Today's Case:
Howard Johnson's Fried Flounder Copycat
Re: Howard Johnson's Fried Flounder
From: Denise
To: Phaedrus
Date: 10/17/2025, 3:43 PM
On 10/17/2025 3:03 PM, Denise wrote:
Howard Johnson's Fried Flounder recipe please.Or a close facsimile.
Hello Denise,
I had no success finding HoJo's fried flounder recipe or a copycat or even a tastes-like. I can't recommend a "tastes-like" myself, because I never had Hojo's fried flounder, only the fried clams.
I have been experimenting lately with "ChatGPT," the online AI. Chat GPT could not find the recipe or a tastes-like, either, but the AI is quite creative and when I ask it to do so, it tries to create a copycat or tastes-like from descriptions of the dish or based on other dishes from the same restaurant that are similar. It gives no guarantees, nor do I, but since there does not appear to be any other choice, perhaps you'd like to try the tastes-like fried flounder recipe that it created based on the HoJo's fried clam batter. You'll have to try it in order to see how close it is. It's worth a try, I think. See below.
I will post this for reader input.
Phaed
While the original recipe for Howard Johnson's fried flounder is not publicly available,
it was famous for its all-you-can-eat fish fries on Fridays and certain weeknights.
Based on accounts of the restaurant's famous fried clams, which used a combination
of cake flour and yellow cornmeal, you can create a similar crispy and nostalgic fried
fish at home.
Ingredients:
1 pound flounder fillets
1 cup cake flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk or evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
Vegetable oil, for frying
Lemon wedges and tartar sauce, for serving
Instructions:
Prepare the fish. Gently pat the flounder fillets dry with a paper towel.
Mix the wet ingredients. In a shallow dish, whisk together the beaten eggs
and milk.
Combine the dry ingredients. In a separate shallow dish, mix the cake flour,
yellow cornmeal, salt, and pepper.
Heat the oil. Pour about 1 inch of vegetable oil into a deep, heavy skillet or
a deep fryer. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 365°F.
Dredge the fish. Dip each fillet into the wet mixture, letting any excess drip off.
Then, dredge the fillet in the dry flour and cornmeal mixture, pressing gently
to ensure a thorough coating.
Fry the fish. Carefully place one or two fillets into the hot oil, taking care not
to overcrowd the pan.
Cook until golden. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until the fillets are golden
brown and cooked through. The exact cooking time will vary based on the
thickness of the fish.
Drain and season. Use tongs to remove the fried flounder from the pan.
Place the fish on a paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess oil.
Serve immediately. Serve the fried flounder hot with fresh lemon wedges and
tartar sauce, just like HoJo's would have.
If you try the recipe below, please let me know how close it is to HoJo's Fried Flounder.
