This is a nice recipe for fish lovers and is especially fun for kids who have caught fish and would like to eat them. While you can occasionally find pan fish at the market the best way is to set out to the nearest fishing hole and look for large Bluegills, Perch, or Calico Bass.
I happened across a hole in Bantam Lake the other day full of Calicoes, also known as Crappie. I dropped a small white fluke to the bottom and every time I pulled up I had another nice sized fish. The only times they didn’t bite was when they had chewed the tail off the fluke. I had 18 fish in as many minutes and made a nice fry up!
A bunch of pan fish (at least 4 per person)
Flour
Corn Meal
Breadcrumbs
Eggs
Butter
Old Bay Seasoning, Salt, Pepper, Garlic to taste
Fillet the fish. This is somewhat time consuming and not the easiest thing to do but by the time you have done a few you get the hang of it. You must have a fillet knife and it must be very sharp.
Lay the fish on its side and cut down through the meat just behind the head. Insert the knife along the top edge of the fish and slide it down along the backbone. Lift the edge and hold the meat while working the knife down along the bone to free the fillet. Don’t cut through the very bottom, but flip the fillet over and hold the knife flat between the meat and the skin and cut the meat from the skin. Flip and repeat, and repeat, and repeat, and so on.
Wash the fillets and remove any small bones you can feel. While wet dredge the fillets in a mix of corn meal, flour and seasoning. Dip in beaten egg and roll in breadcrumbs.
Heat butter in a large frying pan. A tip that will keep your house from smelling like fryed fish is the fire up the grill and bring your frying pan outside to cook the fish. Place fish in pan and fry flipping over half way, repeat until all pieces are fried.
Serve with tarter sauce, lemon, fried potatoes and vegetable, or you make fish sandwiches!
