History

Lake Erie's central basin produces the bulk of US-caught yellow perch, in season April through November. Pier W in Lakewood has run them since 1965, and parish Lenten Friday fries from Slavic Village to Parma have built the modern Cleveland fish-fry tradition. Modern fine-dining rooms like Edwins Leadership and Restaurant in Shaker Square and Beach Club Bistro source from the same Sandusky fleet that supplies the parish kitchens.

Common allergens: Fish, Gluten

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 20 minTotal 25 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 12 fresh yellow perch fillets, skin off
  • 150g plain flour
  • 1 tsp sea salt, 0.5 tsp black pepper
  • 0.5 tsp paprika
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 120g fine breadcrumbs or panko
  • Neutral oil and butter for frying
  • 1 lemon, cut into wedges
  • Tartar sauce to serve

Method

  1. Pat the perch fillets very dry with paper towels.
  2. Set up three bowls: seasoned flour, beaten egg, and breadcrumbs.
  3. Dredge each fillet in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, pressing to coat.
  4. Heat a large pan with 3mm of oil plus a knob of butter over medium-high heat.
  5. Fry the fillets in batches, 90 seconds per side, until golden. Drain on paper.
  6. Serve at once with lemon wedges and tartar sauce.

Tip from the editors. Use yellow perch only; walleye fillets are larger and need a longer cook.

Where to eat lake erie perch

Lake Erie perch in Cleveland

Pier W ★ 4.7

SeafoodChef Regan Reik$$$$$80-150 per person, a la carteMon-Fri 11:30-14:00 (lunch); Sun 09:30-14:00 (brunch); Sun-Thu 17:00-21:00 (dinner); Fri-Sat 17:00-22:00 (dinner)Book 2 weeks ahead

Pier W on a Lake Erie cliff in Lakewood since 1965 is the Select Restaurants flagship cantilevered above the water with daily-flown seafood and Sunday brunch.

12700 Lake Ave, Lakewood, OH 44107

Blue Point Grille ★ 4.5

SeafoodChef Brandt Evans$$$$$80-150 per person, a la carteMon-Fri 11:30-15:00 (lunch); Mon-Thu 17:00-21:00; Fri 17:00-22:00; Sat 16:00-22:00; Sun 16:00-21:00Book 2 weeks ahead

Blue Point Grille on West St Clair in the Warehouse District since 1998 is the daily-flown seafood room shucking 75,000 oysters annually for Cleveland diners.

700 W St Clair Ave, Cleveland, OH 44113

West Side Market food stalls ★ 4.8

Modern Polish$ohio-cityMon, Wed, Fri-Sat 08:00-17:00, Sun 10:00-16:00, closed Tue Thu

The West Side Market on West 25th Street since 1912, the 60-vendor public market in the Hubbel and Benes Hall, runs cheap-eat lunches from bratwurst, pierogi.

Try: Cheap-eat lunches from 60+ vendors: bratwurst, pierogi, gyros, tacos

1979 W 25th St, Cleveland, OH 44113

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