Photo by Lukas on Pexels.com
Freshly caught and cleaned fish (bluegill, sunfish, crappie) from the lake, breaded and fried served with tartar sauce and fried potatoes was a frequent summer meal at our house when I was growing up. I still love this meal!
Mom often served it with coleslaw. In later years this was always Marzetti’s dressing on a bag of shredded cabbage and carrots. In earlier years, she made a sweet and sour type of coleslaw with a vinegar dressing. The recipe she followed for that bore no resemblance to the slaw.
Lake Erie walleye
Breading Preparation:
First prepare a plate of flour with salt and pepper to taste. Next you’ll need a bowl of 1 beaten egg with about 1/2 Cup of milk mixed together. Last in line is a shallow bowl or plate of crackermeal.
Fish should be thawed if frozen and pre-soaked in water (lemon juice and salt added). Dip the fillets in the flour, then in the milk/egg, then in the crumbs. Do all the breading and then all the frying. I usually stack the breaded fillets on a plate with waxed paper in between the layers. Fry in hot oil (either in a skillet or a deep fryer) until lightly browned on each side. Oil should be about 375*.
To make homemade Tartar Sauce:
Mix Hellman’s mayo, some finely chopped onion, a dab of yellow mustard, some sweet pickle relish and a little of the pickle juice.
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
To make fried potatoes:
Peel and thinly slice Idaho potatoes (as many as can fit in your skillet!) Cover the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of Crisco oil. Heat the oil a bit first, then add the taties, salt and pepper and (secret ingredient alert) a sprinkle of white sugar. Fry the taties covered over medium or medium high heat until nicely browned turning them with a flat spatula 2 or 3 times. It should take 20 to 30 minutes until they are nicely browned and tender.
The Tromp Queen COOKS! 