Best Upstate New York Haddock Fish Fry Recipes

Where I grew up in Utica, New York we had the best fish fry.


The competition of restaurants was everywhere in my hometown.


I pretty much tried them all, many great, some not so good.


We had a favorite place we would go to on Kossuth Ave it was a market and bring the fried haddock home hot when I was a kid every Friday night.


As they say, the good old days gone but not forgotten.


When I go home to visit, it's the first stop off the plane and haddock fish fry is a must!


Now I make it at home here in Florida and just reminisce about those delicious fish fries in Utica.


I like a crispy coating on fish, mom loved a batter fried or Italian coating.


Dad loved the flour-cornmeal style coating.


I have a roundup of different recipes from Italian style, battered, and more coatings that we developed over the years after moving to Florida.


Every one of these is different and delicious to use on many kinds of seafood, not only the famous haddock fries we left behind in Upstate New York.


My favorite is the last recipe on the printable card below that you will find.


I love a crispy crunchy crust on my fish.


If you ever visit my hometown, make sure you try the fish fries!


Scroll down to the recipe card to print it off and try one of the recipes that sounds good to you too!

Fried Fish

I love fried fish, it's a must when traveling home and so many favorites to choose from.


I really enjoy eating haddock which is a Northern fish in Upstate New York, which you will find on every menu.


It's usually deep fried and served with coleslaw, baked potato and just a delicious entree for any seafood lover.


Haddock is a lighter flavored fish, not strong, white and very flakey.


It's perfect for frying but if you can't find it, try using cod or grouper.

So Many Kinds

You will find many coatings below that are made with either flour or bread crumbs.


Then seasonings added, dipped in egg, some in buttermilk.


Everyone has a different perspective on what the best fish fry-style is.


After carefully reading the ingredients, one of them may be your favorite.


Honestly, they are all great!

The Oil

When deep frying, choose an oil with a high smoke point (peanut, grapeseed, safflower, soybean, sunflower, canola, and extra light olive oil are all good


choices) and a flavor that is either neutral or appropriate to the type of food you're cooking.


Don't use unrefined oils for deep frying, as their smoke points are much lower.


If you have a deep fryer, great!


You can deep fry the fish with a basket to get the best-fried restaurant style version at home.

The Results

Deep fried fish and seafood should be light, crisp, and wonderful, not heavy, sodden, and awful.

Making the right choices and using the proper deep-frying techniques and tools can make all the difference.


For successful deep-frying, you will need a heavy, deep pot, oil, a thermometer, tongs remove fried items and an area to drain the cooked seafood on paper towels


A deep skillet or pan is fine however you must wait until the oil reaches to 375 degrees, to start frying.


At the minimum, the pot should hold about 3 inches of oil


The best oil to use is a blend of vegetable and extra light olive oil for a great tasting fish fry.

Don't Crowd The Pan

Putting a lot of food into the oil all at once can lower the temperature drastically and allow the oil to seep into the food, resulting in greasy and heavy food.


Frying in small batches produces much better results.


A good rule of thumb is to not use more than half of the surface area of the hot oil.


This will ensure plenty of room for the food to cook.

Best Fish For Frying

• Haddock
• Tilapia
• Alaskan Cod
• Catfish
• Halibut
• Striped Bass
• Trout
• Perch
• Shrimp

Tip

Before cooking, make sure your filet is completely dry—inside and out— since excess moisture lowers the temperature of the oil and causes the oil to become more agitated, which leads to burnt fish and a messy splattered kitchen (I know from experience).

Recipes

You should be able to find your favorite coating with my roundup of recipes below.


But if you ever get a chance to visit Utica, New York,  do try the Best Upstate New York Haddock Fish Fry out there, it's worth a trip!

Favorite Recipes to Try

Florida Red Fish
Seafood Primavera
Coconut Shrimp
Apricot Glazed Salmon
Almond crusted Haddock and Shrimp
Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta
Filet Mignon topped with shrimp and crab

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Haddock

Like its close relative, cod, this whitefish haddock hails from the cold waters of the North Atlantic Ocean.


Sometimes sold under the name scrod, haddock enjoys a slightly sweeter taste and finer texture than cod, but the two are often swapped in recipes.


Haddock rates among the best fish to eat because of its high-protein, low-calorie, and low-mercury content, but it ranks lower than much other fish for it's heart-healthy fats.



The health benefits of haddock include: very low in calories (77 calories per 3 ounces), high in protein (17 grams per 3 ounces) and an excellent source of selenium, phosphorus and some of the B vitamins.


The American Heart Association recommends 3 ounces as the serving size for cooked fish.


To visualize 3 ounces, think of the size of the palm of your hand.


This fish is what I go out of my way to find and fry and my favorite to use and of course, if you want it healthier than try baking it, click here!

