Fried Bluegill Fillets

Nail your lake trip or your Friday night fish fry with this easy recipe for fried bluegill. It’s a simple two-step breading of beaten egg and seasoned breadcrumbs with lemon-pepper and Parmesan cheese. Pan-fried until golden brown, the results are tender fillets with a crisp, crunchy coating. You can use this recipe to cook fillets of any small-to-medium freshwater (or saltwater) fish. Print out a hard copy of the recipe to take with you on the road. You can’t know for sure whether or not you’ll catch any fish, but, likely, your lakeside campsite won’t have Wi-Fi or cell service.

Ingredients for Fried Bluegill

• Bread crumbs: Seasoned bread crumbs coat tender bluegill fillets with a crunchy coating. You can also substitute plain breadcrumbs, but add some salt, garlic powder, paprika and any other seasonings you like. Otherwise the plain breading mixture may be bland.
• Cheese: Grated Parmesan adds richness and nutty flavor to the breading mixture, which complements the mild flavor of freshwater fish.
• Lemon-pepper seasoning: The flavor of lemon is a great complement to almost any fish, and adding some zippy lemon-pepper seasoning to the breading adds lemon flavor where juice would make the breading soggy.
• Eggs: Beaten egg acts as the glue that adheres the breading mixture to the fish.
• Bluegill or crappie fillets: The starring ingredient of this bluegill fry recipe is, of course, the fish. You can use this recipe to prepare any thin fillets of fresh or saltwater fish.
• Canola oil: Where some fried fish recipes call for deep frying, we call for shallow-frying thin bluegill fillets in small batches. The oil can still get quite hot, so it’s important to use an oil with a high smoke point such as canola or vegetable oil.

Directions 

Step 1: Mix the breading and dredge the fish

In a shallow bowl, combine the first five ingredients. In another bowl, whisk the eggs. Dip the fillets in the eggs, then coat with the crumb mixture. Dip again in the eggs and then the crumb mixture.

Step 2: Fry the bluegill

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook fillets in batches in 2 tablespoons oil for two to three minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with a fork, adding oil as needed.

Fried Bluegill Variations

• Change out the breading: In place of the seasoned breadcrumbs you can use crushed croutons, cornflakes or Panko bread crumbs to coat your bluegill fillets. These all have a light, flaky texture, which makes them naturally crunchy, so they’re ideal for coating delicate fish.
• Bake it in the oven: Instead of pan frying your bluegill you can bake the fish in a 400°F oven for about 10 minutes.
• Cook it in the air fryer: You can air-fry this recipe! Preheat your air fryer to 400° and add the breaded fish, in batches if necessary. Cook until the fish is lightly browned and just beginning to flake easily with a fork, about 8 to 10 minutes, turning halfway through cooking.

How to Store Fried Bluegill

Let the bluegill fillets cool completely after frying. The coating has the best chance of staying crispy if the steam evaporates before being trapped in a sealed container. Then store the fish fillets in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

How do you reheat fried bluegill?

The best way to reheat fried fish is in the oven on a convection setting or in an air fryer. The leftovers get nice and crisp, just as when they were freshly cooked. Preheat the oven or air fryer to 350°. Arrange the fish in a single layer, and cook just until the fillets are heated through, about five minutes. Flip the fish halfway through to promote even heating. If the fillets are quite thin, warm them in a dry nonstick skillet over medium heat, turning once, just until crisp.

Fried Bluegill Tips

How do you avoid greasy fish?

The most important factor for crispy, not oily, fillets is keeping the oil hot enough. Adding several fillets to a pan of oil will drop the temperature rapidly, at which point the breading will absorb more of the oil. For deep-frying you can use a thermometer to ensure that the oil is hot enough (it should be between 365° and 375°). Because the oil for this recipe is quite shallow, an easier way to manage consistent oil temperature is to avoid crowding the pan and instead fry in batches.

How can I tell when the fish is cooked through?

Overcooking bluegill can make it dry and tough. Bluegill fillets are on the thin side, so it’s best to err on the side of undercooking the fillets slightly and then letting them rest for a few minutes to finish cooking. Look for sensory cues including a flaky texture and an opaque appearance. You can also use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature. Bluegill is cooked when it reaches 145°.

What should you serve with fried bluegill?

It’s honestly difficult to think of something that wouldn’t be tasty with this fried bluegill recipe, but these are some of our favorite sides for fried fish.