
I do love fish and chips, even though I haven’t made it myself. My mom used to make it when we were kids up north, where seafood wasn’t as plentiful as it is here in Virginia, and I’ve always loved it.