How it eats
- Flavor: mild. A clean, lightly sweet, ocean flavor with very little oiliness, similar to other small coastal whiting.
- Texture: Raw whiting flesh is soft, slightly translucent, and flaky even before cooking; once cooked it turns tender, fine-flaked, and a touch delicate, so handle it gently to keep the pieces intact.
- Cleaning: Whiting are small and bony, so most folks butterfly them whole rather than pulling two clean fillets. Scale them under cold water, snip the dorsal fins off first, then run a thin knife along the backbone from head to tail and lift the top fillet off, leaving the skeleton attached to the bottom fillet; pull the bottom fillet off, trim the dark belly bloodline, and pull out the few pin bones you can feel with your fingertip. A typical 8 inch whiting yields about 2 small fillets, roughly 2 to 3 oz of meat total.
- Best ways to cook it: Fried, Pan-seared, Grilled, Baked
From the beach to the kitchen
Rinse the fish in the surf, then make a quick cut behind the gills and keep them in a cooler of ice slurry right on the beach so the flesh stays firm. Clean the catch as soon as you get home.
Size and bag limits for whiting are on the Whiting page.
What goes best with whiting
- Lemon: Lemon wedges are the standard squeeze on whiting, brightening every bite.
- Cornmeal: Fine yellow cornmeal is the traditional fry coating for whiting at the beach.
- Butter: Brown butter rounds out the lean, mild flesh without covering it up.
- Old Bay: Old Bay is the classic surf-side seasoning for whole fried whiting.
- Mayonnaise: A mayo binder holds a light cornmeal crust and adds gentle richness.
- Cajun seasoning: A light cajun rub gives the mild meat a little Carolina boardwalk kick.
- Hot sauce: A few dashes of vinegar hot sauce cut through fried whiting like it does for any coastal fry.
- Garlic: Garlic butter or garlic oil is a natural match for lean white flesh.
Have something else in mind? Pick your ingredients and compare every fish.
Recipes
Classic Surf-Side Cornmeal Fried Whiting
Fried | 25 min | Serves 2
Ingredients
- 4 fish, about 1/2 lb each whole butterflied whiting
- 1 cup fine yellow cornmeal
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp Old Bay seasoning
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- about 3 cups peanut or canola oil for frying
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges lemon wedges
Steps
- Pat the butterflied whiting dry with paper towels and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.
- Whisk the egg into the buttermilk in a wide bowl.
- Mix the cornmeal, flour, and Old Bay in a second bowl.
- Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a heavy cast iron skillet to 365 F.
- Dip each fish in the buttermilk, then press firmly into the cornmeal mix so the coating sticks all over.
- Fry 2 fish at a time for about 3 minutes per side, until the crust is deep golden and the flesh flakes at the backbone.
- Drain on a wire rack over a sheet pan, sprinkle with a little extra salt, and serve with lemon wedges.
Tip: Keep the oil at 365 F between batches; too cool and the cornmeal soaks up oil, too hot and the crust browns before the small fish cooks through.
Pan-Seared Whiting with Garlic Lemon Butter
Pan-seared | 20 min | Serves 2
Ingredients
- about 8 oz, 4 small fillets whiting fillets
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2, minced garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp, chopped fresh parsley
- for serving lemon wedges
Steps
- Pat the whiting fillets very dry and season both sides with salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Dredge lightly in flour and shake off the extra.
- Heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a stainless skillet over medium-high until the butter foams.
- Lay the fillets in the pan and cook 2 minutes, until the underside is golden.
- Flip and cook another 1 to 2 minutes, just until the flesh flakes.
- Lower the heat, push the fish to one side, and add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the garlic to the pan.
- Spoon the garlic butter over the fillets for 30 seconds, then squeeze in the lemon juice and scatter parsley.
- Serve right away with lemon wedges and the pan butter spooned over the top.
Tip: Small whiting fillets overcook fast, so pull them as soon as a fork slides through the thickest part.
Grilled Whole Whiting with Cajun Rub
Grilled | 30 min | Serves 2
Ingredients
- 4 fish, about 1/2 lb each whole cleaned whiting
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1, sliced thin lemon
- 1, cut into wedges lime
- 2 tbsp, chopped cilantro
Steps
- Rinse the whole whiting under cold water and pat dry, leaving the skin on.
- Rub the fish all over with olive oil, then season inside and out with cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, salt, garlic powder, and pepper.
- Tuck a couple of lemon slices inside each cavity and let the fish sit for 10 minutes.
- Oil the grill grates well and heat the grill to medium, around 375 F.
- Lay the fish on the grill and cook 4 to 5 minutes per side, turning once carefully with a wide spatula.
- The fish is done when the flesh near the backbone flakes and the skin has nice grill marks.
- Move to a platter, squeeze lime over the top, and scatter cilantro before serving.
Tip: Leave the heads and tails on these small fish; they hold together better on the grill and look great on the platter.
Baked Whiting with Parmesan, Mayo, and Old Bay
Baked | 25 min | Serves 3
Ingredients
- about 12 oz, 6 small fillets whiting fillets
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/4 cup panko
- 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2, juiced lemon
- 1 tbsp, chopped fresh parsley
Steps
- Heat the oven to 400 F and lightly oil a small baking dish.
- Pat the whiting fillets dry and lay them in the dish in a single layer.
- Stir the mayonnaise with the lemon juice and spread a thin layer over the top of each fillet.
- Mix the parmesan, panko, Old Bay, paprika, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
- Sprinkle the parmesan-panko mix evenly over the mayo-coated fillets, pressing lightly so it sticks.
- Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the tops to help the crust brown.
- Bake 12 to 14 minutes, until the crust is golden and the fillets flake easily.
- Top with chopped parsley and serve with extra lemon.
Tip: The mayo layer keeps these lean little fillets from drying out in the hot oven, so do not skip it.
Blackened Whiting Tacos with Mango Jalapeno Salsa
Blackened | 30 min | Serves 3
Ingredients
- about 12 oz, 6 small fillets whiting fillets
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup mango, diced
- 1 jalapeno, minced
- 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
- 6 to 8 small flour or corn tortillas
- to taste hot sauce
Steps
- Mix the paprika, cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper in a small bowl to make the blackening rub.
- Pat the whiting fillets very dry and coat them evenly on both sides with the rub.
- Combine the diced mango, jalapeno, red onion, lime juice, and cilantro in a bowl for the salsa; set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet over high heat until just smoking.
- Lay the fillets in the pan and cook 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side, until a dark crust forms and the flesh just flakes.
- Remove the fish and roughly chop it into bite-size pieces.
- Warm the tortillas, then fill each with a spoonful of chopped whiting, a generous spoon of mango salsa, and a few drops of hot sauce.
- Serve right away while the crust is still crisp.
Tip: Open the kitchen window and turn on the fan; a real blackening sear puts up a lot of smoke, which is part of the flavor.
All recipes | Season, lures and limits for whiting
