02-06-2005, 05:40 PM
[cool][#0000ff]There ain't no wrong way to fix perchies. Their firm white flesh is good almost any way you fix it. Pan fried, with your choice of coatings, is probably how it is served most often. The attached Word doc has some of my other favorite recipes for "processing" perch fillets.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I tend to keep a bunch of smaller perch and bluegills at times, just to make a batch of "Po man's shrimp". I go through all the hassle of filleting, skinning and deboning small panfish, just to end up with a pound or so of mini-fillets.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I start with about a quart of water, in a wide cooking pan. I add a cube of shrimp flavored bouillon (available in some stores in Salt Lake, along with the chicken and beef cubes). I add a bit of dried onion flakes, some garlic powder, black pepper and cayenne pepper (to taste). If you wanna get "foo foo" you can also drop in some bay leaves or other fancy flavorings. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Bring the water to a slow boil. Make sure the shrimp cube is dissolved and that all the flavor ingredients are well mixed. Crank the heat up to high and dump in the fish. Make sure it is covered by the spiced water and let er rip for about 2 to 3 minutes...no more. The fish will turn white fast. Do not overcook. Remove the pan from the heat and scoop out the fish pieces with a slotted spoon as soon as they are cooked enough to break apart...or sooner.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Put the cooked fish in a bowl and either dip them in melted butter with garlic, or pour the garlic-butter over them and pig out. No matter how much you make, it will not be enough.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]A variation is "Beer Steamed" fillets. You pour a can of freshly opened (not flat) beer in the same wide soup pan and turn the heat up high. As soon as the beer gets hot and starts to bubble, dump in the fillets and put the lid on the pan. Hold the lid down tight, to increase the pressure on the inside. The beer will froth up and want to boil out of the pan. That's good because it covers the fish and steams it.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Just like "shrimp poaching", take the fish off the heat as soon as it is white (2-3 minutes at most). Scoop the fillets out or pour off the trashed beer. Might seem like a waste of good brew, but the taste of the fillets, in the garlic butter, is semi sorta fantastic.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]PS...tell the bishop that the alcohol cooks off and there is none left in the fish. If he catches you buying the beer, you are on your own. You don't know me.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I tend to keep a bunch of smaller perch and bluegills at times, just to make a batch of "Po man's shrimp". I go through all the hassle of filleting, skinning and deboning small panfish, just to end up with a pound or so of mini-fillets.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I start with about a quart of water, in a wide cooking pan. I add a cube of shrimp flavored bouillon (available in some stores in Salt Lake, along with the chicken and beef cubes). I add a bit of dried onion flakes, some garlic powder, black pepper and cayenne pepper (to taste). If you wanna get "foo foo" you can also drop in some bay leaves or other fancy flavorings. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Bring the water to a slow boil. Make sure the shrimp cube is dissolved and that all the flavor ingredients are well mixed. Crank the heat up to high and dump in the fish. Make sure it is covered by the spiced water and let er rip for about 2 to 3 minutes...no more. The fish will turn white fast. Do not overcook. Remove the pan from the heat and scoop out the fish pieces with a slotted spoon as soon as they are cooked enough to break apart...or sooner.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Put the cooked fish in a bowl and either dip them in melted butter with garlic, or pour the garlic-butter over them and pig out. No matter how much you make, it will not be enough.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]A variation is "Beer Steamed" fillets. You pour a can of freshly opened (not flat) beer in the same wide soup pan and turn the heat up high. As soon as the beer gets hot and starts to bubble, dump in the fillets and put the lid on the pan. Hold the lid down tight, to increase the pressure on the inside. The beer will froth up and want to boil out of the pan. That's good because it covers the fish and steams it.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Just like "shrimp poaching", take the fish off the heat as soon as it is white (2-3 minutes at most). Scoop the fillets out or pour off the trashed beer. Might seem like a waste of good brew, but the taste of the fillets, in the garlic butter, is semi sorta fantastic.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]PS...tell the bishop that the alcohol cooks off and there is none left in the fish. If he catches you buying the beer, you are on your own. You don't know me.[/#0000ff]
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