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    Home » By Ingredient » Seafood and Fish » Incredibly Easy Fried Perch

    Incredibly Easy Fried Perch

    Posted on May 2, 2021 By Beth Neels

    121 shares
    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    Pan fried perch Pinterest image with text overlay.
    Pan fried perch Pinterest image with text overlay.
    Pan fried perch Pinterest image with text overlay.

    This is an incredibly easy recipe for fried perch. It takes less than 10 minutes to have these on the plate and they couldn’t be more delicious!

    Perch garnished with chopped parsley.

    What are yellow perch?

    These yellow perch, also known as Jack perch, American perch and a few others are incredibly beautiful. They are a mild flavored fish that are native to the Eastern regions of the US and Canada, to the Mississippi River. The species is plentiful in the Great Lakes and possibly our favorite native fish.

    How to fish for them

    Most regions have limits on how many fish can be taken per person. In NY the limit is 50 per licensed fisher.

    Small perch are quite easy to catch. They will bite on pieces of worm, shrimp, and spikes off of docks and in deeper water. And with crankbaits, swim baits or jigs.

    They travel in schools and once you have found a school of perch, it can be easy to catch your limit in a short amount of time.

    Larger perch, which are ideally the ones you want to keep, can be tricky to locate at certain times of the year. They are best fished for in the early spring and late fall, when they will move into more shallow water to feed heavily in preparation for winter.

    During spawn and pre spawn conditions, they can be found in 3-50 feet (1-15 meters) of water. Post spawn fish tend to move to deeper water and are therefore can be hard to locate.

    Fried perch on vintage metal plate.

    How to prepare them

    Perch can be fileted or scaled and dressed (innards removed). We have a different way of preparing perch filets that produces filets with 1/3 more meat than traditional fileting. See our YouTube video for How to Filet Yellow Perch to learn the secret!

    What you need to make these fried perch

    • fileted freshwater perch – you can substitute ocean perch fillets if you don’t have access to freshwater perch.
    • butter or olive oil
    • flour or corn meal, you can use bread crumbs or or panko but we find it overpowers the mild tasting fish. If you use bread crumbs, you will need to dip them in an egg wash first so that the bread crumbs will stick.
    • salt
    • lemon pepper
    • celery seed
    Fried perch ingredients. See recipe below for details.

    How to make them

    • Mix spices with flour on a dish or in a shallow bowl.
    • Dry perch well with paper towels.
    • Dredge fish fillets in flour mixture.
    • Dredge second side and shake off excess.
    • Melt butter or olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, preferably cast iron. Add filets. Don’t crowd the pan.
    • Once they are golden brown, carefully flip perch to second side.
    • Flip and brown that side. When it is browned and done, the fish flakes easily with fork. Serve immediately.
    Pan fried perch step by step process photographs. See recipe below for details.

    What sides to serve with them

    • Brown sugar glazed carrots
    • Green beans almondine
    • Apple coleslaw
    • Rice pilaf

    Pro tips for your success

    • Filet fish well so you reduce the risk of choking on bones.
    • After fileting, soak fish in very cold water with a bit of salt for about 5 minutes.
    • Fresh perch freezes very well. With smaller fish, we usually add a bit of water to the bag to reduce the risk of freezer burn.
    • Fish will freeze for at least six months.
    • Leftovers will last 2-3 days refrigerated.
    • We don’t usually reheat leftovers. We eat them cold but you can reheat in the microwave for just a minute or so, so that they don’t overcook and get tough.
    • When frying the perch, use a very hot pan and brown them for only about 2-3 minutes per side, depending on the size of the fish.
    • Serve with lemon wedges, cocktail sauce, tartar sauce or hot sauce.

    More fish recipes you may like

    • bullhead
    • northern pike
    • fried smelt
    • stuffed rainbow trout

    Tools I use

    • cast iron frying pan 8″
    • filet knife
    • mixing bowls
    Fried perch on gray plate topped with chopped parsley.

    This fried perch is delicious served with the sides above. It also makes fantastic fish tacos and fish sandwiches.

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    If you have any questions or comments, please ask in comment section below. We’d love to hear from you!

    I hope you enjoyed the recipe today!

    Enjoy. And have fun cooking!

    Binky's signature
    Close up of perch on vintage metal plate.

