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Rich's Fry It All Recipes

The name says it all.

Ok, here is what will make you live longer. Not for health reasons, but because you will want to live longer so that you will be able to eat more at another time. Go fishing and catch your fish. Invite friends and family over. Don't worry about salads or side dishes. This is all about sitting around, listening to the Red Sox or the Patriots ON THE RADIO, drinking beer, and enjoying what little time we have.

Buy a $30 turkey frying kit. Great investment. It's also great for cooking corn, lobsters (I've done a dozen at a time), clams, and of course, frying. Plus, the smells stay outside. JUST MAKE SURE THAT NO KIDS CAN GET NEAR IT FOR A FEW HOURS!!!! Need I emphasize this enough?

The key to a good fry event is organization. First thing. Get the fryer away from the action, but close enough that the fry-guy can still talk with everyone else. Get a prep table nearby and set it up as follows: Batter in a bowl. Roll of paper towels. Salt shaker. A few trays to put the fried food onto. A bowl with just water in it (for rinsing hands). Wear a hand towel on your belt to wipe off your hands (water doesn't react well to hot oil). Tongs. A strainer/ladle to get the food out of the oil. Extra flour/eggs/baking soda/beer (for batter + you).

Think of what you want to fry and cut it up in proper sizes.

• Start with a cutting up a huge onion for rings. Great starter. (They fry for about 45 seconds). I like to cut the rings and soak them in a glass bowl with milk until cooking time.
• Follow up with, believe it or not, pickled peppers. Not the really hot ones, but some sweet/a little bite. (they only fry for about 20 seconds). Drain them before adding to batter.
• Fish. I don't like using the thick pieces. I like using the tail pieces of cod and the pieces below the lateral line. I save the "captain's cut" for baking or broiling. Cod, haddock, and pollack are great fish. Better yet are flounder and fluke. Best, however, is sea bass. Scup has a great flavor, but it is very distinct and some people think that it's too fishy. Don't try bluefish. The fish will usually take 2-4 minutes to cook, depending on the THICKNESS.
• Potatoes. Fritters. I like these. Slice a potato about ¼ inch thick and cook like a piece of fish. If you have the time and can parboil them in water for about 5 minutes, great. If not, cook a little longer in oil. Salt them when they come out. You're looking at about 4-6 minutes in oil.
• Garlic. Try it. Break up the head, peel the cloves, batter the cloves, and throw the whole clove in for about a minute. Delicious.

The Batter -

• 1/2 - 2 cups flour (as needed)
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 can of beer

1. Mix up the dry ingredients. Beat in the eggs. Add the can of beer. Use the beer in the fridge that you don't like. Or splurge and try using Guinness! Big, big taste difference. Mix it up with the dry ingredients until it's mixed up. It should be pretty thick. About pancake batter consistency. Add more flour/beer to get correct consistency.

2. Get oil to where it remains at 375 degrees. Depending on how much you want to cook at once, that's how much oil you want to heat up. The oil is good for several fryings, just try to skim any batter/pieces out of the oil when you're done for the day.

3. Get people ready to help you serve and everyone else ready to eat. Have the guy holding the platter salt the food as it comes out. I like having a paper towel on the platter, but some will "dry" the food on a rack. Serve with catsup, tartar sauce, cocktail sauce, or malt vinegar. Have lemons nearby as well.

The peppers are delicious and a surprise in their tangyness. For the fish, you can dredge the fillets in flour before you dip in batter or go straight into the batter. This is why you want the bowl of water (clean off hands).