was in aberdeen for my sister's b-day so i tried my hand at some surf perch for the first time. killed 'em.several over 2 lbs. ran out of bait. anyway, what are a couple of ways to prepare and cook these.

The last time I cooked surf perch, we fillet'd em dipped them in beer batter (make sure to drink some of the Beer to make sure it is good) then fried em..YUMEEEEE

Any other methods?? Not that this method is bad... But buying beer is not exactly legal for me.

Sorry about that Voodo...Just make the batter out of flour, egg, and milk. About a half inch of oil in the pan. Dip the fillets in a mixed up egg and then flour. Let them sit for a while before dipping them into the batter. Then straight to the oil. Yum Yum

hey RK43 how do ya mix up beer batter, i keep hearing bout it and i'm going perch fishing this weekend and wanna try it

Went out yesterday myself.......it was good. I cook em' via the razor clam method....dip in flour, egg, bread crumbs then fry in oil.

good stuff!

Spokey9: You take a beer and pour it in a bowl with flour. Give a good mix with a wisk. You want it about the consistancy of pankake batter. Cover it with a towel and let it sit for an hour. Check for consistancy again, and you are ready to rock. Enjoy

A little cornstarch mixed in helps batter stick on fish better for some reason unknown to me!!

When you fry with a coating, you'll have better success if you remove excess moisture from the surface of the items before dredging. The moisture is what causes the coating to flake off the cooked food. Pat it dry with paper towels or allow it to dry in a strainer in the refrige. Also don't allow the fish to sit in the flour the first time you dredge it. This will make the coating gummy. I usually mix in a tablespoon of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of flour and a little baking powder...find it makes the coating crispier. Old Bay seasoning added to the flour mixture is a tasty addition..yum..gonna have to pull some Min-ee-so-taa crappies & sunnies out the freezer now, enough with the q'ed sockeye already

thanx for info. i'll try it out this weekend if i get lucky

You can never have too many fish fry recipes that leave the chef with half a bottle of beer to consume. Here are several more:

one egg
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
about 1/2 cup beer
Beat egg. Sift dry ingredients into egg and mix. Add beer until batter is a little thicker than the consistency of heavy cream. Dip fish pieces and fry in hot oil.

or...

one cup pancake mix
3/4 cup beer
Combine pancake mix and beer. Dip fish pieces and fry in hot oil.

or, my favorite...

Bottle or can of beer*
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup water
*DRINK THE BEER. Mix the remaining five ingredients together. Dip fish and fry.