New York Fish Fry, fish batter, fish coating, fish fry, frying fish, fried fish recipes

seafood, fish, haddock, how to fry fish, coating fish, fish fry

American

Yield: 6

Author: Claudia Lamascolo

Best Upstate New York Haddock Fish Fry Recipes

prep time: 10 Mcook time: 9 Mtotal time: 19 M

If you have ever traveled to Utica New York, they have some of the best fish fried ever in local restaurants.
This is a roundup of coating recipes for fish that we love to make at home.

ingredients:

• Fish for Frying:
• Just a few ingredients you may need:
• Flour
• Eggs
• Cornstarch
• Seasonings
• Cornmeal
• Buttermilk
• Eggs
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Kinds of Fish to Use:
• Haddock,  Mahi Mahi, Cod, Grouper, or any other kinds of hearty fish.
• Note: Flounder is thin and tends to fall apart
• Oil extra light olive oil, vegetable or canola
• See All Recipes Below for Coatings

instructions:

How to cook Best Upstate New York Haddock Fish Fry Recipes

1. Cornmeal Coating:
2. 1/2 cup buttermilk
3. 1 tablespoon lemon juice
4. 2 pounds haddock filets
5. oil for frying (I use Canola, however, the best taste comes from a vegetable and olive oil blend)
6. Beat together dip the fish in this mixture.
7. Then shake into this one:
8. 1/3 cup cornmeal
9. 1/3 cup flour
10. 1/2 teaspoon each garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper
11. dash of cayenne pepper
12. Add to a plastic zip lock bag, shake fish in and fry in oil.
13. Batter Fried Fish:
14. 3/4 cup flour
15. 2 tablespoons cornstarch
16. 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
17. 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
18. 1/4 teaspoon salt
19. 3/4 cup water
20. 2 pounds fish filets
21. oil for frying
22. Mix together. Coat fish and fry till golden brown.
23. Breadcrumb Coated Recipe
24. 2lb. fresh fish fillets, steaks or pan-dressed whole fish
25. 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
26. 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
27. pinch cayenne
28. 1 egg plus
29. 1 tablespoon milk or water beat together
30. 1 cup Italian dry bread crumbs or buttery cracker crumbs
31. Dip the fish fillets in egg and milk mixture. Shake them in crumb mixture and fry in oil till golden brown.
32. Beer Batter Recipe:
33. 2 pounds of whitefish of choice fillets snook, cod, haddock, walleye, perch, shrimp, scallops, tilapia, redfish.
34. Batter:
35. 1 cup of all purpose flour
36. 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
37. 1/2 teaspoon of each, parsley, oregano, basil
38. 2 tablespoons of paprika
39. 2 teaspoons salt
40.  teaspoons black pepper
41. 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
42. 1 egg
43. 1 - 12 ounces can or bottle of beer
44. 2 quarts of cooking oil for frying vegetable and olive oil blends: heat to around 375 degree
45. Combine all dry ingredients, add egg then beer. Dip fish in batter and fry in hot oil.
46. Drain on paper towels.
47. Italian Style Coating:
48. 3/4 cup flour
49. 3/4 cup romano cheese grated
50. 3/4 cup cornmeal
51. 2 tablespoons garlic powder
52. 2 tablespoons seasoning salt
53. 1 teaspoon each oregano, parsley, and black pepper
54. Mix all the above ingredients adding to a ziplock bag.
55. Dipping mixture:
56. 1 cup milk plus one egg beaten
57. 2 lbs haddock filets
58. oil for frying
59. Dip haddock filets into milk mixture into coating mix and deep fry in oil.
60. The Best New York Resturant Style Coating (personal favorite recipe)
61. 4 quarts of vegetable, and extra light olive oil or canola blend oils
62. 6 large eggs
63. 1/2 cup water
64. 2 cups flour (such as Wondra) or sifted twice regular flour
65. 2 cups cornstarch
66. 1/4 cup baking powder
67. 3 tablespoons kosher salt, plus additional for sprinkling
68. 1 tablespoon black pepper
69. 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper ( less if you don't like spicy)
70. 1 tablespoon granulated garlic powder
71. 1 teaspoon onion powder
72. 3 pounds flounder, grouper, cod, or other white, flaky fish fillets
73. Lemon wedges
74. Heat oil in a large stockpot to 375 degrees over medium-high.
75. Whisk together eggs and water in a shallow bowl or baking dish.
76. Whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, all seasonings salt, and both peppers in another shallow bowl, ziplock bag or baking dish.
77. Place half of the fish pieces in egg mixture, turning to coat completely. Shake off excess.
78. Dredge in flour mixture to coat completely; shake off excess. ( I use a ziplock bag and shake the pieces in the flavored flour).
79. Carefully add fish to hot oil. 
80. Cook until golden brown and crispy, 4 to 5 minutes.
81. Drain on paper towels; sprinkle with kosher salt. Repeat process with remaining fish.
82. Serve with lemon wedges.

Calories
400

Fat (grams)
22

Sat. Fat (grams)
15

Carbs (grams)
21

Net carbs
12

Created using The Recipes Generator

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How to cook perfect Shrimp
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Disclosure: This recipe was originally shared in 2012. It was edited and re-published in 2019.