Fish Fry

This past weekend was wonderful for so many reasons. A ton of housework done, a bonfire with friends, our first afternoon on the boat and a fish fry.  Loved it all, but the fishing and our fish fry was definitely a topper.  We had SO MUCH fun bringing the girls out to the lake.  Of course, I had to get a refresher course myself when it came to casting and such, but soon I was standing right beside my husband teaching our kiddos.  I'll admit, it got a bit crazy at times with two little ones in there with us, so I definitely had to pull my own weight when it came to the "icky" stuff.  However, I figured out how to put a worm on the hook without ever having to touch the worm, and I even found myself taking the hooks out of the small fish we would catch.  (If you know me, these are big steps) If I ever get on here and say I've learned how to fillet them, slap me.  Because I'm telling you right now... NOT HAPPENING.
So, obviously my husband, who is an experienced fisherman, cleaned all the fish for us and cooked them.  I stood close by though, "supervising" and had him measure out ingredients so I could share with you how to have your very own fish fry.  I personally think the fish batter he makes is the best. 

Here's what you need:

Fish Fry Batter

*one cup flour

*one cup unseasoned breadcrumbs

*1/4 cup yellow cornmeal

*one tbls Lawry's season salt

*one tbls Season-All

*1/2 tsp salt

*1/2 tsp black pepper

*1/2 tsp Lawry's garlic salt

*one pound or so of lake fish fillets (we used crappies & sunnies)

*vegetable oil

*1 cup milk

*lemons

Fill a large skillet with about an inch or so of oil... just enough to cover the fillets.  Turn the heat up to medium high.  Meanwhile, rinse and pat dry all the fillets. Mix together the dry ingredients in a gallon ziplock bag and mix it all up well.  Pour milk into a shallow bowl.

Dip the fillets, one by one, into the milk, then into the bag to shake & coat well. Gently place into your frying pan in a single layer and fry for about 3-4 minutes per side.  The fish should just kind of "float" in the oil by themselves when done and flake easily. Remove to paper towels to drain. Slice lemons in half and squeeze over the fried fish. 

You can eat them with fries, chips, or even throw them into some taco shells with coleslaw, avocado and salsa for a tasty fish taco.  SO TOTALLY YUMMY!

To me, a fish fry is one of the ultimate items on a spring/summer bucket list. To me, it just symbolizes a family working together, having fun and enjoying time together. What's on your bucket list this summer??

Here are a few more pictures from our day of fishing...