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Seafood

Homemade Fish Nuggets (fried fish) Recipe.

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Immediately after posting the Island Style Chicken Strips Recipe, I started receiving requests for a fish version. A fish nugget recipe which will help encourage kids and picky eaters to give fish a try. When I hear people talk about hating fish and their only experience are those frozen fish sticks heated in an oven or microwave, I’m discouraged as I know that is not a good measuring-stick for fried fish. To achieve what I believe are the ultimate fish sticks or nuggets, we’ll start off with a wonderful Caribbean herb marinade, then dip the seasoned pieces of fish in a modified  tempura batter, before frying them until they are golden brown.

 

You’ll Need…

1 lb Sole (any white fish)
1 teaspoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon peppersauce

Veg oil for frying

Batter ingredients:

1 cup carbonated water (chilled)
pinch salt
pinch black pepper
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour (+ flour for dusting)
1 scallion (green part)
1/4 teaspoon curry powder (optional)

If you’re using previously frozen fish (I used Sole) as I did, make sure to squeeze the pieces to remove the excess water they are frozen in. Cut into bit sized pieces and get ready to season. Go in with the Caribbean Green Seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon salt, black pepper and peppersauce (or finely diced scotch bonnet / your fav hot sauce). Give it a good mix and let it marinate for 5-10 minutes.

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Place all the ingredients for the batter in a bowl and whisk (try to have the carbonated water as cold as you can get it – beer will work great as well). Now set up a work station. Seasoned fish, batter and flour.

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Heat the vegetable oil on a med/high flame, then take a piece of the seasoned fish (leave the marinade on it for max flavor), dust it in the dry flour and then dip into the batter. Gently add to the heated oil. Fry 2 -4 minutes on each side – until golden brown. Then place on a wire rack or paper towels to get rid of the excess oil from frying.

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As you take the pieces of fried fish out of the oil, you can sprinkle on a tiny bit of sea salt (if salt is your thing).

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Serve warm – with some ranch dressing (or your fav dipping sauce for fish) or as we do in our home, with some homemade peppersauce and ketchup. Personally I like making sandwiches with these wonderful pieces of battered fried fish, but they just as good with fresh cut fries. Maybe in the coming weeks I’ll share my KILLA seasoned fries recipe with you all.

 

 

 

Seafood

Fried Seasoned Red Snapper.

14 Comments on Fried Seasoned Red Snapper.

The only way our mom would get us to eat fish as kids was when she would pan fry King Fish and serve it to us with ketchup and a little pepper sauce. I guess it’s the same way our daughters learned to appreciate fish, as my mom (grandma) would purposely make fried fish when she visited to get them liking something most North American kids passionately hate. Seasoned to perfection and marinated for a couple hrs before they’re dusted in flour and pan fried, this recipe can be adopted for any fish you like. For me, it MUST be sea fish (I’m no friend of fresh water fish) and I want it hot and even better if the skin is a bit crisp.

 

You’ll Need…

2 lbs Red Snapper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 onion diced fine
1/2 teaspoon pepper sauce
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
2 cloves garlic crushed
1/2 cup flour
veg oil for frying

Notes: I used a Madras curry powder, blended in the Caribbean. You can use finely chopped scotch bonnet instead of peppersauce or any hot sauce you like. I used 3 small Red Snappers.. beware of bones when eating/serving. Feel free to use any type of fish you like as this recipe is very forgiving.

Scale, gut and wash the fish, then pat dry and get ready to marinate. But before you do so, (depending on how large your fish are.. 2 cuts may be necessary) give it a shallow cut across the belly so the marinade will do it’s thing.

Pour everything except the flour and oil on the fish and massage it into the fish (belly cavity and cut/s). Cover and allow it to marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hr.

Put about 2-3 cups of vegetable oil to heat on a med flame and get the seasoned fish ready for frying. Set up a sort of station, with a plate with the flour, the pan with the heated oil and a plate lined with paper towels to drain off the excess oil after frying. WARNING! Be sure to open the windows in the your kitchen and turn on the exhaust fan if you have one. The scent of fried fish will linger.

Dust the fish in the flour, don’t worry about shaking off the marinade as it will be delightful when cooked with the fish. Make sure to cover both sides of the fish, then gently place them into the hot oil. The idea is to cook the fish on each side for about 4-6 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fish you use and how crisp you like your fried fish). After which it’s just a matter of placing on the paper towels, then serve warm. If you’re reheating these, I would recommend doing so in an oven and not a microwave.

IMPORTANT! If you’re using whole fish as I did , do remember there will be bones (choking hazard). This recipe will also work great with fish fillets (bones removed) so that would be a good option if you plan serving this to kids. You may ask why bother with anything but fillets.. if you’ve ever had a fried whole fish, you’ll know how tasty it can be.

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