7 Great Fish Fryers to Consider for Backyard Cookouts

If you enjoy frying up a big batch of fish for a hungry crowd on your backyard deck or patio, keep these fryers in mind.

July 13, 2021 By Lynn Burkhead

Here are seven fish fryer possibilities that can help you turn your next backyard gathering into a piscatorial protein packed meal that will have your guests talking for months.

Best of all, buying one of these fish cookers gives you the perfect excuse to go fishing again.

Bass Pro Shops 18-Quart Fish Fryer

Looking for a dependable double-basket fish fryer that will serve up great food and not break the bank? Then look no farther than this 18-quart Fish Fryer from Bass Pro Shops.

Coming with two removable fish baskets that fit in the large 18-quart aluminum pot, the cooker's sizable pot has two heavy-duty handles that allow for easy handling as you cook up fish, wings, or even a small turkey breast or two.

Working off of a 20-gallon propane tank and a 58,000 BTU burner, this fish cooker can get your cooking session up to speed quickly before your guests arrive. And with a heavy-duty fully welded stand, a CSA-approved regulator hose, and a 5-inch deep fry thermometer, the only thing that you'll need to supply is the propane tank, the oil, and the fish.

Then you're on your way to an amazing evening meal under the gathering stars...just don't forget the tartar sauce.

$69.99 | basspro.com

Bayou Classic Cast Iron Deep Fryer Kit

Cast iron is cooking royalty across the southern U.S. where so many backyard fish fry events take place each year. So much so that a good piece of cast iron is heirloom material, passed down from one generation of the family to the next.

That's the kind of cooking potential you're inheriting when you purchase a Bayou Classic Cast Iron Deep Fryer Cooking Kit, one that comes with a propane cooking unit, an aluminum basket to fry up your piscatorial protein, and a big cast iron pot that is easily among the best-looking fish cookers on the market.

Sitting on a sturdy and stable tripod-style stand and featuring 360 degrees of windscreen protection, the cooker’s high-pressure regulator, stainless-steel hose, and high-pressure burner all deliver plenty of heat potential to get the 8.5-quart cast-iron Dutch oven heating up. When that cast iron gets to cooking, the end result is that the rolling bath of hot oil will work its savory magic, turning your breaded or battered fish filets into a meal that won’t soon be forgotten.

When the family fish fry is over, odds are there won't be any leftovers. But there just might be an interesting discussion among the kids and grandkids about who gets the cast-iron fish fryer passed down.

$138.99 | bayouclassicdepot.com

Using a 1.750W immersed heating element, this Cabela’s fish fryer heats up to 3 liters of oil to cooking temps rather quickly. And with an easy-to-use dial that controls the temperature and an indicator that tells you when cooking temps have been achieved, you’ll be turning bluegill, crappie, or walleye filets into a meal in no time at all.

With an aluminum cooking bin, a metal basket with a folding handle, and a lid to cover the oil when the fryer is not in use, this is a space-friendly cooker that works in the backyard and beyond.

So, if your dinner plans are out back or on the road at a tailgate party, a turkey hunt at your cabin, or even at a state park after a hunt for morel mushrooms, you’ll be in business at the end of the day no matter where the sunset happens to find you.

$49.99 | cabelas.com

Cajun Fryer FF2R

If you're looking for a moderate-sized fish fryer that can still deliver up a lot of cooking potential, look no farther than the Cajun Fryer FF2R, a double-basket fryer made by R&V Works in Louisiana.

Powered by liquid propane, the two 11-inch baskets can fry up enough fish, hushpuppies, and french fries to feed up to 30 people per hour. Standing 23 inches tall and 26 inches deep and 13 inches wide, this cooker has an oil capacity of four gallons of frying oil, which heats up quickly thanks to the fryer's 90,000 BTU heat potential.

A backyard-ready fryer that can win the weekend dinner party game, the Cajun Fryer FF2R is perfect for cookouts on the back deck where space is at a premium, at a tailgate party this fall, or even at your fishing camp this spring and summer. With a built in 2 1/2-inch thermometer, you can easily monitor the oil temperature as you keep frying up fish at your dinner gathering. Afterward, you can rely on the unit’s solid carbon steel construction and temp charcoal gray finish to give you years of durability and dependable service.

One of the more unique features of Cajun Fryer units is the Burner Flue Hovering, a company feature that is positioned in the cooking vat so that excess batter and/or breading will fall to the bottom of the fryer when the oil is cooler. Why is that important? Because it keeps the oil from being scorched and ruined by excess sediment in the cooking zone, something that can help you reduce oil usage by up to 70 percent.

$333.33 | cajunfryer.com

Cajun Fryer FF2R ST4

Want the Cajun Fryer mentioned above, just in a more moving friendly package?

Then upgrade to the Cajun Fryer FF2R ST4, a unit on a stand with 8-inch solid rubber wheels and you’re in business. With this cooker, you’ll be able to move the fryer easily from the garage or storage shed to your backyard patio or deck prior to your guests arriving and then back again when everyone is gone.

The cooker does all the things that the non-stand unit referenced above does, including the ability to fry enough fish, hushpuppies, and fries to feed 25 to 30 guests in an hour. You can also fry up a small turkey breast if you want that kind of Cajun goodness on the menu. But with this Cajun Fryer, you’re in total control of cooking up a tasty meal, be it fish or fowl.

$424 | cajunfryer.com

King Kooker 24

A staple for backyard chefs across the southern U.S., the King Kooker 24 is pure fish frying royalty when it comes to backyard events. Known for its unique shape and sleek profile, this fish-frying unit fits readily into a corner of a garage or shop when not in use.

Standing at 24 inches, this cooking unit uses a propane tank and a high-pressure 54,000 BTU cast burner to get the job done. With an adjustable CSA Design Type 1 regulator connection and a recessed top ring and large bottom ring, safety and stability is a hallmark of this King Kooker unit.

Don't let the smaller profile of this punched aluminum pot fool you either since this cooker still delivers up big time ability to fry up sizable quantities of fish, hushpuppies, fries, and more thanks to its 10-quart size.

No matter whether you’re frying up bluegills, crappie, fries, onion rings, morel mushrooms, or even chicken wings, you’ll be in complete charge of your backyard kingdom this spring and summer if you’re using a King Kooker 24.

$96.97 | kingkooker.com

Masterbuilt Propane Fryer

You might think of Masterbuilt as a maker of premium smokers and grills, and you'd be right. But Masterbuilt also makes a mean propane fryer that is perfect for frying up fish, a turkey, or even boiling up a load of crawfish.

With a thermostat valve that controls your cooking temperature with good precision between 200 and 400 degrees, the Masterbuilt fryer has push-button ignition to start the cooking process as well as a drain valve that makes for quick and easy cleanup when it's time to change the oil or drain the water.

Able to fry a good bunch of fish, fries, onion rings, hushpuppies, and even a 20-pound gobbler, the propane fryer comes with a large basket for a turkey and two half-size baskets that can cook multiple foods at once.

Two features that will make a difference for many backyard chefs is the Type 1 regulator that comes with a fuel-level gauge, something that comes in handy since it tells you how much propane is left in your tank before your backyard dinner party guests arrive for the evening.

And with the unit's built-in legs, you've got easy access to your food as it cooks, preventing a backache later on as the stars come out and your backyard guests linger around the firepit, enjoying desert, a cup of coffee, and a lot of springtime and early summer laughter as the sun fades away and the fireflies come out.

$349.99 | masterbuilt.com