There’s nothing quite like a midwestern Friday night fish fry! Crispy, flaky Pan-Fried Cod is served with homemade tartar sauce in this quick and delicious dinner option perfect for any night of the week. You can prepare the entire recipe in about 30 minutes — serve the cod with slaw and fries for a complete meal!
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This Is the Fish Fry Recipe We Love to Make on Friday Nights
My husband is a full-on midwesterner from Wisconsin. There are so many things I’ve come to cherish because of him, like my love for the Green Bay Packers, beer brats, and a good ol’ Friday Night fish fry complete with crispy fried fish, French fries, and creamy coleslaw.
“Going out for fish” on Friday nights is an integral part of Wisconsin life. You can find a fish fry at just about every restaurant, dive-bar, supper club, and church basement on any given Friday. This recipe is all about making a classic fish fry at home and it’s honestly so easy to do! We’re going to de-mystify breading and frying cod (no deep-frying required!) so that you can prep your own fish fry dinner any night of the week.
If you love a Friday night fish fry as much as I do, you’re going to love how simple and flavorful this pan-fried cod is!
Jenny’s Tips for Dredging and Frying Cod at Home
Make sure your fish is dry before coating. This is really important! If the fish feels wet to the touch, the batter and panko will not stick to it. Make sure to pat your fish dry with paper towels before starting the breading process. This is especially important if using previously frozen fish!
Shake off excess batter. Instead of doing 3 stations with flour, egg, and panko, I find that mixing the eggs and flour together makes a crispier exterior and less of a mess. Once you dip the fish into the egg and flour batter, make sure to shake off any excess. You want just enough to stick to the outside of the fish so that the panko sticks.
Make sure your oil is hot enough. This is where a thermometer comes in! Make sure that your oil is hot enough before frying, otherwise your fish will absorb oil and end up soggy and greasy.
Don’t crowd the pan. Once you add anything to the oil, it’s immediately starting to cool down. Only fry a couple of pieces at a time to ensure that your oil stays nice and hot.
Hit the fish with a bit of salt when it comes out of the pan. We are not here for under-seasoned food, so once you pull the fish out of the oil and onto paper towels to drain, sprinkle with a little flaky salt while the fish is still warm.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Fish. I usually try to buy fresh fish, but you can definitely use previously frozen fish if needed. See my notes below on the best types of fish to use for frying.
- Seasonings and batter. I go pretty simple here and use a mix of salt, pepper, and Old Bay seasoning for the batter along with a little hot sauce and dijon mustard.
- Flour. All-purpose flour works best.
- Egg. Egg helps the fish fry batter cling to the fish.
- Panko. In addition to battering the fish, we’re using a crispy panko coating so that the fish is extra crispy.
- Neutral frying oil. Any neutral oil with a high smoke point works well here, but I typically use canola oil.
- Tartar sauce. My homemade tartar sauce is a mix of mayo, capers, cornichons or pickles, shallot, lemon, and fresh dill and parsley. Everyone begs for the recipe and it’s so easy to make! The flavors only get better as it sits, so I recommend prepping it a couple hours in advance so the flavors have a chance to meld in the fridge.
The Best Types of Fish to Use
My favorite fish to use is cod because it’s got great texture and holds up really well to frying while staying flaky and tender. I usually buy fresh whenever I can, but you can also make great fried fish even with previously frozen cod. Just be sure to really let it defrost and pat it very dry before coating it.
Need more store bought options? Haddock, hake, tilapia, catfish, and halibut also work really well. Head to your local fish market and see what’s fresh!
If you’re using local fresh catch, you may also see perch, bluegill, walleye, or other fresh water fish. Each fish will have different texture and flavor so there is a ton of opportunity to experiment and find your favorite.
Important note: The cook times on this recipe are for thicker pieces of cod. If you’re using a thinner cut of fish, they’ll fry up much more quickly.
Special Equipment You’ll Need
How to Fry Cod Fish
Jenny’s Tip: Since we are shallow-frying our fish, you’ll want a heavy skillet with high sides so that the oil splatter is limited. Cast iron holds heat well and is ideal for frying.
