Popular Ways to Prepare Perch

Perch are mild flavored fish that many people enjoy eating. Perch can be very small like the bluegill and the sunperch or they can get fairly decent sized like the white perch. So you can cook some of these fish whole and you can fillet some of the fish.

One of the most popular ways to cook perch and many other types of fish is to fry them in oil after they have been rolled in cornmeal. If you are frying whole perch that have any size to them you will want to make two slits on each side of the perch deep enough to almost cut through the side. These slits will allow for even heat distribution and will allow the fish to be completely cooked all the way through.

The fish need to have salt and pepper applied to the flesh and then they need to be rolled in cornmeal. In the southern states you will want to use yellow cornmeal to bread the fish. Pick the fish up and make certain that the inside of the fish and the slits that you made get cornmeal in them.

Bring your oil to a high temperature. When you can flick a few drops of cold water onto the surface of the oil and the water droplets dance across the top of the oil then your oil is hot enough to fry fish. Drop the fish into the oil being careful to not splash any of the hot oil on your skin. You do not want to place too many fish into the pan at one time.

If the pan is deep enough that the fish can go to the bottom and be covered with oil they will rise to the surface when they are cooked because the cooked meat has had the water forced out of it and is lighter than the uncooked meat. When you remove the fish from the hot oil drain it thoroughly on a platter that has been lined with paper towels.

Another popular way to cook these delectable fish is to grill or bake them. Place them on an oven safe pan and season them to taste. Then squeeze a few drops of lemon juice over the fish. A sliced onion place on top is also recommended. Cook the fish at 350 degrees until the meat becomes white and flaky. About twenty minutes.