Top 10 Fish Batters and Seasonings

Our top picks for the best fish-friendly batters and seasonings.

By Chelsie Walters and Jessyca Sortillon

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With so many fish batters and seasonings out there, it can be difficult to find the best. Our team surveyed anglers and chefs, tested different seasoning blends and batter mixes in our kitchens, and scoured the internet to come up with our favorite top 10 fish batters and seasonings. You'll certainly want to keep these fish batters and seasonings stocked in your spice pantry.

Primal Palate Seafood Seasoning

Primal Palate's Seafood Seasoning is not only beautifully packaged, but also incredibly versatile. Chock-full of citrus flavor and tasty green ingredients, this seasoning combines lemon peel, chives, parsley, bay leaves and more for a well-balanced mixture that complements all types of seafood.

We've also been told this particular seasoning blend was AMAZING on shrimp. We decided to test that theory by cooking up a few pounds of shrimp with the Seafood Seasoning and bringing it to work. When all of us in the office popped the seasoned-shrimp into our mouths, we were wowed by the flavor!

This blend pairs up nicely with any shellfish and we can confirm it's crazy good on shrimp, but we're also confident it tastes great on any seafood dish. The sky is the limit with this seasoning, so experiment by adding Primal Palate's Seafood Seasoning to your lobster, fish-and-chips, salmon and more.

Try using Primal Palate's seasoning blend in this

Quick and Easy Salmon Cakes Recipe

Retail: $9.95 | Contact: Primal Palate

Hi Mountain Gourmet Fish Western Style Seasoning

When you want to bring the flavors of the Wild West to your freshwater or saltwater catch, reach for a bottle of Hi Mountain Gourmet Fish Western Style Seasoning. Spices, like black pepper, mustard, basil and thyme are perfectly blended with Parmesan cheese, onion, sherry wine powder and other ingredients to create a savory seasoning for all types of fish. The sherry wine adds a slightly sweet and almost smoky flavor to the seasoning blend -- and it tastes wonderful.

The robust flavors in this Hi Mountain fish seasoning are the perfect addition to any fish dish, but we suggest trying it on mountain stream trout. Dredge whole trout in a mixture of Gourmet Fish Western Style Seasoning and flour before pan frying the trout over a campfire. Pair it with a frosty cold one, or enjoy for breakfast with smoked country-style bacon and a hot cup of black coffee before sunrise.

Retail: $3.99 | Contact: Hi Mountain Seasonings

Frontier Organic Cajun Seasoning Blend

With Frontier Organic Cajun Seasoning Blend, you can add some southern pizazz to your under-the-sea cuisine. If you're unfamiliar with this aromatic spice and the company behind it, it'sÂ about time you get acquainted.

Frontier Co-op began as a two-person operation in a small Iowan river cabin in the mid-1970's. Since then, it has vastly expanded to a large corporation offering a variety of products, including seasonings, teas, personal care products, and more. They are constantly giving back to the community, and they do what they do very well.

The blend of organic spices in their Cajun seasoning will kick just about any seafood dish up a notch and transform fish into a meal that will excite your taste buds. This extraordinary mix of spices famously pairs with shrimp and crawfish. Mix this seasoning into a traditional seafood gumbo and you'll feel like you're smack in the heart of New Orleans.

Try these recipes using Frontier Co-op seasoning blends:

Blackened Shrimp Skewers Recipe

Seafood and Sausage Gumbo Recipe

Blackened Catfish Sandwich with Spicy Asian Slaw Recipe

Retail: $9.95 | Contact: Frontier Co-op

OLD BAY Seasoning

Great on seafood (and everything else), OLD BAY is a classic all-purpose seasoning that won't let you down. It's been a kitchen staple in homes for over 75 years, and for good reason – it tastes delicious on just about everything. The original seasoning blend of 18 herbs and spices works well with fish fillets, chowders, boiled crab, baked potatoes, you name it.

One of our favorite ways to use OLD BAY (besides in a Bloody Mary, of course) is in breading for deep-fried catfish. To make this Southern favorite, soak trimmed catfish fillets in buttermilk, coat them in a cornmeal mixture seasoned with OLD BAY, and then fry until golden and delicious. Round out this delicious dish with a side of hushpuppies and corn on the cob.

Try these recipes using OLD BAY seasoning:

Southern Fried Catfish Recipe

Grilled Swordfish Loco with Fresh Mango Salsa Recipe

OLD BAY Crab Breakfast Casserole Recipe

Retail: $3.64 | Contact: McCormick & Company, Inc.

Aunt Sally's Classic New Orleans Blackening Seasoning

In 1935, Aunt Sally's began selling sweet pralines in a French Creole community of New Orleans. Since then, they have expanded their product offerings to include even more southern staples, such as hot sauce and, you guessed it -- seasonings!

