Copycat Long John Silver's Fish Recipe

Once upon a time, an order of fish and chips was an exclusive seaside experience. Landlocked states like Kentucky or Colorado didn't have the luxury of fresh fish deliveries, but the visionaries behind restaurants like Long John Silver's changed that. In 1969, the first Long John Silver's opened in Lexington, Kentucky with a goal of making seafood experiences accessible to all. The chain quickly expanded around the country, to the delight of everyone who tried their crispy, batter-dipped fish.

Unfortunately, stories like these don't always have a happy ending. Long John Silver's is struggling; the menu isn't changing with the times, and they've been heavily criticized for serving unhealthy, trans-fat-laden fried food. To their credit, they made some ingredient swaps in the past years, committing to use 100% trans-fat-free soybean oil in 2014 (and later switching to pure canola oil in 2018). They've also added more grilled items to the menu, but it's hard to say if the chain will make it through their troubles.

Does that mean that their deliciously crunchy, diamond-shaped fish will be lost forever? Not if we can help it! We set out to make perfect Long John Silver's fish, and it's just as good — if not better — than the original.

The breading for Long John Silver's fish is what makes the cod taste so good, but it's not actually a breading. Many fried food recipes (like Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets) use a process called dredging, where you dip the food in an egg or milk bath before coating it in seasoned flour. Long John Silver's fish uses a batter, which is a mixture of wet and dry ingredients.

The recipe here is a classic batter for fish and chips. Some recipes contain eggs (and are known as tempura), while others contain beer (you guessed it — beer batter). Long John Silver's contains neither. It gets its light and crispy texture from a combination of two types of flour: all-purpose flour and corn flour. Corn flour is different from cornmeal and corn starch, and you'll likely have to take a trip to the grocery store to get it. It's worth the outing, though; it adds the perfect boost of natural sweetness to the fish.

Finally, there's the cornstarch, baking powder, and baking soda. The cornstarch is an essential ingredient in creating a crispy texture, and it also helps the exterior reach a perfect golden-brown color. The baking powder and baking soda, in conjunction with the soda water, create tiny air bubbles that keep an otherwise heavy fried food tasting light.

Long John Silver's has received some pretty bad press over the years, including the 2013 story that the "Big Catch" is the worst restaurant meal in America. Part of the company's rebranding strategy includes its commitment to sourcing sustainable, wild-caught fish. In 2016, the company's vice president of media, promotions, and marketing told Undercurrent News that they only use 100% wild-caught cod and pollock, which they pull straight out of "the cold water in Alaska." 

If you can, you should follow Long John Silver's lead when shopping for fish for this recipe. Look for fish called "Alaskan cod" or "Pacific cod." If it doesn't specifically say wild-caught on the label, it's not. Wild-caught cod has more nutritional value than farmed cod because they eat a natural diet. It's also considered a sustainable fish by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, so it will not only taste great, but you can feel good about your impact on the environment, too. 

It's time to get cooking! Our first step in preparing Long John Silver's fish is to work with the fish itself. If you bought frozen fish (which was the case for us), you'll want to start by defrosting it. Remove the fish from any plastic or vacuum-sealed packages before thawing. This exposes the fish to oxygen and prevents the growth of bacteria like botulism. Place the fish on a plate and cover it lightly with plastic wrap, and place it in the fridge. After about 12 hours, the fish should be ready to cook. It will be very wet, so you'll want to dry it well with paper towels to help the batter adhere in the later steps.

The serving size of Long John Silver's battered cod is 85 grams per piece, or about three ounces, so you'll need to cut yours down to size. If you don't have a scale, this amount looks like the palm of your hand. You can cut the fish into larger chunks if you like, but it can sink in the fryer if it's too heavy. If it sticks to the bottom of the pan, it won't have a perfect breading, and clean-up will become that much more annoying. It's really difficult to get the cod into triangle-shaped pieces. Maybe it's easier if you buy pollock, but our cod wanted to naturally separate into long strips, so we went with it. Don't stress it too much; the fish will taste great, even if it's the wrong shape.

We know that Long John Silver's probably prepares their batter in the morning and uses it all day long, but homemade fish and chips really taste best with fresh batter. According to Epicurious, tempura batter is best when it's prepared just before frying. Making it ahead of time can make the fish breading heavy. Since Long John Silver's fried fish is light and crispy, we wanted to do everything we could to replicate it.

Grab a medium-sized bowl and mix together all the dry ingredients. Once they're well combined, grab a whisk and get ready to add the club soda. As soon as you start pouring it in, it will react with the dry mix, foaming up and creating large bubbles, so you'll want to stir as you go to prevent it from overflowing over the side of the bowl. Gently mix until all the dry ingredients are moistened by the soda. Don't try to mix the batter until it's smooth — it's okay if there are a few clumps — because overmixing can make the batter heavy.

When the fish is golden brown on all sides, it's almost ready to eat. The only step that remains is to transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate. When the fish is finished cooking, it's coated in excessive amounts of oil from the fryer. The easiest way to blot off the extra oil is to let the fish drain for a minute or two on a plate lined with paper towels. Sprinkle the fish with kosher salt to add a little extra seasoning to your Long John Silver's fish.

If you need to fry a second batch of fish, we recommend swapping in a baking sheet lined with an oven-safe rack instead of the paper towels. As the fish sit on a plate, the bottom of the breading can become a little soggy. Elevating the fish onto a rack is a great way to keep airflow underneath the fish, keeping it as crispy as possible. If you are frying multiple batches of fish, you can also hot-hold the fish in a 200 degree Fahrenheit oven for up to ten minutes.