Perch Filleting/Cleaning and Cooking?

[S.W.W.L]

Whats the best way to filet perch or clean them? I gave it a try and it just seemed I wasn't getting very far with it. Also, whats some recipes to use or ways to fry these babies up? Thanks for any help.
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[Bama_Boy]

Go to YouTube and search "how to clean a perch in 10 seconds." I really like this method. I have filleted them before, but when I clean them that way and fry them up, they taste great. The bones are still in them, but after they are cooked, the meat comes off really easy.
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[pmunson]

My sugestion is to buy an elctric fillet knife. With practie you can spend 1/3 of the time it takes to use a regular one. After filleting 50 perch a couple of times I bought one that Rapala makes (under $30).

As an example of how I cook my Perch this is what I did wth my last catch.
Meal #1 Perch Chouder for 20 people (40 fillets). This dish reheats well for you next fishing trip asuming that your family doesint eat it all before you get a chance to freeze it.
Meal #2 Fish tacos for 11 (44 fillets).
Meal #3 Fish fry for 3 adults and 4 kids served with grits and greens (16 fillets). If you are intrested in specific recipies I can post them Tomorrow night.
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[night_flyguy]

Bama Boy knows what he's talking about. I saw that post on here a couple years ago and it works great.

After you clean them, go to Walmart and buy some Louisiana Fish Fry. There's one that's corn meal based and another that's flour based. Both are delicious and super easy and cost a buck or so.
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[GEEZER]

Look up some of TubeDudes recipes. Good eats!
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[Springbuck]

The 10 second perch thing works. I'm not likely to filet perch under 8" or so anymore. If they are.really small, dusting the m with coating deep frying them will melt the bones and you munch em down like frenchfries.

I buy tempura mix, too. Then a wide variety of dipping sauces from Asian markets like hot and sour sauce. Also, hot ranch: ranch dressing with a shot of tobasco or Sriracha sauce. Perch chowder is awesome. Start with slow cooking butter and flour until thick and brown, add onions or shallots, perch meat, milk and cream, garlic,pepper and salt, and some dry parmesan, maybe potato's.
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[Jazzperch1]

i dont think there is anything sriracha isnt good on. also been eating my fried perch with horsradish cocktail sauce and thats pretty dang good too.+1 on the chowder too, its hard to make perch taste bad IMO.
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[CoyoteSpinner]

You can find a number of Youtubes on Perch Filleting. Master Tubedude posted some pics once. I slapped 'em into a PDF.

Also post up a picture set on a common fry/bake approach for breading filets.
Lastly - I'll attach some recipes including the Tude's ChowDown perch chowder.


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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Here's a couple of thoughts.
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[SkunkedAgain]

Hey I dip the fillets in an egg/milk wash then crunch up cheese nips or fish crackers in a zip lock and shake and then bake them on a cookie sheet till done. Dang good eats. If ya need more details let me know. Later J
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[downed_Phly]

I tried the 10 second thing as demonstrated on YouTube and apparently that guy is very talented. I totally sucked at it and couldn't duplicate his results. Still managed to get the job done, just took MUCH longer than 10 seconds.
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[Bama_Boy]

I'm not as good as he is either, but I still prefer to do it that way on the smaller perch. Something about frying them with the bones still in them. Growing up in the South, we would do something similar with smaller bluegill. We would just scale them, cut off the heads, and clean out the guts and fry them. Delicious.
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[Jazzperch1]

ive wondered how they would be like that, did it once with an eye i got out of deer creek when i was camping, last day and pretty low on grub so i took it and headed, gutted and descaled then just salt pepper and butter in some foil, now that was some good eats. probly be the same with perch or any panfish/bass. Also you can try to fry them up like normal but with the skin still on them, a friend of mine has been doing that and he said its killer too.
my next investment is a good electric fillet knife.
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[Tazasorus]

I use egg, Heavy, Heavy dose of Lawrys season salt. Take a zip lock bag and put a bag of saltine crackers, roll up with rolling pin till fine. Put fish in with crackers, seal up and shake. I have my camp chef outside with hot oil and deep fry four about 3 to four minutes. popcorn fish are awesome.

I filleted 65 perch on Tuesday and it took me two hours. No really fast way to do it. I make side cut behind gill then send knife down back taking rib cage with. Before cutting fillet off I flip over and take meat off of skin. Replace skin and flip over and repeat. Take off rib cages after all fish are filleted. Waalaa. Sounds easy, but takes practice. Well worth it. Best tasting fish other than walleye I have ever eaten.

Happy fishing.
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[UintaIce]

My wife puts on a big spread when we have a bunch of perch and crappie fillets. Including home-made cole slaw, baked beans, fried potatoes, and hushpuppies.
My favorite meal!
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[S.W.W.L]

The bones just melt away when you do the 10 second method?
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