Sounds like it's overcooked to me. It also depends in part on what kind of fish it is - some can take longer cooking than others. Sole and flounder can only be cooked briefly before falling apart. Tonight I baked some salmon, and it took longer than I expected because I did not take it out of the fridge before cooking it, and so it was very cold when it went into the oven. For salmon, I like to bake it until it reaches about 140°, and this normally takes 20 minutes, if the fish is room temperature, this this took more like 40 minutes, and it was not that thick.

It is a thick, white fish. Flounder, Cod? 1/2" to 3/4" thick fillets. I wonder if I confused them when I wanted the fries well done.

So, over cooking can make it mushy. Maybe next time I will bring it back.

Some fish is just mushy...lacks texture they say....sole can be like that and flounder. Cod and blue fish never. Over cooked fish gets dry and tough, not mushy

Sole and flounder are thin fish and I never order them fried. Salmon is a fatty fish - I roasted salmon tonight in a teriyaki sauce at 400F for about 25 minutes. It was delectable. Thick, white fish could be cod or haddock or halibut - but I've never had it mushy. My husband fishes in Cape Cod bay and usually comes home with striped bass, which is also a firm fleshed white fish.

Fish can be expensive. Depending on the store, some owners may not want to throw away unsold fish. So they may use not so fresh fish for frying.

Or, they may re-fry unsold yesterday's fried fish.

dcarch

I have it rarely but on our road trip North we do stop at an excellent fish joint place in Masstown Canada. The tail end of a large fillet can be a bit on the soft side and most places use that for fish cakes as I do as well. Or pan seared or baked/broiled. Fish and Chips is best eaten freshly fried so anytime traveling to home can cause it to get a bit mushy or undercooked the batter will make it a bit soggy/soft.

A firm fleshed fish is best for frying so maybe they substituted another less firm fish being out of the other? Something you are not used to. I would ask them next time what they use. Should be Halibut or Cod in the NorthEast.

^or as dcarch says,... not so fresh. Unlikely if it is a well known place and popular. But who knows how some might cut corners and buy from an unsavory supplier.

Eat it raw and you know for sure.

With freshwater fish, I know that the same species of fish caught in the heat of the summer have a softer texture than fish that are caught in the spring and out of cold water.

Most likely cod but they are closed today. I will have to ask tomorrow.

Many good suggestions but I will discount ones that suggest old or poor quality fish because they have a fast turn over for the fried meals along with the selections of fresh fish. The fried menu it is very limited. The rest of the store is very good quality fish with clams, oysters, and many tanks of lobsters. They also deliver to local stores and restaurants.

So far, I am figuring it all boils (NPI) to time cooked. So, it is over or under cooked?
Most of the time, the fish is very light and flaky with an excellent copating. This last time, it wasn't.

Not all fish is good for frying

-i'm guessing it's battered, you need thick fillets like a cod loin.

I agree, it was probably overcooked. I have had mushy cod and the last time I had a cod loin it was actually tough, as in leathery, very odd, and I had not overbaked it. I didn't eat it.

We have one of those little waterside fish joints here, where they batter dip and fry the fish while you wait. I've never gotten bad fish there, it's always wonderful and there's always a line out the door and into the parking lot.. But, I saw last year they have batter dipped and fried salmon, which I've never ventured to try (I always go for lake perch or walleye). Does anyone really fry salmon?

Annie

I've never fried salmon in the normal sense, but I do make salmon patties that I sauté. Sometimes I make those with raw salmon (using Marilyn's recipe) and sometimes I use cooked salmon, but I normally make a salad with leftover cooked salmon. I've never fried batter-dipped salmon - I think that is a waste of good salmon, which is normally fairly expensive, except perhaps in August.

My favorite fish for batter-dipped frying is halibut, but I also like catfish and red snapper. Normally I grill red snapper, and I make blackened catfish in a large quantity of butter with Cajun seasoning.

I agree with Lars that battering and frying is a waste of good salmon. I cooked salmon last night for our dinner. It was 16.99/lb. I used a pineapple teriyaki glaze and roasted it in a high heat oven. It was yummy.

They probably fry the salmon because there's demand for it. If people want to eat it, they'll make it, right?

I like teriyaki glaze on salmon, but last night I baked it with capers, lemon, pepper, dill, and butter on top, and I covered the pan with foil, and so it cannot possibly dry out. I added a bit more lemon juice before serving. Salmon is one of my favorite things to grill outdoors, however, as the fat in the salmon absorbs the smoke flavor well, unlike swordfish, which does not absorb it at all, and so I cook swordfish indoors.

So, what is the texture of overcooked salmon?

Any over cooked fish is tough not mushy...like any over cooked lean meat ( yes I know salmon and blue fish are not lean....but they get tough when over cooked) i have been told that some farm raised fish can be mushy....as in an individual fish in a batch. The word I was told that fish without exercise...as in fighting a current or swimming can be mushy, and a farm raised fish sometimes just sits in the corner of the pen and eats....a desirable thing for a heifer but not a fish.

I guess there may be no real explanation other than the special situations mentioned. None of which seemed to fit my special case and maybe that is all it is.

I guess that I will just have to bring it to their attention should it happen again.

I know next to nothing about cooking fish, but thinking about frying...might the fish have been wet before it went into batter and the fryer? Could that make it mushy? I'm thinking about like if it were coming off ice or something and some stuck...

Overcooked fish is tough only if you allow it to dry out. If it is baked in a sealed pan, it will not become tough. If you reheat it, it can become tough, but I've never had fish that was tough that was not cooked improperly. When I grill swordfish, I cook it on a grill pan indoors and keep it covered. Sometimes I add mushrooms to increase the moisture so that it will also steam while it is grilling, and sometimes I just add a small amount of water to the grill pan.

If you overbake fish in a sealed pan, it becomes mushy, not tough.

Hmmm, seems like whenever I'm served undercooked fish (baked or fried) it's mushy, whereas I find overcooked to be rather tough and dry.

" seems like whenever I'm served undercooked fish (baked or fried) it's mushy,"

I believe this is exactly the answer I wanted.
Thanks.

I really don't think cooking time has anything to do with the mushiness of fish. Undercooked fish (to the degree there is such a thing - I like sushi) isn't mushy, it just isn't fully cooked. Raw fish isn't inherently mushy at all. Some fish just inherently has a softer texture than other fish.

The oil temp. plays a huge role in the crispiness or mushiness of the fish.

I saw salmon tempura on a menu today. Sounds odd. Deep fried salmon must be a thing...