Pan Fried Fish is a thing of beauty, with its beautiful crispy golden crust and juicy flesh inside. It’s a super quick dinner because cooking fish fillets on the stove takes less than 5 minutes!
Wondering how to stop fish sticking to the pan? It’s easy: use a heavy based skillet (doesn’t need to be non stick), heat the pan before adding oil, and most importantly – do not move move the fish until it naturally releases from the pan!
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.
How to cook fish fillets in a pan – perfectly!
- Use a heavy based skillet – it doesn’t need to be non stick, but it needs to be a heavy pan;
- Heat the pan before adding oil;
- If it sticks a bit, do not move until it naturally releases;
- Pat fish dry before cooking; and
- Shake off excess flour very well.
I go through each of these points in a bit more detail below.
How to cook fish on the stove – perfectly every time!
1. Use a heavy duty skillet – it DOES NOT need to be a non stick pan! Contrary to popular belief, it’s not just about using a non stick pan. A thin, cheap non stick pan will cause the fish to be in closer and harsher contact with the stove, causing the fish to brown unevenly in the few minutes it’s on the stove. Some crispy patches, some not so crispy ones.
Use a heavy duty skillet, like a cast iron skillet (pictured) or a good quality, heavy non stick fry pan (I love my ScanPan, shown in the video). It heats better, and more evenly, which really helps to get an even, golden, crispy crust.
2. Heat the pan first before adding the oil – I have NEVER had problems with fish sticking to the pan since I adopted this technique. It’s just an easy way to ensure the oil is hot enough but not too hot (a common mistake people make).
To do this, just heat a dry pan, and as soon as you see small wisps of smoke, add oil, swirl to coat base, then immediately add the fish.
3. Do not move until it releases naturally – Most fish fillets will initially stick to the pan as they start to cook (unless you’re using so much oil you’re basically shallow frying them). But it naturally releases once the surface is cooked and golden.
So give it a nudge, and if it doesn’t want to move, then it means that it’s not ready. So just leave it and try again in another 15 seconds or so!
4. Pat fish dry – dry fish = crispier surface. Especially important for thawed frozen fish.
5. Shake off excess flour – coat well in flour but vigorously shake off excess (too much flour = crispy crust falls off)
Try this Cajun Blackened Fish – seasoned with Cajun spices then pan fried to perfection!
With well seasoned crispy skin and juicy flesh inside, I don’t need anything more than a squeeze of fresh lemon. But I am a sauce person, so I never turn down a sauce even for fish! Here are my favourite Sauces for Fish:
- Lemon Butter Sauce for fish – this is an absolute ripper. Totally restaurant worthy, 2 ingredients, the secret is to brown the butter;
- Creamy Dill Sauce – traditionally thought of for salmon but equally good with other fish;
- Cocktail Sauce, Marie Rose Sauce, or Tartare Sauce – recipe in this Prawn Dipping Sauces post
- Lemon Cream Sauce (see recipe notes)- A richer cream sauce with lemon;
- Simple Lemon Butter Sauce* cooked with the pictured Asparagus, Peas and Beans, as pictured. It’s really good!
The one catch with Crispy Pan Fried Fish is that it doesn’t stay crispy for that long. Once the fish cools, the surface loses crispiness. So eat it fresh off the stove! – Nagi xx
How to fry fish without flour
FAQ
Can you fry fish without breading?
What do I coat my fish with before frying?
Why do you put flour in fish frying?
How to fry fish without flour?
First, to fry fish without flour, dip the fish pieces in an egg. Now pour some oil into a deep fryer and add fish pieces to it. Fry until golden brown. Remove from oil when it’s done. You can also substitute groundnut or sunflower oil for regular oil.
Is frying with olive oil ok?
Yes, olive oil and extra virgin olive oil have a smoke point of 190-207 degrees Celsius. This higher smoke point makes olive oil safe for frying without potentially creating harmful smoke and carcinogens.
Can you cook fish without flour?
Remove from oil when it’s done. You can also substitute groundnut or sunflower oil for regular oil. To bake the fish without the flour, coat the fish with salt, pepper, and bake in the pan with the oil. Fry the fish in oil 6 to 10 minutes, turning once, until fish is easy to break apart with forks and is browned on both sides.
How long do you fry fish with flour?
The flour coating speeds the frying process, but does not overcook the fish, making it dry and flavorless. A coating of breadcrumbs, cornmeal, or flour helps to ensure that the fish remains whole when frying or grilling. Fry the fish in oil 6 to 10 minutes until fish is easy to break apart with forks and is browned on both sides