Mustard Fried Fish – Fried Fish Perfection!
Keith Lusher 10.11.23
They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. And for the most part, I tend to agree with that saying. However, I recently had the opportunity to learn a technique of frying fish from someone who has been in the seafood restaurant industry and has also been a lifelong angler born and bred in New Orleans La. Robert Bordeaux is 68 years old and he said he’s been battering his fish fillets the same way since he was a teenager and worked at one of the most popular seafood restaurants in New Orleans. “Growing up in New Orleans Deanies was a household name. I think everyone ate there,” he said. Bordeaux was in charge of manning the frying pots that were used to fry fish. (and everything else on the menu) It’s there that he learned the simplistic technique of serving up the most delicious fried fish. “Before working there. my family used a mixture of raw eggs and milk for an egg wash,” he said. “Then I saw how the restaurant did it and I never looked back!” Bordeaux said the ingredient to serving up the perfect fried fish is simply yellow mustard. “It sounds easy and too simple to be honest but I haven’t found another recipe that can beat it in all my years of frying fish,” he said.
I had the chance to try out the simple recipe at a fish fry for a few fishing friends who I knew would serve as tough judges. I ditched my old method of using raw eggs and buttermilk and squeezed a half of bottle of yellow mustard into a bowl. After stirring the fish fillets into the bowl and completely covering the strips of fish I battered them in standard fish fry batter and added them to the fryer. Everyone had the chance to try the fish and I received numerous compliments on my “extra flavorful” fried fish. I even tried mixing in a little hot sauce with the yellow mustard towards the end of the event. These fish had just the right amount of heat and are definitely an option for those who enjoy spicy fried seafood.
For those who have never tried using mustard as an egg wash for your fried fish, I would highly recommend doing so. I’m 49 years old and this new recipe looks to be a keeper for my family and me. Now I just have to get a hold of Mr. Bordeaux and see where he catches the fish that go in the mustard!
Recipe
- 2 lbs. fish fillets
- 1/4 cup yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce to taste
- Cooking oil
For the Dredge:
- 3 cups of Zatarain’s Fish Fry
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon lemon pepper, or to taste optional
- 1/2 teaspoon Creole or Cajun seasoning, or to taste optional
