Fried Okeechobee Crappie w/ Hash Browns and Collard Greens

September 30, 2013 at 5:04 PM | Posted in Crappie, fish, hash browns, Zatarain's | Leave a comment
Tags: Canola, Collard greens, Crappie, Hash Brown, Jungle Jim, Lake Okeechobee, Pan frying, Sea salt, Zatarain

Today’s Menu: Fried Okeechobee Crappie w/ Hash Browns and Collard Greens

A dreary and cloudy day out today. Had to run my parents to Cincinnati for my Dad to get a new portable breather. He’s had a home oxygen for a while now but he’s going to have to keep a portable air with him when he’s out. A lot going on locally with Operation Pumpkin in Hamilton and Jungle Jim’s Ring of Fire Weekend in Fairfield, you can read about both in two earlier posts. For dinner tonight, Fried Okeechobee Crappie w/ Hash Browns and Collard Greens.

It’s always a sad day when I use my last bags of the Lake Okeechobee Crappie, or as the locals there call them “Specks”. My cousin always brings me a batch when they go down for the winter at Lake Okeechobee, Florida. I try to make them last as long as I can but the time has come to break that last bag out of the freezer. I love all fish but these are my favorite fresh water fish by far! Love the taste and just how they fry up so good and brown. I laid the last bag out last night to thaw in the fridge. I rinsed the fillets off in cold water and patted dry with a paper towel. I then seasoned them a bit of Sea Salt and then rolled them in Zatarain’s Crispy Southern Fish Fri Breading Mix. Pan fried them in Canola Oil about 3 minutes per side. As usual with Crappie they came out Golden Brown and delicious!

For side dishes I prepared Hash Browns and Collard Greens. I used Simply Potatoes Hash Browns, my favorite Potato side dishes. Fried in Canola Oil and seasoned them with Sea Salt, Ground Pepper, and Parsley. Also, for the first time, I prepared Collard Greens. They were canned and Walmart Store Brand. Just heated them in a small sauce pan on medium high for 5 minutes, drained, and season with Sea Salt. I think I had Collard Greens 1 other time. They came out very good, a good change of pace for a side dish! For dessert later tonight a bowl of Del Monte No Sugar Added Peach Chunks.

Zatarain’s Crispy Southern Fish Fri
The secret of authentic Southern style fried fish is the crispy combination of cornmeal, corn flour, spices and lemon juice captured in this special Zatarain’s Frying Mix.