Question about frying fish

[SCFD rtrd.]

 I like my fish fried. I use an electric deep fryer at 350 degrees.  I fill the fryer about 1/3 full of vegetable oil, then add fish to about the half full mark,  but sometimes I have a problem with the grease boiling over. It only happens after cooking several batches of fish (maybe 30 min. of cooking). The oil starts expanding, rises to the top and boils over. Anyone have a clue what causes this? I do double bread my fish by dipping the pieces in egg and heavy cream, then fish batter, then another dip in egg and heavy cream, then panko crumbs.

[geeviam]

9 minutes ago, SCFD rtrd. said:

 I like my fish fried. I use an electric deep fryer at 350 degrees.  I fill the fryer about 1/3 full of vegetable oil, then add fish to about the half full mark,  but sometimes I have a problem with the grease boiling over. It only happens after cooking several batches of fish (maybe 30 min. of cooking). The oil starts expanding, rises to the top and boils over. Anyone have a clue what causes this? I do double bread my fish by dipping the pieces in egg and heavy cream, then fish batter, then another dip in egg and heavy cream, then panko crumbs.

Sounds like the oil is becoming unstable and foaming.  Since I'm not in the restaurant business anymore (said farewell after 25 years), I'll share a trade secret.  We fried tons of fish, shrimp, fries, fritters, etc. and it was golden brown, crisp, non-greasy, and delicious when the oil was 4 days old, the same as it was when the oil was new/fresh, on day one.  First of all we used high quality frying oil like Sysco Imperial Fry-On (Corn and Canola blend), or FryMax.  At home, Mazola and Wesson are good.  Then we used the Miroil Frypowder system along with a polishing filter.  We treated the oil in the fryers with the stabilizing frypowder twice a day, after lunch and after dinner, and filtered the oil with the Miroil Polishing Filter at closing time.  We changed out the oil completely every 5 days.  The flavor of the food, less cooking time, and less oil absorption (less oil waste) was amazing when we did this.  There's nothing more unappetizing to me than to walk down-wind of a restaurant that is frying with old, worn out oil.  I can smell it a mile away.

http://miroil.com/frypowder.html

[Wanaflatsfish]

I use either Peanut oil or Rice Bran oil due to their high flash point.  I bring everything to 375 degrees and normally will use a cast iron pan (I only fry outdoors) on a cajun cooker...with a thermometer to insure exact temperature

1.) Fish needs to be room temperature or just slightly cool

2.) I use a 4 part batter of corn starch, flour, corn meal, and bread crumbs

3.) If i want to do a egg wash, no problem, but, normally just use the 4 part mix

4.) For calamari the rule is 20 seconds or 20 minutes (meaning oven).

4.) Season when hot off the fryer and be sure to let it drain - grocery bags are good or a rack.

Enjoy....

 

dc

 

[whichwaysup]

I am probably wrong, but I would guess your issue has to do with water absorption into the oil.   I read an interesting article about the fact that used oil creates better taste than new oil because of this phenomenon, and it was very scientific sounding, and it was on the internet, so I believed every word.   

But what you describe does sound like water and oil mixing . . .

[DonV]

I'm with Capt. DeWalt, I fry only outside, almost always with a cajun fryer! However even at Costco or Sams peanut oil is crazy expensive so I just use enough to just do the batch of fish I'm frying and just throw it away when done. However if I have fish to fry I sometimes try and fry other seafood items like shrimp, etc. the next day and then throw away the oil. I'm a cheap bastard. Plus being lazy this is all I use to fry fish.

http://atkinsonmilling.com/seafood_breaders/atkinson_s_spicy_cajun_seafood_breader/

[lookinforsnook]

Not sure if this could be the problem with the OP's issue but maybe doing the double dip is trapping excess moisture in the fish. After awhile when cooking this moisture is released and the oil can't keep up with the water load, boil over. FWIW try Andy's seasoned fry batter. Soak fish in ice water for a few minutes, shake off excess water toss fish in a  covered bowl with Andy's in it and fry away. Nice light, tasty coating without having to do the egg wash dredge thing. I mix half Cajun and half regular, for a good balance of flavor. One of the best fish sandwich coatings around IMO. 

[geeviam]

13 hours ago, whichwaysup said:

But what you describe does sound like water and oil mixing

I think you're right - a reaction with too much water introduced by double breading.  We all know what happens in the hot oil when just a couple drops of water fall into the fryer.

[SCFD rtrd.]

Ok, I only use my oil once, then I chunk it. So, after reading the replies, I'd guess the oil is not the problem. Geeviam described my problem more correctly when he said the oil "foams up", that is exactly what happens.  It seems that the double dipping is the problem by trapping, then releasing moisture. Going to try straight up Andy's fry batter. Thanks for the help.

geeviam, when you say Mazola or Wesson, you are talking about vegetable oil, right?

[Hutch03]

Given many a charity fish fry over the decades. We always single dip never double bread to avoid the oil problem you describe. On most lower quality meat we use a mustard based wash and roll in a mix of masa corn flour and cornmeal. High end filets obviously don’t want to defile w the mustard. Hutch

[Capt. Troy]

17 hours ago, SCFD rtrd. said:

Ok, I only use my oil once, then I chunk it. So, after reading the replies, I'd guess the oil is not the problem. Geeviam described my problem more correctly when he said the oil "foams up", that is exactly what happens.  It seems that the double dipping is the problem by trapping, then releasing moisture. Going to try straight up Andy's fry batter. Thanks for the help.

geeviam, when you say Mazola or Wesson, you are talking about vegetable oil, right?

Yep, to much water makes foam. Double dipping will do it. I have taken to pan frying outside in a skillet. Cuts way back on the oil usage. Use the burner on the grill. Unless I am doing a bunch of fish then the gas fired fryer comes out with 2 gallons plus of oil. With a big fryer and lots of oil rare to get any foaming cause the % of water is less with the larger volume of oil.

The fry daddies are nice but you can certainly get a boil over if you ain't careful. Small volume of oil your dealing with.