Mastering Fish Frying: Common Mistakes to Avoid

Frying fish might appear to be a simple task that anyone can do, but anyone who has tried it knows the countless times the fish turned out not crispy enough, unevenly cooked, or sometimes even with an overpowering oily taste.

So how do you do it just like the restaurants, or better yet, like your grandmother who had the magic touch?

When it comes to frying fish, believe it or not, there are several mistakes we all make without realizing it. This is because most of us aren't really aware of the 'science' behind cooking or, in this case, frying, and we tend to simply follow what we've seen. Speaking of grandmothers, they didn't always know the true secrets either, like the right amount of oil or the proper equipment.

Sure, they might have burned it less often and the taste was always something special (from experience), but I doubt they knew about the Maillard reaction — a chemical reaction that occurs when sugars and amino acids meet, often resulting in a side effect. In the case of fried fish, the Maillard reaction can lead to the fish being overly dried out.

I also doubt our grandmothers could explain what makes the fish skin crispy or too tough (hint: the time the fish spends in the oil is crucial here).

So what mistakes are we making when frying fish? Let's dive into a few:

1. Using pans made from cheap materials instead of non-stick or cast iron pans. The result is uneven heat distribution throughout the pan.

2. High heat will cause the fish to stay in the oil for too short of a time and miss getting the 'treatment' it truly needs. What treatment is that? The breakdown of the protein called collagen, which is sort of like a gelatin. We need to soften this gelatin, but not make it completely disappear during frying.

3. Okay, this is one of the most common mistakes: most of us soak the fish in water with lemon to remove its bitterness. However, many times, perhaps too many, we forget (or simply don't know) that it's crucial to dry the fish thoroughly so each part can cook properly.

4. I know more than one person who uses oils that aren't suitable for frying. One of these is olive oil, which is better to use as little as possible for frying, as it tends to burn easily (and lose all its qualities) at high temperatures.

5. Start frying after the pan has warmed slightly on the stove, then pour the oil into it, wait for it to heat up, and begin frying. The pan must reach the right temperature to keep the skin crispy.