    Fried Perch

    This is an incredibly easy recipe for fried perch. It takes less than 10 minutes to have these on the plate and they couldn’t be more delicious!
    See Step by Step Photos Above!Most of our recipes have step by step photos and videos! Also helpful tips so that you can make it perfectly the first time and every time! Scroll up to see them!
    5 from 8 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: entree, Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes
    Servings: 4 servings
    Calories: 135kcal
    Author: Beth Neels
    Cost: $1

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound fresh perch
    • ¼ cup flour
    • 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
    • 1 teaspoon celery seed
    • ½ teaspoon salt

    Instructions

    • Mix spices with flour.
      ¼ cup flour, 1 teaspoon lemon pepper, 1 teaspoon celery seed, ½ teaspoon salt
    • Dry perch fillets well with paper towel.
      1 pound fresh perch
    • Dredge in flour mixture.
    • Dredge second side and shake off excess.
    • Melt butter in cast iron pan. Add filets. Don't crowd the pan.
    • Once browned, carefully flip perch to second side.
    • Flip and brown that side. Sprinkle with lemon juice and a freshly cracked black pepper. Serve immediately.
    cast iron frying pan 8″
    See all of my favorite tools and gift ideas on my New Amazon Store!Check out Binky’s Amazon Store!

    Video

    Notes

    • Filet fish well so you reduce the risk of choking on bones.
    • After fileting, soak fish in very cold water with a bit of salt for about 5 minutes.
    • Fresh perch freezes very well. With smaller fish, I usually add a bit of water to the bag to reduce the risk of freezer burn.
    • Fish will freeze for at least six months.
    • Leftovers will last 2-3 days refrigerated.
    • I don’t usually reheat leftovers. We eat them cold but you can reheat in the microwave for just a minute or so, so that they don’t overcook and get tough.
    • When frying the perch, use a very hot pan and brown them for only about 2-3 minutes per side, depending on the size of the fish.
    • Serve with lemon wedges, tartar sauce, cocktail sauce or hot sauce.
    • Many fresh fish will work with this easy fish fry recipe, including; white perch, crappie, sunfish, catfish, flounder and the like.
    • Add a pinch of cayenne pepper to the flour mixture for an added kick.
     

    Nutrition

    Calories: 135kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 362mg | Potassium: 327mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 37IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 103mg | Iron: 2mg
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    121 shares

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. CathyT

      November 09, 2022 at 5:35 pm

      5 stars
      Easy and very tasty! Family raved!!!!

      Reply
      • Beth Neels

        November 10, 2022 at 11:08 am

        We’re so glad that you liked it Cathy! Thanks for letting us know!

        Reply
    2. Cheryl B

      May 25, 2022 at 6:42 pm

      5 stars
      A new favorite for perch!! Thank you for this super delicious, quick and easy recipe!

      Reply
      • Beth Neels

        May 26, 2022 at 12:01 pm

        Ahh. Great! I’m so glad you liked it Cheryl!

        Reply
    3. Gail Montero

      May 14, 2021 at 3:35 pm

      5 stars
      I love seafood for the weekend and this is just what I want! Love that’s it’s so doable and tasty!

      Reply
      • Beth Neels

        May 18, 2021 at 2:26 pm

        It’s incredibly easy. I think you’ll like it. Thanks Gail!

        Reply
    4. Anjali

      May 14, 2021 at 12:13 pm

      5 stars
      What a delicious and simple recipe!! It made for a perfect easy weeknight dinner for us!

      Reply
      • Beth Neels

        May 18, 2021 at 2:26 pm

        Great. I’m so glad you liked it Anjali!

        Reply
    5. Gina

      May 14, 2021 at 10:59 am

      5 stars
      Nothing beats some simple fried fish like this. Delicious and easy recipe!

      Reply
      • Beth Neels

        May 18, 2021 at 2:25 pm

        Thanks Gina I’m so glad you liked it!

        Reply
    6. Serena

      May 14, 2021 at 10:47 am

      5 stars
      Oh my gosh I haven’t had this since I was a child. Brings back fun memories. Such a simple recipe, I’m going to have to add it into my rotation.

      Reply
      • Beth Neels

        May 18, 2021 at 2:25 pm

        Thanks Serena! Glad I could bring back some childhood memories!

        Reply
    7. Joe

      May 05, 2021 at 10:49 am

      5 stars
      We love perch but I have always battered them. This is such a better way to cook them. You can actually taste the fish and it makes much less mess. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Beth Neels

        May 05, 2021 at 10:51 am

        We love them simple too. Like you said, you can actually taste the perch. Thanks Joe!

        Reply

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