From Ed Biniecki.
There's nothing better than fresh Lake Erie Perch!
Ingredients
Flour
Seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic powder, etc.)
1 egg
1 cup milk
Cracker crumbs or bread crumbs
Note: I make my own cracker crumbs using 50% saltines and 50% Ritz. Crumble in a large Ziploc food storage bag and use a rolling pin to crush as fine as possible. Lately, I have been using Progresso Italian Bread Crumbs for ease of use, but the cracker crumbs are excellent.
Instructions
Mix enough flour to coat the amount of fish to be prepared with your desired seasonings in a separate bag. If you have perch that are butterfly fillets, separate halves. Put fish fillets in bag and coat evenly. If you rinse fish first, do not put dripping wet into flour.
Mix one egg in a bowl, and mix in 1 cup of milk. This is usually more than enough for one family meal. Dip one fillet in egg/milk mixture, and then into a bowl with the cracker/bread crumbs. Coat evenly. Place piece aside and continue to dip and coat the remaining pieces. I layer them on a plate, and separate layers with wax paper. The nice thing about this recipe is that the fish can be prepared well in advance of the actual cooking time.
Deep fry at approximately 350 degrees. Most of the time I use Peanut Oil, because it has a higher flash point. Remove when golden brown. Perch take just a few minutes to fry, while walleyes take a little longer. By the way, if frying walleyes, cut the fillets into serving size pieces first. Walleyes over 3 lbs. or so need to be sliced horizontally, so that the pieces are approximately ½ inch thick.