If you enjoy some good Cajun cookin', we highly recommend cooking with Aunt Sally's authentic Blackening Seasoning. The blackened fish craze began its roots in New Orleans and believe us when we say, this company has perfected the seasoning for it.

To create a blackened fish dish to the height of its potential, first dredge your fillets in melted butter and then cover them with Aunt Sally's Gourmet Classic New Orleans Blackening Seasoning. Place the seasoned fish in a smokin' hot cast-iron skillet and watch starry-eyed as your fillets sizzle and start to blacken. Try this delicious blackened fish recipe from FloridaSportsman.com using Aunt Sally's and you won't be disappointed.

Retail: $3.99 | Contact: Aunt Sally's

Andy's Fish Breading: Red, Yellow, Cajun

Breading seafood is not always as easy as it looks. The crumbs often refuse to hold to the moist texture of the fish, leaving you with cooked fish and a side of crisp breadcrumbs. If you've experienced this breading dilemma, try Andy's quality fish breadings. They are seasoned to perfection and simple to use.

Andy's offers different breading mixes for specific types of seafood, so from red- to white-fleshed fish, they've got whatever it is you're looking for. Since the mix is pre-seasoned, it makes cooking breaded fish a breeze. Simply add your fillets to a large zip-top bag, pour in the contents of your Andy's bag, shake it up, then bake or fry for a mouthwatering entree.

Put the Red Fish Breading on your salmon, snapper or shrimp and you'll be considered the real breadwinner of the family (pun intended). The Hungarian paprika is the star of this mix, giving your fish a peppery kick.

The Yellow Fish Breading is a traditional cornmeal concoction that complements an array of different fish species and allows your catch's natural flavors to stand out. We recommend covering a mild fish, such as tilapia, with this mix and then broiling it until the natural beige-yellow color turns into a golden brown.

If you like your fish batter on the spicy side, try Andy's Cajun Fish Breading. You just can't beat the Southern heat in this breading mix! What we like most about this breading, similar to all of Andy's breadings and batters, is that there is no thinking involved. All you have to do is coat your seafood in this full-of-flavor blend, and you've got yourself a Cajun creation.

Retail: Varies | Contact: Andy's Seasonings

We tried three of their top seasoning blends: Seafood, Toasted Sesame Ginger, and Zesty Lemon Herb. All three were delicious, but if we could only pick one of Victoria Taylor's seasonings to keep stocked in our spice pantry, it would be Toasted Sesame Ginger. It features an Asian-inspired mix of sesame seeds, ginger, garlic, sea salt, red pepper and toasted sesame oil.

The Toasted Sesame Ginger adds a distinctive nutty taste and texture to fish recipes, which makes it ideal for stir-fry dishes. So pull out the wok, open a bottle of sake and mix this seasoning into some stir-fried fish and vegetables for out-of-this-world flavor. Make sure to try this blend on sesame crusted tuna and salmon steaks too -- it's so tasty!

Retail: $3.99 | Contact: Victoria Gourmet

Shore Lunch Fish Breading/Batter Mix, Original Recipe

Recognized by many as one of the best fish breading mixes of all time, adding Shore Lunch's Original Recipe Fish Breading/Batter Mix to our roundup was a no-brainer. It's one of the tastiest batters and unlike other mixes, is not heavy or gritty.

This original recipe lets you choose whether you'd prefer to batter your fish or bread it, so you don't have to make that complex chef's decision ahead of time.

To pan fry fish using Shore Lunch, moisten fish fillets in beaten eggs and then dredge in batter mix. Be sure to coat all sides of the fish fillets in the dry mix. Then fry each coated fillet in preheated oil for 2-3 minutes. Fish fillets will easily flake with a fork when ready.

Retail: $3.99 | Contact: Shore Lunch

Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning

Another versatile fish seasoning we love is Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning. Use it to enhance the flavor of fish, gumbo, vegetables, soup, whatever you'd like. You can literally use this seasoning on almost anything you'd add table salt to.

This Original Creole Seasoning will add flavor to your fish dishes with a slight kick (that's not too spicy).

Try cooking up a jambalaya with andouille sausage and shrimp or a shellfish gumbo with this Tony Chachere blend, and you'll feel like you're sitting at a restaurant's patio in NOLA in the middle of Mardi Gras!

Retail: $5.85 (3 pack) | Contact: Tony Chachere's

DIY Quick and Crispy Fish Batter

While it often seems easier and more convenient to use a pre-packaged batter mix, have you tried making your own? We found a fish batter recipe that's simple to make and the results are heavenly.

The fish batter was a breeze to whip up and made really tasty fish n' chips. We used cod, but this recipe would be great on other fish too, like halibut, walleye, or sauger. The batter is so crisp and light.

So instead of grabbing that box of fish batter mix from your local grocer, try making this recipe for Quick and Crispy Fish Batter -- you'll be glad you did.

Serves: 4
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients: