How to Pan-Fry Fish (2024)

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Created January 10, 2017

Learn to pan-fry fish in three steps for perfectly flaky fillets in 30 minutes.

How to Pan-Fry Fish (1)

Looking for a flavorful dinner ready in 30 minutes? Follow our step-by-step guide for pan-fried fish fillets that are tender and flaky on the inside and golden brown and crispy on the outside. Plus, try any of our mouth-watering toppers for pan-fried fish after you’re done.

What you’ll need:

See Also
Fried Fish
  • Ingredients for Pan-fried Fish Fillets
  • 12-inch nonstick skillet
  • Small bowl
  • Shallow dish
  • Wire whisk or fork
  • Slotted spatula
  • Paper towels

How to:

1. Pour about 1/8 inch oil into skillet; set on medium heat. Cut fish into 6 pieces and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. In small bowl, beat egg and water with until blended. Place flour in shallow dish; dip fish into egg.


How to Pan-Fry Fish (2)

2.Next, coat fish with flour. The wetness of the egg will help hold the flour on the fish. During cooking, the protein in the egg binds the flour to the fish to help keep the coating attached.

How to Pan-Fry Fish (3)

3.Fry fish in oil 6-8 minutes, turning once, until fish flakes easily and is brown on both sides. Fish cooks very quickly, especially the thinner tail sections, so be careful not to overcook. Remove with slotted spatula; drain on paper towels.

How to Pan-Fry Fish (4)

Expert tips:

  • Use vegetable oil or shortening for frying fish. Other oils can smoke before they get hot enough to cook the fish, resulting in a burned flavor.
  • Check for doneness. When the fish is done, the outside will be golden brown with no parts that are dark brown, and the inside will be firm but flake easily with a fork.

More Ways to Make Pan-Fried Fish:

Brown-Butter Pan-fried Fish: Omit oil. Use flour for coating. Heat ¼ cup butter in skillet over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until light brown. Add fish; cook as directed.

Garlic-Butter Pan-fried Fish: Omit salt. Substitute crushed garlic-butter-flavored croutons for the flour. (Place croutons in resealable food-storage plastic bag and crush with rolling pin.) Continue as directed.

Parmesan-Herb and Lemon Pan-fried Fish: Omit salt and pepper. Substitute Italian-style panko crispy bread crumbs for flour and decrease to 1/3 cup. Mix bread crumbs, 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese and 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel; continue as directed.

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How to Pan-Fry Fish (2024)

FAQs

How to Pan-Fry Fish? ›

Pour about 1/2-inch of oil into a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Working in batches, fry the fillets until golden brown and crisp, about 6 minutes. Turn with tongs and continue cooking until golden brown, crisp, and cooked through, about 6 minutes more.

How to fry fish perfectly? ›

Pour about 1/2-inch of oil into a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Working in batches, fry the fillets until golden brown and crisp, about 6 minutes. Turn with tongs and continue cooking until golden brown, crisp, and cooked through, about 6 minutes more.

How much oil is needed to pan-fry fish? ›

Once you pour olive oil into the pan, it should cover one-third of the thickness of the fish so the meat doesn't absorb too much oil while frying.

How long do you fry fish on the stove? ›

The oil should be hot enough to sizzle when adding the fish to the pan. Fry the fish until golden on the bottom. For all those wondering, "How long does fish take to fry?": Pan-frying the average fillet takes about 3 to 4 minutes per side.

What do I coat my fish with before frying? ›

Coat fish in flour, then egg, and then bread crumbs. Gently set coated fish into hot oil and fry 5 minutes on each side until medium golden brown in color. When the fish is evenly golden all over, remove and drain on brown paper sacks. Suggested: 3 disposable pie tins .

Do I need flour to fry fish? ›

3 key tips to ensure your pan fried fish comes out beautifully golden and crispy every time: pat the fish dry, press flour on well but shake excess off well, and heat the pan first before adding the oil or use a heavy duty non stick pan.

Is it better to pan fry fish in butter or oil? ›

Butter or oil for fish

Fry fish in a mixture of oil and butter, it creates more heat resistant frying fat. The oil should go in first. Wait until the butter stops spluttering and baste the fish during frying. Once you have fried a piece of fish in butter, you've virtually created your sauce in the pan.

Do you fry fish on high or low heat? ›

Maintaining the oil temperature is crucial. Most seafood should be fried between 350 to 375 degrees. Smaller, thinner pieces should be cooked around 375, thicker pieces around 350.

Do you season fish before frying? ›

Step 2: Season the Fillets

This does a couple of things. First, it allows you to evenly season the fish. Second, the salt draws moisture out of the fillets, which will react with the flour to make a glue, which makes the breading adhere much better to the fish when it is fried.

When frying fish, which side first? ›

Lay the fish into the pan away from you skin side down so that any oil that might splash from the pan doesn't burn you. Allow the fish to start to crisp up, turn the heat down and allow to cook until almost finished cooking; then leave the fish in the pan for a couple of minutes to finish.

Should you salt fish before frying? ›

If you are going to fry or grill lean, white fish, the flesh will be whiter and firmer if it is soaked for half an hour in a 10% salt solution (brine). The salt penetrates in better and the fish gains a firmer, more satisfying consistency. The flesh tastes better and is easier to handle.

What is the best fish to pan fry? ›

White-fleshed fish such as cod, tilapia, and haddock are great for frying. They're perfect for adding different seasonings. Oily fish like mackerel or sardines might overpower other flavors when fried. They don't get as crispy.

Can you pan fry fish without flour? ›

For those who genuinely suffer with celiac disease and thought they could never have fried fish again, here's some good news for you – you can, and you do not have to bother to purchase expensive flour alternatives with which to dust or powder fish before frying. You can season-marinate the fish and cook it just as is!

Why do people soak fish in milk before frying? ›

Apparently, the proteins present in milk can bind to the fatty acids that have been exposed to air and give salmon its fishy odor or taste and mitigate them to be more neutral. (Fishiness is caused by the oxidation of fatty acids.)

What do you soak fish in before frying? ›

In a 3-quart bowl, soak fish in milk for 15-20 minutes. The casein protein in milk binds to the trimethylamine in the fish flesh, reducing the “fishy” odor.

How to get batter to stick to fish? ›

Corn starch is essential to fish breading.

Add a heaping tablespoon of it because it will help the batter adhere to the fish. Add a heaping tablespoon of baking powder as well. This will give the batter a extra pop of volume for a better bite.

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