Easy Fried Fish Fillets

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 25 mins
Total: 35 mins
Servings: 4 servings

Don't let the simplicity of this tasty fried fish recipe fool you: The fillets fry-up perfectly cooked inside, with a beautiful golden crust. Haddock and cod are two excellent choices for our fried fish recipe, but tilapia, pollock, catfish, bass, trout, or perch will also yield a beautiful meal. Ready in 30 minutes, this is a perfect choice for a busy weeknight dinner or to serve as a weekend lunch with a salad and a few dipping sauces like classic tartar, Louisiana rémoulade, or chipotle mayonnaise.

Easy fried fish fillets with tartar sauce, ketchup and lemon wedges

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Tricks of the Trade

The trick to perfect fried fish lies in the oil and temperature used for cooking it and in the coating used on the fish. Use an oil with a high smoking point, such as canola, corn, safflower, peanut, avocado, or grapeseed oil. Avoid olive oil and butter since they'll burn at the high temperatures required for frying. Don't skip the flour coating since it provides a delicious crispy texture, protects the fish from soaking up too much oil, and also keeps the fillet in one piece. For best results, use a heavy-bottomed pan, as it distributes the heat evenly.

Keep An Eye On It

Since fish happens to be a more tender protein, if your fillets are particularly thin, keep a close eye on the skillet when frying them. If frying in batches, add more oil as needed and bring up to temperature before adding more fillets. Before starting, lightly pat the fish fillets dry with a paper towel.

Can I Make Gluten-Free Fish Fillets?

It is possible to make crispy fried fish for people on strict gluten-free diets. Here's how: Replace the all-purpose flour with finely ground cornmeal, use rice or oat flour instead of all-purpose flour, use a gluten-free mix, usually made from a base of potato starch, rice flour, or garbanzo flour, or use almond meal to coat the fish, but be mindful of tree nut allergies.

Tips for the Crispiest Fried Fish

  • Pat dry—Always pat your fish fillets dry using paper towels to ensure the flour coating sticks well and there are no soggy parts.
  • Don't cover—Once the fish is in the pan, never cover it; you'll end up steaming it, and the coating might fall off, leaving behind a greasy fish fillet.
  • Steady as you go—Keep the oil temperature steady. A thermometer is a great tool to have at hand, especially if you're fond of fried food.
  • Hands-off—Don't move the fish in the pan, but allow it to fry and release from the pan naturally.

"Quick and easy pan-frying with few ingredients is the optimal way to enhance the delicate flavors of white fish fillets. The flour coating fries up crisp and light golden brown, while the inside stays moist, tender, and flaky." —Diana Andrews

Easy Fried Fish Fillets with sauces alongside
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, or to taste

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika

  • 1 pound fish fillets, such as haddock, tilapia, or cod

  • Vegetable oil, for frying 

  • Lemon wedges, tartar sauce, or rémoulade, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for fried fish fillets gathered

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  2. In a shallow bowl or deep plate, combine the flour, salt, pepper, and paprika. Mix well.

    Seasoning and flour in a shallow bowl, ready for dredging the fish

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  3. Dip 1 or 2 fish fillets into the flour mixture. Make sure they are completely coated on all sides. Gently shake off any excess. Repeat with the remaining fillets.

    Dredged fish fillets in the flour and seasoning mix on a plate

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  4. Pour about 1/2-inch of oil into a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers.

    Oil heating in a skillet

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  5. 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. Transfer to a cooling rack to drain.

    Frying the fish fillets in oil in a skillet in batches

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  6. Serve hot with lemon wedges, tartar sauce, or homemade rémoulade sauce, if desired. Enjoy.

    Fried fish fillets draining on newspaper along with lemon wedges, tartar sauce, and ketchup

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Feeling Adventurous? Try This:

  • Flavor boosters—Add to the flour a few dashes of Old Bay, Cajun, or Creole seasoning, or Mrs. Dash if you're watching your salt intake.
  • More herbaceousness—Add to the flour 1/4 teaspoon each of dried and ground thyme, rosemary, oregano, savory, dill, cilantro, and parsley.

How to Store

Store any remaining fish fillets in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
340 Calories
19g Fat
12g Carbs
29g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 340
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 19g 25%
Saturated Fat 2g 8%
Cholesterol 107mg 36%
Sodium 393mg 17%
Total Carbohydrate 12g 4%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 29g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 25mg 2%
Iron 2mg 13%
Potassium 626mg 13%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)