Fried Fish for Many People

Ryan Conaty for The New York Times

By JOHN WILLOUGHBY and CHRIS SCHLESINGER

TOTAL TIME

35 minutes

Ingredients

• 6 pounds very fresh striped bass or bluefish
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/4 cup Old Bay spice mix
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 3 cups panko
• 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil of your choice

Preparation

1.

Cut fish into chunks about 2 inches square; you should have about 24 chunks.

2.

Combine flour, salt, pepper and Old Bay in a shallow baking pan (those handy disposable aluminum pans work) and mix well. Crack eggs into a second such pan, then add half-and-half and whisk briefly to combine. Put panko in a third pan.

3.

Dunk chunks of fish sequentially into flour mixture, egg mixture and panko, shaking gently after each dunk to get rid of any excess. Place coated fish chunks into a fourth shallow baking pan right by the stove next to burner.

4.

Pour vegetable oil into a 20-inch iron skillet; it should come to a depth of about 1/4 inch. Turn a propane burner to medium-high (see note), and set skillet over flame. Heat until oil is hot but not smoking. You can test it by dropping a small bit of fish into the oil; it should bubble furiously.

5.

Add half the pieces of fish and cook until deep golden brown on the side facing down, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip over and once again cook until deep golden brown on the downward side, about 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove from oil, drain briefly on paper towels, and hand to your guests.

6.

Allow oil to heat up until not quite smoking again, then add remaining fish and follow the same procedure. Because the oil will have degraded somewhat, these pieces will take a bit longer, maybe 4 minutes a side.

YIELD

About 12 servings

• NOTE

  This recipe is intended to be made outdoors using a propane burner, but it can be made indoors on a gas stove, in a smaller heavy-duty pan. However, you will need to do several more batches to cook the same amount of fish, so it’s best to cut this recipe in half. Do not make this recipe on a regular gas or charcoal grill; the risk of igniting the oil, causing injury, is too high.