Summer is a wonderful time of the year for seafood of all varieties, and chances are good your customers love a good fish fry. Versatile and using cheap ingredients, fast to execute and not requiring a high skill set, a deep fried seafood platter featuring fish, shrimp, scallops, or clams will give your customers something fun and crunchy to sink their teeth into. Bonus points for this method: cheaper white fish and frozen shrimp can be used as the coating of salt, fat, and a little lemon acid or tartar sauce create a ton of flavor, and cheaper fish tends to have a better, more sustainable frying texture to boot.
Here are some simple tips to make sure your frying station is safe, consistent, and producing amazing dishes for your customers:
Temperature makes a BIG difference. A frying thermometer is essential to keep your oil between 350-375 degrees before frying. High temps lead to an unattractive brown finish, and low temps will yield a greasy product.
Small batches work best. Overloading the fryer will mess up your base oil temperature, leading to a greasy finish.
Choose a good base oil! Peanut and canola oil are both recommended as they can handle the temperature ranges recommended above.
Drain your seafood thoroughly. Oil will leave a large grease stain on the plate if not drained. Draining in addition to blotting with a paper towel are both recommended to remove excess oils and have the best results.