Shepherd Fish Fry ::: How-To

Several asked after this post for our fish fry recipe ... it is soooo easy! We don't even have one of those fancy deep fryers. We just use a tall pot (like a stock pot) and put about 3+ inches of oil at the bottom of it. (We used regular vegetable oil). For your batter, all you need is pancake batter and 7-Up. That's it! Buy a box of Bisquick and dump a couple cups into a bowl. Slowly add your 7-Up until it's a nice consistency. You don't want it too thick, and you don't want it too thin (so that it runs off your fish as you dip it). It's hard to explain ... next time we cook up fish I'll try and remember to take a picture a la Pioneer Woman. LOL I can tell you that it looks thinner than regular pancake batter would look. Then, you drop them gently in your hot oil (and the oil needs to be good and hot!) until they are a golden brown. Pull them out and let them drain on a paper towel to remove the excess grease. A note: when you are frying your fish, don't put too many in at one time - we probably cook 5-6 pieces at a time. Otherwise, they will lay on top of each other and start sticking to the bottom of your pan or each other. Then it's just a mess to get them out and to clean your pan later. Less is more in this case. :) (Oh, the hush puppies were just a bag mix from Martha White ... bought at Walmart. If you are frying fish, hush puppies are a must!)

Anyway, that's our secret batter recipe in a nutshell. My Dad got this recipe many, many years ago from a friend that worked in the meat industry. At the time, this was the way that Captain D's prepared all their fried fish. I don't know if that's changed, but it is our family's recipe and VERY tasty as you can see from this crazy girl below. :)