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| Fresh Local Fried Perch |
Personal
references to the ice:
* It’s what I scrape off my car in order to get inside it.
* It’s what I slipped on in a parking lot (to the amusement of
no one).
* It’s the icicle I licked on a dare, when I was 6-years
old.
* It’s not where I fish.
I prefer the land and the warm, thank you very much - so, I’m
appreciative when my ice-fishing friends are generous with the bounty.
I’ve enjoyed eating local smelt, walleye, trout - and most
recently, perch (my husband Dan’s favorite).
Coincidentally, on that particular day, I was about to kick
the latest “old” kitchen stove to the curb.
“Bye-bye” to the sprung oven door that couldn’t shut unless
braced with a bit of wood, and “Adios” to the one working burner.
I fried up a pot full of crispy fish.
It was sweet to have no pressing need to clean up the
stovetop spatter afterward.
The whole fishy-smelly kit and kaboodle was pushed out the
door to make room for new stove #4.
(I’ve been told I’m rough on cooking appliances, it’s not an
exaggeration).
Note: this recipe was made gluten-free with Citizen
Cider as the “beer” in the batter, and Maninis all-purpose flour mix, which
contains sugar.
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| Frying Perch |
Gluten-free Perch
Fry
Adapted from a recipe by Emeril Lagasse
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
1 Cup Maninis Gluten Free Flour
1/2 Cup Cornstarch
1 TB Old Bay Seasoning
1 TB Baking Powder
2 Farm Fresh Eggs
Citizen Cider Unified Press
1 LB Skinless Perch Filets
Peanut Oil, for frying
Directions
Combine the first 4 ingredients in a bowl.
Whisk in eggs and enough hard cider to create a thin batter.
Add filets. Refrigerate 30
minutes to 1 hour.
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| Gluten-free Batter |
Preheat 2-inches of oil in a high-sided Dutch oven to 375f.
Allow excess batter to drip off each fish prior to adding to the
oil.
Fry four or five at a time until browned. Do not crowd the pan.
Allow oil to come back to temperature before continuing with
remaining filets.
Remove fish to a paper-towel lined plate and season with salt,
to taste.
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| First Batch of Fried Perch |
