Best Fish in the Bay by John M. Scanlon, M.D.
Crunchy golden morsels bobbed earnestly on bubbling peanut oil in the large deep-fat fryer. The kettle’s depths were carefully dredged, and fully cooked filets were ladled onto a platter lined with paper towels. The plate was promptly carried to the nearby picnic table. Although the fish chunks were too hot to devour immediately, in short order the assembled guests had emptied that platter and demanded more of these crispy, succulent treats. The fish filets had been dredged through House-Autry seafood breader (a Southern staple for more than 150 years) prior to their brief swim in boiling oil. Their journey ended after they had turned light brown and floated on the tempestuous oleo ocean. Crabs steamed in beer and Old Bay seasoning, briefly grilled rockfish, fresh vine-ripened August tomatoes, sweet Silver Queen corn and vinegary potato salad rounded out this late-summer feast on the Shore. The beer was ice cold and a light white wine had been nicely chilled. But the premier culinary attraction was deep-fried fresh white perch filets from fish caught that morning. We had launched the shallow-
draft 20-foot center console boat near the Tred Avon River and before dawn motored to a rocky point we knew held perch. Several ultralight rods with small spool spinning reels were readied. Each held 6 lb. test braided or monofilament line to cast 1/8 oz. lures toward the shore. The lure plunked into the water about the same time. Each rod bent sharply as its line came taut on a strongly fighting fish. After a short tussle, plump white perch were unhooked and plopped on ice in the cooler. This action continued almost non-stop until two dozen fish from 8 to 12 inches long had been coolered. Tackle and lures were then exchanged for more sturdy gear, and we cruised to a different location in search of rockfish. That evening’s already scheduled fish fry was now guaranteed. The white perch (Morone americana) is a very underpublicized and underappreciated gamefish in the Chesapeake. Actually, it is not a perch at all. White perch belong to the same family as striped bass (Morone saxetilis), or rockfish as they are called around the Bay. Perch are abundant in our area
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