Fried Grouper Fingers
While in Florida during the holidays I went fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. We caught a lot of fish, which is nice. We caught some grouper, which is even better. We had the grouper filleted when we got back to land. When we got home we discussed how best to fix them.
We decided to cut the fillets into finger style portions and fry them. This would make the most portions and since there were 19 people who wanted a taste. This is a fairly common treatment for grouper but we thought we would change it up a little.
I remembered seeing an episode on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on which the chef used crushed potato chips as a breading alternative. We agreed to try that with the grouper. It was a huge success. Here’s what we did.
2 lbs fresh grouper fillets, cut into fingers
3/4 cup flour seasoned lightly with salt (the chips have a good bit of salt) and pepper
2 eggs beaten with 4 Tbs water for an egg wash
1-2 cups finely crushed potato chips
Heat 1Tbs butter and 1Tbs olive oil in a non stick skillet over medium heat. Dredge the grouper fingers in the seasoned flour, dip them in the egg wash and roll in the crushed chips to coat. Shake off any excess chips and fry until the fish is golden (turning once) and flakes with a fork, about 3 min per side depending on the thickness of the fillets (do not overcook). Add additional butter/oil as needed.
This creates a wonderful textural contrase between the firm, moist fish and the crunchy saltyness of the chips. Try this with grouper or any other firm fish of your choice such as stripped bass. If the fillets are not thick enough to cut into fingers you can certainly use this technique with other styles of portions, adjusting cooking time as needed. Serve as is or with your favorite condiments for fish, ketchup/vinegar/tartar sauce, etc. Serves 6-8 people.
Tags: fillets, fish, fishing, florida, fried grouper, grouper, grouper fingers