36 | JUNE 2 • 2022 

Lake Perch Dinner

FOOD
FROM THE HOME KITCHEN 
OF CHEF AARON 

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 
you like or leave the skin 
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 

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. 

Chef Aaron 
Egan

