If You're From Wisconsin...

You know what Friday nights are for. Friday fish fry in Wisconsin didn’t start as a restaurant tradition. It started at home.

For much of the 19th and early 20th centuries, many Catholic families in Wisconsin observed meatless Fridays. Fish was the obvious answer. The state sits between Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, and thousands of inland lakes, which meant perch, walleye, bluegill, and northern pike were available locally and often seasonally. What families caught or bought during the week showed up on the table Friday night.

As towns grew and taverns became gathering places, fish fry moved out of the house. By the early to mid-1900s, supper clubs, corner bars, church halls, and VFW posts had started offering Friday fish as a weekly anchor. It wasn’t marketed as a special. It was expected. Menus barely changed, because they didn’t need to.

The type of fish varied by location and supply. Yellow perch was prized along Lake Michigan and in eastern Wisconsin. Walleye, considered more substantial, showed up when someone had a good catch. Bluegill and pike filled in elsewhere. As transportation and refrigeration improved, Atlantic cod became common, especially for restaurants feeding large crowds who needed consistency week after week.

Preparation followed a similar pattern across the state. Fish was dredged or battered, often with beer, and fried in oil hot enough to cook quickly and serve immediately. The goal wasn’t delicacy. It was speed, volume, and a clean bite.

The sides became part of the ritual. Coleslaw offered something cold and creamy against hot fish. French fries were standard. In some areas, especially with German influence, potato pancakes showed up, usually served with applesauce. Rye bread landed on the table whether anyone asked for it or not.

Fish fry also shaped how people used their time. Friday nights weren’t rushed. You sat down. You stayed. You ran into people you hadn’t planned to see. Kids got bored. Adults ordered another round. The food came out again and again, looking the same each time.

That consistency is why people remember it so clearly. It wasn’t about one recipe. It was about knowing exactly how Friday would feel. Serving a meal like that doesn’t call for careful plating. Fish fry comes in wide portions. It drips a little. It leaves crumbs behind. Plates need to handle grease, lemon wedges, and second helpings without complaint.

The Wisconsin plate fits that tradition naturally. It isn’t decorative. It’s functional, which is exactly what Friday fish fry has always been.

Friday nights didn’t need reinvention.
They just needed fish.

Bring the WI State Plate back to your table