Potato and Cheese Crusted Perch

Potato and Cheese Crusted Perch served with wild rice and acorn squash.

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will recall a post I put out in May 2012 titled, Dehydrating Potatoes.  In this post, I explained how I dehydrate potato slices and granules, and also alluded to future posts featuring recipes using the dehydrated potatoes.  Well, it has been about five months since that post, so maybe I should actually post a recipe for you, right!?  Sorry I'm such a slacker.

This recipe for perch features the dehydrated potato granules.  If you haven't actually dehydrated any, you can either give it a go by following the instructions on Dehydrating Potatoes, or you can buy some granules at the grocery store.  Dehydrated foods are an excellent addition to the pantry and store well.

I used perch as my fish of choice in the following recipe, but other freshwater game fish will work just as well, such as walleye or crappie.  I bet even your run of the mill codfish would be tasty with this potato coating.
  
My oldest son Zack was my assistant for this particular meal.  It's simple enough for a ten-year-old to make!

Zackary only agreed to be featured on my blog if I made mention of the fact that he is the best chef in the house.

Click here for a printable version of Potato and Cheese Crusted Perch

Potato and Cheese Crusted Perch

1 pound perch fillets, rinsed and patted dry
1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups dehydrated potato granules
1/2 cup almond flour or all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon dill
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
a smidgen of pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. 

I like to melt the butter while the oven is preheating.   I place the butter into the pan that I will be baking in--a 9 x 13 (3 quart) casserole dish--and put it in the oven while it is preheating, just until the butter melts.

2.  Combine the cheese, potatoes, and flour in a pie pan or other wide, shallow dish.

Here Zack carefully measures out the almond flour.  Almond flour is a healthier choice that wheat flour.

3.  Add the salt, dill, onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper to the melted butter, stirring to blend.

Zack adds the seasonings to the melted butter.  With flair!

And just so you know, a smidgen is a unit of measurement.  Don't forget your smidgen of pepper (a pinch will do if you don't have a smidgen spoon).

My husband got a set of measuring spoons that includes the smidgen, as well as a pinch and a dash.

4.  Dip each fish fillet first into the melted butter, and then into the potato mixture.  You will likely need to lightly press the potatoes into each fillet to get them to stick.  As you coat each fillet, place it on a large plate until they have all been coated.

The fish is being dipped in yummy melted butter before being coated.

Here, Zack presses the potato mixture into the fish fillet.

Zack had a nice assembly line going:  butter pan, to breading pan, to plate.

 

5.  Once all fillets have been coated with the potato mixture, place them in the 9 x 13 casserole.  If you have any potato coating leftover, it can be spooned on top of the fillets and lightly pressed in. 

Finally, all the fillets are breaded and can be placed into the casserole dish.

6.  Drizzle the fillets with any remaining melted butter.  If there is no remaining butter, melt a couple more tablespoons of butter, or just use some olive oil to drizzle over the top of the fillets.

7.  Bake fish in the 500 degree F oven for 10 minutes, or until fish is easily flaked with a fork.  Serve immediately.