CA Southern Fish Fry Picnic Basket

Bring the taste of the South to your menu with our Fish Fry Picnic Basket—a comfort classic reimagined. At the heart of this indulgent build are our fully cooked, MSC-certified wild- caught pollock strips, coated in a golden panko crust for irresistible crunch and effortless back-of-house execution. These one- to two-bite portions are perfect for dipping and sharing, served alongside scratch-made hush puppy fries, a drizzle of sweet and spicy hot honey, and cool buttermilk dill ranch. Add sweet tea–brined pickles for a refreshing twist, and you’ve got a basket that’s big on flavor, easy to execute, and guaranteed to keep guests coming back for more.

Serves: 4

Prep time: 45 minutes

Cook time: 2.5-10 minutes

Ingredients

Preparation

12 ea Panko Breaded Pollock Strips

For the Hush Puppy Fries

270 mL Quick Cooking Polenta
950 mL Water
15 g White Sugar
15 g Kosher Salt
60 mL Olive Oil
12 g Kosher Salt
10 g Ground Black Pepper

For the Hot Honey Drizzle

120 mL Honey
15 mL Tabasco Sauce
15 mL Cider Vinegar

For the Buttermilk Herb Ranch

2 ea Dill Pickles, chopped
60 mL Mayo
60 mL Sour Cream
60 mL Buttermilk
10 mL Pickle Juice
6 g Garlic Powder
1 g Dried Dill
1.5 g Kosher Salt
1.5 g Ground Black Pepper

For the Sweet Tea Pickles

175 mL Sweet Tea
120 mL Distilled White Vinegar
30 mL Honey
4 g Celery Seed
120 mL Banana Pepper Brine (Pepper Brine)
2 ea Cucumber, sliced

Tips from the chef: Culinary Creativity- Think shareable and snackable. These strips are ideal for creating craveable appetizer boards or sampler baskets. Pair them with a trio of dipping sauces—like smoky chipotle aioli, tangy Carolina mustard, and classic buttermilk ranch—for a customizable experience. Or go upscale with a Southern tapas concept, featuring hush puppy bites, pickled veggies, and hot honey drizzle for a modern twist on comfort food. Operational Convenience- Menu versatility made simple. Fully cooked and portioned at about 1 oz each, these strips deliver consistent sizing for wraps, sliders, or shareable baskets. They cook quickly from frozen, reducing ticket times and labor while maintaining quality. Perfect for high-volume kitchens or limited-staff operations during peak hours. Profitable Menus- Capitalize on trending formats: Use these strips to build loaded fry bowls, fish tacos, or shareable grazing platters—all high-margin, social-media- friendly options. Their size makes them perfect for portion control and upselling with premium add-ons like scratch-made sauces or seasonal sides.

Prepare the Panko Breaded Pollock Strips according to the package instructions.
In a medium sized pot bring the water to a simmer. Slowly whisk in the polenta, sugar and 1 tbsp kosher salt. Whisk constantly for approximately 3-5 minutes until thickened. Line a square baking dish with parchment paper. Add the finished polenta and smooth out fully. Place into a freezer for 1 hour until set.
Remove the set up polenta from the freezer and cut into thin fry shapes. Toss with additional olive oil, salt and pepper. Transfer the "fries" to a baking sheet and bake at 425℉ for 15-20 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.
Whisk together the honey, tabasco and cider vinegar. Reserve until ready for use.
Mix the mayo, sour cream, buttermilk, pickle juice, chopped fresh dill (or 1 tsp dried dill), garlic powder, and salt and pepper, together with a fork or whisk in a small bowl. Stir in the chopped dill pickles. Makes 5 x 1.5-2oz portions.
Whisk the sweet tea, vinegar, honey, celery seed and banana pepper brine together. Pour over the sliced cucumbers and allow to marinate overnight, or at least 2-3 hours.
Serve the fish strips and hush puppy fries together in a large pile. Drizzle liberally with hot honey and buttermilk herb ranch. Serve with a generous amount of sweet tea pickles on the side as well.