Pan fried or sauteed yellow perch
4 servings
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient | |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | smalls | Yellow perch |
| 7-9 \" long | ||
| 4 | tablespoons | Bacon fat or lard |
| Salt and pepper | ||
| 4 | tablespoons | Butter |
| Cornmeal | ||
| 1 | Lemon (opt.) | |
Directions
Dress, scale, and what the fish, pat dry, salt and pepper, then dredge them in the meal or meal-flour combination.
Heat the fat until it is hot enough to cook at once, but not burning, sputtering hot. Lay in the fish, turn heat down to barely a medium flame, and begin to brown the fish. Keep the fish loose from the pan bottom with a thin metal spatula.
Taking 8-10 minutes to a side (turn heat low if it seems to fry too fast), brown the fish slowly until crisp. Do not overcook. When the flesh is opaque the fish is done; one hopes it's all browned by then.
Add 4 Tbs. butter to the skillet after removing the fish and squeeze in the juice of a lemon, stir the fat and juices to loosen the dredgings, and pour over the browned fish.
VARIATION: After removing the fish from the skillet, toss about ⅓ cup of chopped black walnuts. Brown lightly with the remaining butter and sprinkle over the fish before serving.