Wilson’s Louisiana Fish Breading

When I was a young man in southern Mississippi, my wife’s family cooked fish that had been lightly salted, dipped in buttermilk, rolled in corn meal, and then deep-fried fried. We still like this, but it discolors the canola oil and makes reusing it questionable. So we’ve been trying various ways to coat or bread our fish. (The oil still looks great after cooking fish breaded by this method.)

Well, this is the best we’ve had so far. And we thank the Gerald and Helen Wilson for teaching it to us!

• Wash the fish (we like filets) and pat it dry.
• Salt lightly to taste.
• If you like spices, put someLouisiana Hot Sauce in a bowl and dip it in.
  Or you could use Tabasco Sauce, if it's not too hot (we like ground habenero powder!).
• Beat an egg or two (depends on how many fish you have). Put the egg into a shallow dish (like a glass pie plate).
• Process saltine crackers in a food processor until they are a fine powder (depends on how many fish you have). Put the cracker crumbs into a shallow dish (like a glass pie plate).
• Heat the oil to 375 degrees F. (Canola or peanut oil is best.)
• Dip the fish into the egg, then in the cracker crumbs until coated.
• Place in the hot oil and fry until golden brown and the fish just flakes.
• Drain well and eat!