Fried Fish with Kitchen Sink Mayo

People think frying fish at home means deep fryers and gallons of oil—but it doesn’t. A shallow pan and a little peanut oil (or grapeseed if you need to go nut-free) gives you crisp, tender filets that beat any restaurant fryer. This fish gets a simple cornmeal dredge and a bright hit of lemon, then takes a dip in your new favorite sauce, “Kitchen Sink Mayonnaise.” Serves 2.

Ingredients

For the fish

2/3 cup vegetable or peanut oil, lard, crisco or a combination of those oils

2 fillets of flounder, catfish, tilapia or other white fish (4-6 oz)

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided

½ cup cornmeal, rice flour, AP flour

Juice of ½ lemon

For the kitchen sink mayo

Makes more than you need

1 cup mayo

Zest and juice of 1 good lemon or about 3 tablepsoons

2 teaspoons anchovy paste

2 teaspoons hot sauce

2 teaspoons worchestershire

2 cloves fresh garlic (grated on a microplane)

1 tablespoon prepared horseradish

2 teaspoons soy sauce

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon honey

Directions

Make the mayo

In a bowl large enough to hold all the ingredients, whisk together everything but the mayo. Once that is a homogenous mix, stir in the mayo. It’s ready to eat at this point, but is better after at least a 30-minute mingle. 

Fry the fish

Heat the oil in a 10-12-inch skillet over medium heat. Season the cornmeal with ½ teaspoon salt and use the remaining salt to season both sides of the fish. Once the oil has heated for a minute, test its temperature by dropping a small pinch of cornmeal in. If it sizzles vigorously, gently lay the fish in the oil. Cook on one side for about three minutes or until it begins to brown around the edges. Flip the fish, lower the heat slightly, and continue to cook on the opposite side until it is also nice and brown. Remove the fish from the pan and drain on paper towels. Allow the oil to cool to room temperature before straining it through a sieve and reserving for the next time you fry fish.