I love perch. I love everything about them--the sweet, delicate flavor, the striking coloration, and the stubborn fight they put up for their size. The key here is getting the butter to a perfect nutty brown. Technically it's still butter, but something happens when it's toasted like this, and it really does become another ingredient altogether.

Brown Butter Perch

flour

salt

black pepper

cayenne pepper

perch

butter

lemon,

Whisk flour, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in a bowl. Gently press perch fillets into flour mixture to coat,  shaking off any excess flour.


Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat until butter is foaming and nut-brown in color. Working in batches, place filets in skillet and cook until light golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer cooked fillets to a plate, squeeze lemon juice over the top, and serve.


Really easy and good! The only modification I made was a trick I've learned over the years about fish. I cook the fish about 1/3 to 1/4 less the usual time, then remove from heat, cover and let sit for at least 15 minutes (even a 1/2 hour). The fish stays warm enough and it gets juicier over time and doesn't dry out.

Easy fast & very tasty. I used sole as fresh perch are nearly impossible to get here. This is one of those meals that comes together in a snap.

Very simple, but very good.  While the breading seems very plain, the browned butter does give it a good flavor, though we did add a little dried parsley to the breading.  We found the amount of breading called for in the recipe to be far more than what is needed.  Doubling the fish and cutting the amount of flour in half (leaving the peppers full amount, but reducing the salt) still left us with enough for another day (frozen in a zip-top bag).

Very simple and tasty. My husband loves perch and I was tired of just breading and frying-will use this recipe again.

This is the way I usually cook perch, but I often substitute something else for flour, like panko, quinoa flour, cornmeal, etc. All good! Use real butter.

Loved it! Quick and easy. Our neighbors provide us with fish from Lake Erie. This was as close as it gets to the fabulous fresh perch we have had at Kelleys Island. I used red pepper flakes, as one contributor recommended. Yum!

i added brown sugar and used chili flakes instead of cayanne and it was excellent!

Easy to make! Great recipe when you are running out of time to make dinner! I was really short on time so I paired this brown butter perch up with brown rice and garlic toast with cheese. It was a warm satisfying meal.

Made this for my family and everyone loved it! Best way to do perch.

Just okay for me....followed directions precisely.

See how to make quick and easy pan-fried fish in brown butter.

brown butter perch

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total: 20 minutes

Servings: 4

Cost: $4.71 /serving

Author : Chef John

Ingredients

Instructions

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