Yellow Perch (Striped Perch, Ring Perch, Redfin)

Perca flavescens

Yellow perch has been a favorite among anglers in Maryland for hundreds of years, and their arrival in the bay signifies that spring is right around the corner. This is a great local fish with a tremendous amount of history in the area. These are a small fish, with whole fish weights that run between 6-10 ounces. Yellow perch have a mild, sweet flavor with a firm white flesh. They could be butterflied or served with the head on for a great whole fish presentation. The smaller size and lower price point might even make Yellow Perch more attractive as an appetizer.

Yellow perch has a very short season and should be used as a special to highlight a local sustainable managed fishery. The season lasts from January 1st through March 10th, however, the majority of the catch comes in the last two weeks of February.

Perch Till It Hurts

4 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus additional oil for frying 1 yellow onion diced 6 green onions, finely chopped 1 green bell pepper, diced 2 stalks celery diced 2 tablespoons chopped garlic 2 to 3 Serrano or jalapeno chilies, minced 4 large tomatoes, chopped, or 1 (28 - ounce) can diced tomatoes ½ cup tomato juice ½ cup dry wine juice of 1 lemon 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1 bay leaf salt, freshly ground black pepper and Tabasco Sauce to taste 2 lb. Maryland Yellow Perch fillets milk, as needed fish coating

Heat the 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a pot. Saute the yellow and green onions, bell pepper, and celery over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until tender. Add the garlic, chilies, tomatoes, tomato juice, wine, lemon juice, Worcestershire and bay leaf. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, and Tabasco. Bring to a boil, and then immediately reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 1 hour, stirring often. If sauce gets too thick during cooking add a little water. For the fish, pour sufficient oil into a heavy skillet to the depth of ¼-inch. Heat the oil until quite hot, but not smoking. Dip the fillets into milk and coat well with the Fish Coating. Shake off excess. Add the fillets and fry until golden brown and crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer the fillets to a heated platter. Remove and discard the bay leaf from the sauce and serve the fish topped with the tomato sauce. Fish Coating 1 cup flour seasoned with salt, pepper and Old Bay seasoning 1 cup yellow cornmeal 4 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon black pepper 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning (optional) Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Note: When choosing what kind and how many chilies to use, know their strength. If you want to minimize the fire, remove the seeds of the chili. If fresh chilies are not available, ¼ to ½ (or more if you like) teaspoon crushed red pepper may be substituted. Adapted from Chesapeake Bay Cooking with John Shields, Broadway Books

To find out more, call the Aquaculture and Seafood Marketing Office at 410-841-5724