20 Nebraskaland • March 2021
By Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley
PANKO-CRUSTED PERCH
PHOTO
BY
JENNY
NGUYEN-WHEATLEY
IN THE FIELD
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
•
1 pound of boneless perch fillets
•
2 to 3 large eggs
•
⅓ cup of all-purpose flour
•
1½ cup of Panko breadcrumbs
•
1 teaspoon of kosher salt, plus
extra
•
Freshly cracked pepper, to taste
•
1 cup of mayonnaise
•
4 teaspoons of Sriracha sauce
•
4 teaspoons of lemon juice
•
Vegetable oil for frying
•
Lemon wedges, for serving
1. To make the spicy mayo, combine
mayonnaise, Sriracha, lemon juice,
and salt and pepper to taste. Add or
subtract amount of Sriracha to taste.
Set aside.
2. Assemble your dredging station:
In a wide bowl, beat eggs until no
whites are visible and mixture begins
to form small bubbles at the edges.
Pour Panko breadcrumbs into a shallow
bowl/dish and season with 1 teaspoon
of salt and pepper to taste. Then pour
flour into another. Heat frying oil to
325 to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. First lightly coat a perch fillet
with flour, shaking off excess, and
then dip it into the egg mixture and
then finally coat with Panko. Fry on
both sides until golden and drain on
paper towels or a cooling rack. Repeat
with the rest of the fish, adjusting
heat as necessary. As you work, keep
fried fish warm in the oven on the
"warm" setting.
Do not overcrowd the fry pan —
oil temperature will drop too quickly,
which will result in greasy fried fish.
Also, do not allow the oil to get too
hot, as Panko breadcrumbs can burn
quickly. Continually keep an eye on the
oil temperature with a thermometer
and adjust the heat as you cook. If
you're not used to working with Panko,
it helps to have an extra set of hands in
the kitchen.
4. Serve fried fish with spicy mayo
for dipping and lemon wedges on
the side. For a light meal, serve the
fish in butter lettuce cups with sliced
cucumber, pickled carrot and a dollop
of spicy mayo on top.
