Chili Braised Yellow Perch
In the Philippines we ate seafood several times a week. My grandfather’s favorite dish to make was called “Jumping Salad”. It was fresh shrimp (still jumping around) with oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. I thought that was gross but then again my brother and I would fight over who would get to eat the eyeballs from whatever fish was prepared. I sometimes envy people who live in coastal areas because of the easy access to fresh seafood. I could easily go to Whole Foods to purchase some but I think I should explore what Wisconsin has to offer. Trout, walleye, and perch are locally found here and are extremely popular for Friday Fish Fry’s. A week ago we bought some yellow perch from Coolwater Farms at the farmer’s market (Lois from Marr’s Valley View Farms has recently started carrying yellow perch). Sadly, it was already deboned, filleted, and fresh frozen. No eyeballs. Aquaculture is a growing sector of the economy here in Wisconsin. Coolwater Farms is the closest fishery from where I live as far as I know. It is in Deerfield which is only about an hour and a half away.
Last year, we went to Tian Jin, a Chinese restaurant in Chanhassen, MN. I had something called “Boiled Fish” and it was just spectacular unlike it’s name. Our plan was to try to recreate the dish using the yellow perch.
RECIPE
- 1 lb. yellow perch (from Coolwater Farms)
- 8 ground thai chilies (from the Madison Farmer’s Market) *will yield about 2 heaping tablespoonfuls
- 1 t. grated ginger
- 1 T. minced garlic
- 1 T. fish sauce
- 2 T. kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
- 1 T. miso paste
- 1 whole onion
- 2 T. oil
- 1 c. water
I used a wok to make this dish. Fry the ground chilies slowly in the hot oil about a couple of minutes, add ginger, garlic, and then the onions. Cook until the onions are a little bit translucent. Add miso, the sauces, and and water. Bring to a simmer and add the fish. Cover and slowly braise for a few minutes.
We enjoyed the dish with some garlic stir fried cabbage and some Korean sweet potato noodles. The dish turned out pretty well.
For more information on fish in the area visit the Wisconsin Aquaculture Associaton page. Please let me know if you have a favorite recipe using local fish and also where I could get some smoked fish from the area.
If you like fresh fish, be sure to get to Bayfield WI where you can get fresh caught whitefish and lake trout at Bodin’s Fisheries (a 4th generation fishing family -http://www.bodins.com/ ). Lake Superior fish have a very delicious, fresh and clean flavor that people say is a result of living in such cold water. You can also get whitefish roe (caviar) and the real local specialty – Whitefish Livers.
The story is that the local fishermen used to keep them for themselves and families – and didn’t sell they to the public. But a local restaurant heard about it (Greunke’s Inn – on Rittenhouse Ave. – this was a favorite of JFK Jr, who visited the Apostles Area & stayed here) and started buying them from the fishers. They started offering them and they really have become know as a local delicacy. Favorite places to order them in Bayfield are The Old Rittenhouse Inn, Maggie’s Bar & Restaurant, Wild Rice Restaurant (when available) and of course Greunke’s.
All those places also serve excellent (locally caught) whitefish dishes. And you can order fish (and delicious smoked fish) from Bodin’s (but I still think it tastes best near the water it lived in!) Local info on restaurants & lodging is available at http://www.Bayfield.org .
Thanks for the tips Gary. We’ve got a trip planned to the Bayfield area in the summer, we’ll be sure to check out Bodin’s, sounds fantastic.
Looking for more fish and other Wisconsin produced foods…a great place to start is on the website that is a joint venture between WI Apple Growers Assn., UW Extension and WI DATCP. Browse http://www.savorwisconsin.com for over 1,600 Wisconsin producers of all product types.
Ooh yum! My husband is a HUGE sportsman and I’m always looking for new ways to cook up all the random fish and meat he brings home…this looks delish!
PS: Thanks for checking out HAP, Leslie! We love hearing from fellow WI bloggers
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