Fish & Chips (Perch)

We decided on a fish themed weekend. Eating fish I had caught the previous year then froze is always a treat. It is always a very frugal, simple and and laid back meal.

Fish & Chips

We eat a lot of fish but seldom fish & chips. I have to admit that I am not a real French fry fan. Give me a baked potato any day and I'm happy or of heavily coated fish. Saturday's dinner was lightly coated pan fried perch.

I used a deep fryer for the fries on the fries setting. These were store bought crinkle cut fries served with a simple fry dip or malt vinegar.

Fry Dip1 c Miracle Whip®
1 - 2 tsp prepared mustard

Blend just enough mustard into the Miracle Whip® to make the mixture buttery yellow. Spoon into individual dipping bowls or into a squirt bottle for serving.

Perch
Method: Perch fillets are small but is very easy to prepare. If fresh caught clean the fish and proceed with the coating. If fresh caught then frozen, thaw and proceed with the coating. There are commercial fish coatings available or you can make your own usning a little flour and Old Bay Seasoning or seasonings of your choice. The coating should only be mildly seasoned so as to not overpower the perch. If you want a little more crunch, stir in a little cornmeal. For this meal, I did not use the cornmeal.

The tricks to frying perch are: oil, pan and timing. For best results use a good quality vegetable oil. I like peanut or grapeseed oil for this purpose but other multipurpose vegetable oils will work too. To coat the fish, place the fish in the coating mix, jiggle to coat then turn and repeat. For best results use a cast iron pan. Heat the oil until it splatters when a small drop of water is dropped into it. Place the coated fish into the pan. When that side is golden brown, carefully turn over using tongs. Since this is a small fillet, keep a close eye on it. You want it lightly golden brown and not over cooked.