Ivar's Copycat Fried Cod

Three pieces of fried cod on a metal plate.

4.96 from 68 votes

Ivar's Copycat Fried Cod is close, really close to what you get at Seattle's famous seafood restaurant. I don't think there's anything better than what you find at Ivar's, but this recipe comes in handy between visits to the Seattle waterfront. Serve with Easy Homemade Tartar Sauce and Homemade Fry Sauce with a side of Sweet Corn Pasta Salad or Mixed Bean Salad for a great flavor combination.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 581kcal

Author: Melinda O'Malley Keckler

Ingredients

3 pounds fresh or frozen cod defrosted
1 ⅓ cups seafood breading mix use your favorite variety of seasoned fish fry breading mix
1 sleeve of saltine crackers about 38-40 crackers, crushed fine
1 tablespoon rice flour
2 eggs whisked
1 cup vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

Prepare

Cut cod into serving-sized chunks. Drain very well and squeeze the cod gently using paper towels to remove as much water/liquid as possible, especially if the fish was frozen. This is an important step to keep the breading on the cod while it fries in the hot oil.

Breading

Place saltine crackers in a plastic zip top bag and using a rolling pin, crush the crackers into very fine crumbs. Combine cracker crumbs with the rice flour and seafood breading mix on a plate or in a dish and set aside.
In another dish whisk 2 eggs. Place each piece of cod in the eggs and coat thoroughly then place the egg-coated piece of cod in the dish with breading mix and cracker crumbs and roll to coat.
Bread all of the cod before you start frying and place on a large baking sheet or tray. I usually place the breaded cod in the refrigerator for a few minutes while I wait for the oil to heat up in the skillet.

Fry

Heat oil in a heavy-duty, cast iron pan. When the oil shimmers, add fish and cook for 3-5 minutes, turning once. Serve immediately with lemon wedges and tarter sauce.

Notes

Use whichever brand of seasoned fish fry breading your family enjoys the most. The secret to the cod turning out crispy and distinctively crunchy, like at Ivar's, is the finely crushed saltine crackers and rice flour. Serve with Crockpot Clam Chowder for a great seafood meal! Old Fashioned Salmon Patties are another great seafood recipe I think you'll love. The nutritional information below assumes each cod fillet was coated with about 1 tablespoon of seafood breading mix.

Nutrition