Summer is here! As the days get longer this means getting friends and family together in the backyard to share memories and a good home-cooked meal! To elevate your next backyard get-together, Duluth Pack has curated five of the best fish fry recipes to try for your next BBQ. You can even grab your own fishing gear and your favorite outdoor pack to catch some fish for these recipes yourself.

Before we get to the fantastic fish recipes you should know that when frying fish, you are working with hot oil and should be careful as it can be dangerous to work with. Wear an apron to protect your body and clothes. You will also want to ensure that you are not splashing fish into the hot oil to help prevent hot oil from spitting at you while cooking. You should only need about 2 inches of depth in your pan full of oil. If the oil begins to smoke you should reduce the heat and remove the pan from the burner for a few minutes. Watch your oil carefully while cooking and do not leave hot oil unattended.

Put on your favorite summer playlist and get ready to cook up some great recipes!

Best Cod Fish Fry (4 Servings)

This recipe by Rachel Ray on the Food Network is a classic fish fry recipe. Add some crisps or French fries to this tasty meal and you are all set for a wonderful meal in less than 30 minutes.

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of fresh cod
• Salt and pepper
• 1 /2 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons cold water, a splash
• 2 cups plain breadcrumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon dried mustard powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, a few pinches
• Wedged lemons and malt vinegar for topping

Optional Special Equipment

•  3 disposable pie tins

Directions

1. Pour 2-inches of vegetable 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 1-inch cube of white bread. The bread should brown in a 40 count.
2. Cut cod into 4 servings, 6 to 8-ounce portions and season with salt and pepper. Place a couple of scoops of flour in a pie tin. Combine egg and water in second tin. Season plain breadcrumbs and mustard and cayenne in the third tin. Coat fish in flour, then egg, and then breadcrumbs. Gently set coated fish into hot oil and fry for 5 minutes on each side until medium golden brown in color.
3. When the fish is evenly golden all over, remove and drain on brown paper sacks.

Beer Battered Fish Made Great (8 servings)

This recipe by All Recipes takes under 30 minutes with all prep included, making it not only a tasty dinner but a quick dinner recipe as well! Grab your Duluth Pack Apron and crack open a cold one to get started on this wonderful dish!

Ingredients

• 2 quarts of vegetable oil for frying
• 8 (4 ounce) fillets of cod
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle of beer, or as needed

Directions

1. Heat oil in a deep fryer to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C). Rinse cod fillets, pat dry, and season with salt and pepper.
2. Mix flour, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper in a large bowl; add egg and stir well to combine. Gradually mix in enough beer to make a thin batter.
3. Dip cod fillets into the batter to coat. Carefully lower fillets, one at a time, into the hot oil. Fry several fillets at a time, turning once until cooked through and golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. Repeat to cook the remaining fillets. Serve warm.

Restaurant-Quality Fried Catfish ( 4 servings)

This recipe by Anecia Hero from Smarty Pants Kitchen is some of the best southern fried catfish you will eat this season and only takes roughly twenty minutes from start to finish. Hit the rivers with some of your fishing essentials to create this meal using your catch of the day!

Catfish Fillet Preparation

1. Pat fillets with a paper towel
2. Place fish in a large baking dish or plastic storage bag, pour in buttermilk; coat well; allow to sit for 10-minutes in the refrigerator
3. Meanwhile, make tartar sauce; After the tartar sauce is made, coat and cook the fish

Coating Preparation

1. In a large bowl, add cornmeal, salt, pepper, and cayenne; stir with a fork till blended
2. Using a cast-iron, or heavy bottom skillet, pour oil into the skillet and heat to medium; 
3. While the oil is heating, take a fillet directly from the buttermilk and place it in the cornmeal; pat the cornmeal on the fillet; coat it all over, twice; repeat with the remaining fillets
4. Check your skillet; the oil needs to be around 312 – 350ºF; you can sprinkle a few pieces of cornmeal in the oil to see if it sizzles; if it does sizzle, the oil is ready
5. Cooking in batches of two fillets, place them in the hot oil; DO NOT MOVE THE FILLETS until they’ve cooked for 2 ½ – 3 minutes on one side
6. After 2 ½ -3 minutes, use tongs and flip the fish over and cook for an additional 3 minutes
7. Use a thermometer to measure internal temperature; it should be 145ºF
8. Remove fillets from oil and place on a paper towel
9. Repeat until all fillets are cooked and drained
10. Plate fillets and serve with lemon and tartar sauce

