This buttermilk-fried bluegill recipe is one of my favorite ways to cook small panfish. Growing up with a family pond and an avid fisherman for a father (he always had a fishing pole in his hand), crispy bluegill or fried catfish was a regular occurrence. If we happened to take a summer break trip to the coast, it was fried trout in its place.
We ate them in the same fashion each time, crusted in a southern-style buttermilk cornmeal breading. While the breading stayed the same, how the fish were processed changed. Sometimes, they were scaled and left whole; other times, the fish were left bone-in and cut in half horizontally or longways. We rarely ate boneless fillets.
While I like the nostalgia of eating a whole fried fish, my favorite way is to cut them in half, just an inch or two in front of the tail. I do this because the tail pieces are much smaller than the main body of the fish. This means the tail meat cooks much faster than the thicker body portions. Separating them will give you an overall better-cooked piece of fish.
You can also trim off the fins in order to eat them a bit easier on a sandwich.
How I Like to Serve Fried Bluegills
- While there are many ways to eat fried fish, I like to keep it simple. Homemade tartar sauce, white bread, saltine cracker, hot sauce, pickled fresh vegetables, and a North Carolina-style chopped coleslaw
Alternate Seasonings
- If you’re not a fan of spicy seasonings feel free to substitute with something like old bay seasoning or simply use salt and ground black pepper.
If you’re looking for other recipes, these are a few of my favorites:
The Best Cajun Style Shrimp Deviled Eggs
Pan Fried and Baked Shrimp Toast
Lastly, if you make this buttermilk fried bluegill recipe, be sure to leave a comment or tag me on Instagram! I thoroughly enjoy hearing feedback and checking out the photos of recipes that you’ve made.
BUTTERMILK FRIED BLUEGILL
Ingredients
- 3 pounds bluegill (scaled and skin on)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon vinegar-based hot sauce
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup fine yellow cornmeal
- 3 tablespoons Cajun (Creole, or blackening seasoning)
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- high smoke point cooking oil for frying (canola, avocado, and peanut oil are great options)
Instructions
- Deep fry or pan fry: Fill a deep large skillet or Dutch oven about halfway with the cooking oil and heat the oil over medium heat to 350 degrees F. Alternatively, fill a deep fryer (commercial or fry daddy style) to the manufacturer’s instructions and set the temperature to 350 degrees F.
- Set up a three-way breading station using three shallow bowls or another type of shallow dish. In one of the dishes, pour in the buttermilk, hot sauce, and mayonnaise and mix until combined. Separately place the flour and cornmeal in the other two dishes.
- In a small bowl add the 3 tablespoons of seasoning and the 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika and mix to combine. Set aside 1 tablespoon of this seasoning mix to season the fish after they have been fried.
- Season the fish on all sides with the seasoning mix.
- One piece at a time, coat fish in the flour, followed by the buttermilk, and lastly the cornmeal. Place each coated piece of fish on a baking tray and repeat the process.
- Fry the fish in the hot oil until they are cooked through and golden brown. You can pull them at an internal temperature of around 140 degrees and let them rest for a few minutes until they have reached 145 degrees F if you’re aiming for the juiciest fish. Keep in mind that whole bluegill will take longer than individual bluegill fillets. The size of the fish will also affect the cooking times which can range from as little as 2-3 minutes to 3 to 5 minutes.
- After the fish are cooked I recommend placing them on a wire rack to let the excess oil drain (paper towels can make the crust soggy). Lightly season the fish with the 1 tablespoon of seasoning mix that was set aside from step 3. Serve with lemon wedges or your favorite condiments.
NOTES
- Heat the oil to 350 F. Whether you pan fry or deep fry, keep the oil at 350 F so the crust crisps quickly and the fish cooks cleanly.
- Reserve some seasoning first. Mix the Cajun seasoning and smoked paprika, then set aside 1 tablespoon before seasoning the fish so you can dust the fried fish while it is still hot.
- Bread in the right order. Coat each piece in flour first, then the buttermilk mixture, then the cornmeal so the crust grabs and fries up crisp.
- Separate the tail section. If you are frying whole bluegill or bone-in halves, cutting off the smaller tail section first helps it cook more evenly because the tail finishes faster than the thicker body.
- Cook by size, not time. Smaller pieces can take about 2 to 3 minutes, while larger fish or whole bluegill can run 3 to 5 minutes or longer. For the juiciest fish, pull it to around 140 F, then let it rest to 145 F.
- Drain on a wire rack. Paper towels can soften the crust, so let the fish drain on a rack instead. Season with salt and pepper.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation. Nutrition is per serving.
1 thought on “BUTTERMILK FRIED BLUEGILL”
This was incredible! Perfect breading for our delicate bluegill filets! Great crunchy crisp! I wouldn’t change a thing! ( one tip: once the fish is breaded, pop it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to set the breading)
We will definitely be making this again!