FOOD
FROM THE HOME KITCHEN OF CHEF AARON
Lake Perch Dinner
L
ake Perch is a delight enjoyed by Michiganders across both peninsulas; prepared simply and served with a classic remoulade, they can be found on many a restaurant’s menu. This method of cooking — floured, then sauteed hot and fast in a well-oiled/buttered pan — works well for all sorts of thin fish, including rainbow trout, smaller whitefish and the like. Skin the pieces if Chef Aaron you like or leave the skin Egan on if you’re that sort of fish eater. Make sure to season the flour well — after all, it’s going to be all over the fish, and you’d hate for that to be bland. This whole dish lives or dies on good seasoning. To be quite honest: The rice and green beans can be either boring or brilliant, and the key is making sure there’s enough salt in the dishes. Taste and season as you go, and never set anything on the table that
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you’ve neglected to taste first.
PAN-FRIED LAKE PERCH WITH REMOULADE, WILD RICE AND GREEN BEANS Yield: 4 portions Ingredients 1½ lbs. cleaned lake perch 2 cups all-purpose flour ½ cup rice flour ½ cup cornstarch ¼ cup paprika 2 Tbs. salt ½ tsp. ground white pepper 8 oz. clarified butter 16 oz. prepared remoulade (recipe below) 12 oz. cooked wild rice (recipe below) 12 oz. cooked green beans (recipe below) Directions 1. Mix the flours, cornstarch and seasonings together in a bowl. Put the perch fillets in the bowl and toss to coat them evenly. Feel free to add more seasonings to the mix.
2. Heat a sauté pan over high heat and add 2 oz. clarified butter. 3. When the butter is hot, remove the fillets from the flour, making sure they’re completely covered. Shake off the excess flour, and place the perch into the hot pan, carefully, one piece at a time, flesh side down. Only add enough pieces to the pan to create one layer with decent space in between fillets. Don’t crowd the pan; work in batches. 4. Cook for 2-3 minutes, and carefully flip the perch pieces over. They should be golden brown — if not, cook a little longer, then flip them. 5. Cook the perch for 2-3 minutes after flipping, then take the pan off the heat and let sit for another 2 minutes. 6. Take the perch out of the pan, clean out any accumulated flour, add more butter, and cook the remaining perch in the same way. 7. Serve with a ramekin of remoulade and a portion of cooked wild rice and green beans.