Tartar Sauce Preparation

1. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients; refrigerate until ready to serve

Recipe Notes

• If using frozen catfish, thaw fish first by rinsing in cold water in a colander or allowing to thaw in the refrigerator
• Use a heavy-duty skillet (cast-iron) or Dutch oven 
• Do not move the catfish fillets for the first 3-minutes; if you do, the coating will fall apart. Just stand there and watch…and wait
• When flipping the fillets, use tongs or a spider
• Your second batch of fillets will be darker than the first; that’s because they’re being cooked in oil that’s already been used. If this really bugs you, throw out the first batch of oil and start over.
• Use a thermometer; internal temperature should be 145ºF

Don’t have buttermilk?

Make your own! Add 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice to 1 cup of plain milk. Stir it and let it sit for a few minutes at room temperature. Now you have buttermilk!

Pan-Fried Walleye (6 Servings)

This recipe by Beyond the Chicken Coop is a Northshore favorite and although this recipe calls for walleye just about any whitefish you catch with your fishing gear should be just as tasty!

Ingredients

• 6 walleye fillets
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup flour
• 1 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs
• ½ Teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• 4 tablespoons of oil for frying

Directions

1. Lightly beat eggs in a dish
2. 2 eggs
3. In another dish combine flour, breadcrumbs, and seasoning
4. Dip fish in egg and then in flour mixture. Shake off any excess flour.
5. 6 Walleye fillets
6. Add a couple of tablespoons of oil to a pan and heat pan over medium heat.
7. When pan is hot, add 3-4 fillets to pan. Cook 3 minutes per side so each side is nicely browned. 
8. Remove fish from pan and place on a baking sheet lined with a baking rack. Place cooked fish in a 250° oven while you cook remaining fish. 
9. Wipe out pan and add additional oil. Repeat process with remaining fish. 

Notes

• Once the fillets are nicely browned, you can remove them from the pan and place them on a baking sheet lined with a rack. Then you can pop them into a 250 degree oven while you continue cooking the rest of the fillets. This helps keep the fish warm and crisp.
• Don’t overcrowd the pan. Add just enough fillets so there is a bit of space between each fillet.

Fish Fry (Serves 2)

This tasty fish fry recipe by Southern Living is perfect for those wanting to have a fish fry but looking to keep the gathering small for just two people. Grab your cookware and a nice cold drink and enjoy this delicious meal for two in under 30 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 pound catfish fillets, cut into 3-in. pieces
• 1 1/2 cups whole buttermilk
• 1 cup fine yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Canola oil, for frying
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions

1. Place fish and buttermilk in a large storage plastic bag. Seal, removing as much air as possible. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Stir together cornmeal, flour, salt, pepper, paprika, and cayenne in a shallow dish. Pour oil to a depth of 2 inches in a large Dutch oven; heat to 350ºF over medium-high.
3. Working with 1 piece at a time, remove fish from buttermilk, and dredge in cornmeal mixture.
4. Working in 2 batches, fry fish until golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes, turning as needed. Drain fish on a plate lined with paper towels. Serve with lemon wedges.

Try one of these five delicious recipes for your next large or small fish fry with friends and family this summer! With a variety of fish to choose from like walleye, cod, and catfish you can find your favorite fish to eat and bread it in savory and spicy options for a range of flavor profiles to try out! When trying these recipes, you can pick up all of your other backyard BBQ needs from drinkware, cookware, and your own Duluth Pack Apron online at Duluthpack.com or in the Duluth Pack flagship retail store in Duluth, MN.

Happy cooking, friends!