[$%%#$^&&$#@$*!!^&!!) Why did my batter-dipped fish get soggy???

M

marilynfl

Moderator
It was PERFECT coming out of the oil! But by the time we sat down to eat...less than 5 minutes, it had gone completely soft.

The cod was cooked to a flaky perfection, but the (formerly) crisp outer shell fell away and collapsed into a heap of soggy fried batter.

I had myself a culinary Diva.

Used the beer batter from Rubio's Fish Tacos and could swear it worked before.

Beautiful fresh cod is here on sale for $10/lb so I'd like to try it again.

The fish pieces were 3" long x 1.5" wide by 1" thick.

http://eat.at/swap/forum/index.php?action=display&forumid=1&msgid=9402

 
Here is my mom's tried and true tempura batter.

One of the tricks is that it must be ice cold when you use the batter. We use this every year and it has never failed us. Good luck!

* Exported from MasterCook *

MOM'S ONION RING OR TEMPURA BATTER

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Appetizers

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

1 egg
1 cup plus 4 tablespoons flour
1 cup ice water
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Mix and use for tempura or onion ring batter. Make batter just before using. Dip slice onions, vegetables, shrimp, etc. in batter and deep-fry in hot oil Drain on paper towels.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 323 Calories; 32g Fat (89.2% calories from fat); 6g Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber; 212mg Cholesterol; 4341mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Lean Meat; 6 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.


Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0

 
Was the oil warm enough?

I have fried fish in oil that wasn't warm enough before and the food became soggy very fast. It's very annoying when it happens smileys/frown.gif

 
Who knows- you probably cooked it right but try double-frying next time- like fries.

 
Sounds like there was too much moisture under the breading.

Try layering paper towels on them (next time) and pressing well.

 
Thanks all. Fish was very dry. I had saved the thickest piece for this dish...

so it was dried out from the day before. This was "supposedly" never frozen, but I did get a whiff of preservative. Then I dredged them lightly in flour and it didn't "melt" so there wasn't any moisture on the surface.

I did make the mistake of pulling them out of the hot oil and laying them on paper towels to drain. That was probably my undoing. I've read you should put them on crumpled brown paper so they don't LAY flat.

I want to go back to that gastropub in Bath and have their fish again. It CRUNCHED when I broke through the crust.

 
Marilyn,I suggest doing some reading on Asian frying techniques. I believe

both twice-frying and that bit of cornstarch will give you the crunch. I have eaten this dish and even tossed in sauce, there's a definite crunch hours later.

Also, shoot me the name/place of the restaurant that set the fried fish benchmark.I'll give them a call and see if I can get the recipe. smileys/smile.gif

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Korean-Fried-Chicken

 
I don't think it was the paper towels, Marilyn

That kind of batter can be "iffy" especially if either you don't fry long enough or if the oil isn't exactly the right temp. Here I have to battle the humidity too but I imagine you are air conditioned so you don't have that worry. It looks like you've had good luck with the batter recipe before so it isn't that.

One can over-think stuff so I'd just give it a try again. I would double-fry the fish though.

 
No...I thought that was just for a large batch of pieces...so they all ended up hot.

I do think my temperature screwed me. I got it to 360, but when the 7 pieces were all added, it dropped to 340 and stayed there. It "looked" done and the fish was done. What could go wrong???

I hate frying. It is so frustrating when I only do it every seven years...it's a plague, like the 7-year locusts.

 
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