History

Lake Michigan yellow perch was the cheap workingman's fish in Chicago through the 19th and 20th centuries: pulled from the lake by Polish and Croatian commercial fishermen, fried at Friday-night fish fries in Bridgeport, Pullman and Roseland taverns. Commercial perch fishing in Lake Michigan collapsed in the late 1990s under invasive-mussel pressure on the food chain; the fillets on Chicago menus today are mostly Canadian-caught from Lake Erie and the Saskatchewan lakes. Calumet Fisheries on 95th Street, smoking chubs since 1948, is the smokehouse reference; Edgebrook's Superdawg and South Side taverns still serve Friday perch with rye, tartar, lemon and a beer.

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Common allergens: Fish, Gluten

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 25 minTotal 30 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 8 yellow perch fillets, about 600g total
  • 150g fine cornmeal
  • 75g plain flour
  • 1 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 litre neutral oil for frying
  • Lemon wedges
  • Tartar sauce
  • Rye bread

Method

  1. Pat the fillets dry. Whisk cornmeal, flour, salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne in a wide dish.
  2. Heat the oil to 185C (365F) in a heavy pot or deep frying pan.
  3. Dip each fillet in beaten egg, then dredge in the seasoned cornmeal, pressing to coat.
  4. Fry 2 fillets at a time, 2 to 3 minutes total, until deep gold and floating. Lift onto kitchen paper, salt lightly.
  5. Plate with lemon wedges, a spoon of tartar, and a wedge of rye bread alongside. Eat hot.

Tip from the editors. Don't dredge until the oil is at temperature. A wet dredge sitting on the fish goes gummy.

Where to eat lake perch fry

Lake perch fry in Chicago

Calumet Fisheries ★ 4.5

$ American BBQEast Side

Calumet Fisheries in Chicago is the East Side smokehouse on the 95th Street bridge since 1948, with smoked chub, fried perch and shrimp wrapped in butcher.

OrderSmoked chub by the piece and a fried perch fillet plate.

TipCash only, no seating. Walk to the bridge and eat the chub on the railing watching the boats; that is the meal.

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