Chef Katie Cox opened Rosemary & Roux in October 2019, her first brick and mortar spot after being an onsite caterer for a decade. She’s frying up fish platters for $10.99, crispy gulf fish paired with hand cut fries and a marinated cucumber, tomato, and red onion salad. If her gumbo is on the menu, order it — it’s three days in the making and loaded with smoked turkey, chicken, and sausage.

Chef Ron’s is known for gumbo and rightly so, it’s award winning and downhome cooking. But his fried fish is also great, crispy catfish served with a choice of sides for $16.99. Tough choice since options include red beans, jambalaya, mustard greens, and cheesy mac.

If it’s Fridays at The Larder, it’s fried fresh catch family meal day. The cool gourmet market and eatery, opened by chefs Alison Vega-Knoll and Chris Wilson a few months back, is offering a daily family meal to feed three to four people, with prices between $50 and $100. The Friday menu is $60 for pecan crusted catfish, roasted sweet potatoes, haricot verts, with shrimp and mirliton soup to start and lemon bars for the finale. 

Chef Alon Shaya and his team at Saba deliver bright Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavors in every bite. Fridays it’s a whole fried local fish ($52) served with confit tomatoes and fresh herb salad. Order to-go or eat in, there’s a lovely sidewalk open air cafe available.

With a menu that stretches from the low country to Cajun country, Brown Butter marries tradition with the chefs’ modern takes on homestyle Southern cuisine. Fridays feature a mustard fried fish ($16) with hand cut fries, green chili hushpuppies, black eyed pea salad, and pecan cane slaw.

Maybe the smoked fish dip to start?

When the smoke clears at Blue Oak on Fridays, order up a Southern style fried catfish sammy dressed with tartar sauce, pickles, pickled onions, lettuce, and fresh dill for $15. If you’re eating meat, start with the loaded BBQ nachos — outstanding.

Polly Watts runs a welcoming pub and eatery that’s been in her family for decades. Order Avenue’s beer battered codfish and chips on Fridays for $13, served with house made fries and cucumber salad. Another special is her Cajun “lobster” roll, made with smoked shrimp tossed in a Cajun spiced cream cheese dressing and served on a warm buttered roll, split at the top, naturally.

Lula, the first restaurant and distillery in the state, offers plates of crispy fried gulf fish ($22) with

with Israeli couscous, seasonal grilled veggies, with a drizzle of lemon beurre blanc studded with fried capers. The restaurant’s smart menu offers lots of creative takes on the usual — cheesy crawfish queso with smoked poblanos served with wonton chips is a case in point.

Carmo has pivoted successfully for the past year, offering curbside to go since the pandemic first hit. Now with dine-in, outside seating, pickup and delivery as options, this tropical oasis of healthful options and global flavors is serving fresh fried beer and cider battered gulf fish with fried onions and house-cut potatoes, $19.

Of course they’re frying up red fish at the Red Fish Grille, served with crawfish mac and cheese, butter-braised green beans, and pickled mirliton remoulade for $26 — or $21 for same with catfish. Order online and pick up behind sister restaurant Ralph’s on the Park on Dumaine Street.

Peche does seafood right and Friday fish fry is no exception. Dinner for four ($80) includes a whole fried fish, served with brabant potatoes and kumquat slaw. Order online or by phone in advance to be on the safe side. The fish changes weekly, and might be redfish, flounder or snapper.

The Royal Sonesta’s Desire Oyster Bar on Bourbon turns it up to 11 with crazy Cajun catfish every Friday for $26. The marinated fish is blackened and then cornmeal crusted and deep fried, served over a bed of bacon cheddar grits. It’s all topped with crawfish etouffee, Southern greens on the side.

The welcome pairing of fried gulf shrimp and thin crispy catfish is a winner at Legacy Kitchen Craft Tavern on Tchoup. The $26 platter includes a mound of fries and toasted garlic bread a small house salad on the side. Brunch is served at this homey spot every day until noon and beignets are on the menu all day, every day.