- Thawed cod - 3 to 4 filets on the thicker side, dried somewhat with a paper towel
- 1 C flour, lightly salted
- 1 C milk or buttermilk (make buttermilk w/ 1 tbsp vinegar to milk)
- 2 medium to large eggs, whisked
- 4 sleeves of Saltine crackers crushed to coarse and rough crumbs
- Neutral oil for frying
- 3 shallow containers like pie plate, to-go box, etc.
- Other: Plate with paper towels to drain oil from fried fish
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Instructions
- Spread the flour in a shallow container (1) for dusting the fish well. Salt the flour lightly.
- Combine buttermilk and whisked eggs well then pour into shallow container (2). Salt the egg mixture lightly.
- Pour crushed crackers into a shallow container (3). Salt lightly.
- Dust a filet in the flour, shake off excess.
- Dip floured filet into the egg mixture and let the excess drip off well.
- Roll and press the filet in the cracker crumbs until well coated.
- Set aside and finish the rest of the filets.
- In a cast iron or other skillet, heat oil to 350F. Don’t crowd the pan.
- Use the oven at 300F to keep cooked fish warm on a rack while cooking the rest if needed.
- Gently place the breaded filets in the oil once hot. Let them get nice and brown – about 4 minutes – then turn and cook another 4 minutes or so. (TIME WILL VARY)Remove from the skillet to the plate with paper towels. Serve hot with lemon slices and tartar sauce.
Back Story
I was a lifelong Luby’s regular until the big switch. My order was always the same: Fried fish, mashed potatoes no gravy, okra, white roll. I would get tartar sauce and a lot of lemons on the side. Probably ate this same meal at least 100 times in my life.
Once the beloved chain started using servers instead of the ladies with the pushcarts, the vibe got weird. Food also became somewhat inconsistent. Eventually we had fewer and fewer Luby’s to dine at until there were none near enough worth the trip and money for the value.
That didn’t change my love or need for a Luby’s fried fish fix so I attempted a few different variations but never got it right until recently. The online debate over the breading had many people on team Ritz crackers, probably because of how golden brown the fish batter is. Panko was another contender. Believe it or not, Saltines are the way to the perfectly brown coating we expect in Luby’s fried fish.
And here is a close up of the results. Brings back memories before even taking a bite!
I always smother the fish in lemon juice hence the bowl of lemon in the featured picture. But I put tartar sauce on as well every other bit or so. They have a good tartar sauce as well, but it’s not as good as mine. I’ll get both those typed up soon for y’all.
