Adapted from Ideals Family Cookbook · Marilyn Ross
Pan-fried Fish
Ingredients
- 2 lb dressed fish pieces
- ½ cup milk
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- ½ cup sorghum flour, for the Hungry Canary adaptation (original choices: flour, cornmeal, pancake mix or cracker crumbs)
- ¼ cup shortening
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- Tartar sauce, to serve (optional)
Directions
- Pat fish pieces dry. Beat the egg with the milk in a shallow dish.
- Dip fish into the egg-and-milk mixture, then coat lightly in sorghum flour or another selected dry coating.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Heat shortening in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Fry fish for approximately 5–7 minutes in total, turning only once. Cook in batches without crowding the pan, until the coating is browned and the fish is cooked through (145°F, or until opaque and flakes easily).
- Serve with tartar sauce if desired.
Cookbook source
“Pan-fried Fish,” contributed by Marilyn Ross to the Ideals Family Cookbook, page 33. The original uses two pounds dressed fish pieces, half a cup milk, one slightly beaten egg, half a cup of flour, cornmeal, pancake mix or cracker crumbs, a quarter cup shortening, salt and pepper. The fish is dipped in egg and milk, rolled in the chosen coating and fried approximately five to seven minutes, turning only once. The author cautions against crowding the skillet and suggests tartar sauce.
Hungry Canary adaptation
Coating: Sorghum flour is the initial wheat-free replacement for ordinary flour. The cookbook also offers cornmeal, pancake mix or cracker crumbs, but these may contain grains or wheat and are retained here as historical choices. A suitable sorghum-based cracker crumb could be considered after testing. Egg: The recipe retains its original whole egg.
Cooking note
The author does not identify the fish species or piece thickness, so the five-to-seven-minute cooking estimate may vary. Fish should reach a safe internal temperature and be opaque and flaky when ready.