- Prep the fish. Since you’re starting with a center piece cod, you’ll want to cut it down into even pieces (aim for 4 – 6). Pat the fish dry with paper towels to remove any excess moisture before seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Assemble the batter and breading stations. The batter gets whisked together quickly in a bowl; it calls for eggs, flour, a splash of hot sauce, Dijon, Old Bay seasoning, and some water to thin it out. Add the panko to a separate bowl and season it with some salt and pepper (you want every layer of the fish fry to have flavor!).
- Preheat your frying oil. You need roughly 1/2 inch of oil in the skillet. Bring it up to 350ºF to 375ºF over medium-high heat — if the oil is too cold the breading will soak it up like a sponge rather than crisp up and turn golden brown.
- Batter and bread the cod. I like to use one hand for dunking the fish in the batter and the other hand for coating it in the breadcrumbs. This prevents both hands from becoming super gummy.
Jenny’s Tip: Really press the panko into the fish! You want a nice coating without any bald spots, so when you have the fish in the panko, really use your fingers to press the panko coating onto the fish.
- Fry the fish for 2 – 3 minutes per side. The exact cook time will depend on the thickness of your filets, FYI.
- Serve with lemon and tartar sauce. I also hit the fish with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt while it’s still warm!
What to Serve with Fried Fish
The crispy fried fish has to be served with tartar sauce! My go-to scratch recipe is shared in the recipe card below, but you can also buy a quality bottled sauce from the store.
As far as side dishes go, French fries and coleslaw are classic choices, but there are so many options:
- My mom’s potato salad
- Hawaiian-style mac salad
- Buttery boiled corn on the cob
- Cucumber yogurt salad
- Kale caesar salad
- Sweet potato fries
- Tortellini pasta salad
Jenny’s Tip: No matter what side dishes you prepare, make sure you’ve got plenty of lemon wedges on the side for squeezing!
If you do give this recipe a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram. I LOVE hearing about & seeing your SMF creations!
More Easy Seafood Dinner Ideas
- Salmon Rice Bowls
- Spicy Grilled Clams
- Blackened Fish Tacos
- Beer Battered Shrimp Tacos
- Fried Coconut Shrimp
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Fish Fry with Tartar Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
Fish Fry
- 1 1/2 lbs center cut cod, skin removed
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce, like crystal or tabasco
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 teaspoons old bay seasoning
- 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
- lemon wedges, for serving
- canola oil, for frying
Homemade Tartar Sauce
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup chopped cornichon or dill pickles
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 1 tablespoon capers, chopped
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh italian parsley
Instructions
- Mix the tartar sauce. In a mixing bowl, stir together the mayo, chopped pickles, shallot, capers, lemon zest, lemon juice, dill, and parsley until well-mixed. Season to taste with salt and pepper and refrigerate until ready to serve.Â
- Prep the fish. Cut the cod filet into 4-6 even pieces and pat very dry all over with paper towels. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Make the batter and breading stations. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, flour, hot sauce, dijon, water, and old bay seasoning with a bit of salt and pepper until smooth. Pour the panko into a shallow dish with some salt and pepper.
- Preheat the oil. In a high-sided skillet or braiser, pour in enough canola oil to come halfway up the fish–about ½-¾ inches of oil in the skillet. Heat over medium-high heat, until the temperature reaches 350-375ºF.
- Batter and coat the fish. Dip the cod pieces in the flour and egg mixture until well coated, shaking off any excess. Coat well in the panko breadcrumbs and set on a plate. Repeat with the remaining fish.
- Fry the fish. Once the oil is hot, gently lower the cod into the oil, taking care not to overcrowd the pan. Cook 2-3 minutes per side, or until the panko coating is golden brown and the cod is cooked to your liking (the total cook time depends on the thickness of the fish). Once both sides are golden brown, transfer the fried fish to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil. Season with a good pinch of salt while the fish is still warm.
- Serve. Serve the fried cod pieces with lemon wedges and tartar sauce on the side.
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