50+ Perch Recipes (for Your Wild Catch)

Perch recipes make the most of wild-caught perch each year. A firm and flaky panfish, it is suitable for a number of cooking methods.

Perch are a pleasing and eagerly sought-after fish that populate the waters all across North America. These fish may be lesser known to casual consumers, but they are quite common. In fact, perch can be found in all states in the continental U.S. except for Louisiana.

Yellow perch are an accessible fish, found in a diverse set of habitats including lakes, rivers, reservoirs and the brackish waters of the shoreline in which they seek food and spawn.

The easily recognizable yellow perch sports lemony hues with stripes of olive green along the spine. In addition to yellow perch, there are a few other fish varieties referred to as perch, although they are not true members of the perch family.

White perch are more similar to white bass, but much smaller in size. Additionally, there are silver perch, also called sand perch, which are actually a species of drum. All perch are considered panfish and you’ll need to catch several to make a meal of them.

Perch is a sustainable fish with a healthy nutritional content. Similar in flavor to walleye and other white fish, perch is a great alternative to popular fish such as halibut, cod and sea bass that tend to be overfished.

Choosing the Best Perch

Perch is a term generally used to describe a large group of fish including white perch (Morone americana), yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and ocean perch (Sebastes marinus). However, only yellow perch actually belong to the Percidae family — white perch actually belongs to the Moronidae family and the ocean perch to the Sebastidae family.

Regardless of this fact, all of these perch varieties are pleasant-tasting and prime for eating, although the fish do possess some slight distinctions in flavor.

Yellow perch tends to be sweeter and milder tasting while white perch harbors a stronger, fishier flavor. Meanwhile, ocean perch has the fishiest flavor of the lot.

White perch tends to be slightly bigger, yet yellow perch can be wormy, although these grubs aren’t dangerous as long as the fish is thoroughly cooked.

Perch are easy to fish and simple to clean. You can process and filet them as you do any other fish. Just use a sharp knife to make an incision behind the gill plate, making a second incision from the spine down to the tail. Slide the knife backward towards the fin, using the backbone to guide the blade and cut the meat away from the spine. Finally, remove the skin from the filets.

Spot some grubs? Any small worms can be removed with the tip of your knife and you can prepare your fish as usual.

After processing, filets should then be rinsed and patted dry. They are now ready to prepare or freeze.

For those who prefer to source these tasty filets themselves, yellow perch can be found in many lakes and tributaries in the United States and Canada, but can also be occasionally ordered online for a pretty penny.

Perch Recipes

Perch has a sweet taste and firm texture, with yellow perch being the mildest and sweetest of all the fish commonly referred to as perch. Although most people simply batter and fry their perch, you can cook them in a diverse amount of ways with a medley of items as the flavor of perch is full enough to mix with bold ingredients without overpowering them.

Perch is a lean and moist game fish, taking on a firm yet smooth texture once cooked. Perch can be prepared by way of a variety of culinary methods from baking and sauteeing to frying and steaming. You can plate flaky perch with salads, rice dishes, pasta, and more, making it the centerpiece of your meal or simply offering it up as an appetizer.

Perch Recipes with Salad and Salsa

To create a simple and healthy weekday meal, partner fresh perch with a vivacious salad assembled from your favorite veggies and greens. For summer, consider a bright succotash crafted from corn and cherry tomatoes, or toss together an assortment with asparagus and pesto pasta salad for spring. Char-grill perch and partner with fava beans or steam whole and top with a chili cucumber salad for more veggie-fueled ideas.

Perch can also be partnered with flavorful salsas. Try a savory salsa with olives, capers and tomatoes, or pair with the exotic flavors of citrus and pineapple. For a more filling option, whip up a pasta salad to accompany smaller perch filets. Fresh parsley pureed with nuts, garlic, olive oil and parmesan will yield a nice pesto for topping cold pasta salads.

Perch Breakfast Recipes

Did you think fish wasn’t a breakfast food? How wrong you are! Batter up and pan-fry your perch for breakfast and serve alongside eggs and hashbrowns for a satisfying morning meal or feature this palatable game fish with crispy bacon and mushrooms.

Top English muffins with perch filets, poached eggs and hollandaise for a healthier eggs benedict or use perch in your next fishcake recipe for a fish cake eggs benny. For another spectacular brunch idea, join perch with blanched fiddlehead ferns, thyme and homemade hollandaise or consider a more unusual dish: a breakfast bake with blueberries, perch and a dollop of sour cream.

Perch Snack and Appetizer Recipes

Utilize perch to craft an array of tasty, appealing appetizers for friends and family. For a stunning starter, try your hand at perch rolls baked with butter and thyme. These perch filets wrapped in crepes and served with a bechamel-based fondue sauce will absolutely delight guests and kin.

For more small snacks and appetizers, feature perch in fish cakes or a whitefish ceviche. Sample perch in a shrimp cocktail-style appetizer or a crisp up perch and serve with a roasted red pepper dipping sauce for a shareable sensation. Perch can also be added to a hot cheesy dip for a spicy smoked whitefish dip embellished with jalapenos and pepperoncinis.

And for a truly sensational treat, feature perch lobster roll-style in a buttery hot dog bun. Top with onions and tangy sauce for even more yum-factor.

Perch Savory Main Courses

Enjoy the flavor of perch in a smorgasbord of dinner courses from baked dishes to stove-top soups. Perch can be pan-fried in a citrus-based parsley sauce for a speedy dinner coupled with potatoes or veggies, or baked with spiced seasonings in a rich cream sauce. Your precious perch can also be hand-breaded and pan-fried in a skillet and served fish and chip-style with tartar sauce and fries.

For more culturally diverse takes on this flaky fish, test out Italian-themed perch parmesan or incorporate perch in a Spanish paella. Two additional methods include preparing perch the Nordic way with yogurt sauce or serving this panfish Mediterranean-style with caper mayonnaise.

Feature perch in a hearty fish pie with a rich white sauce, eggs, cheese and veggies all topped with potatoes for a nice, comforting bake. Other rich, warming options include adding perch to soups, chowder or even bisques.

Perch Pasta Recipes

Marry perch with your preferred pasta to build a carb-dense plate of deliciousness. Showcase perch filets in a spicy spaghetti with capers and fresh parsley in an Italian spaghetti alla puttanesca. Other fantastic pasta plates featuring perch include perch linguine with herbs, tagliatelle with carrot sauce and perch, or farfalle in a creamy mushroom sauce topped with pan-seared perch filets.

For more inventive dishes, implement perch in a ravioli filling or sample bacon-wrapped filets with cheesy chervil ravioli. In search of a course that’s both beautiful and bold? Balance perch with black tagliatelle dyed with squid ink for a highly contrasting dish accentuated with snow peas.

And if working with the strongly-flavored ocean perch, consider frying filets to pair with curried noodles or balancing out with sweet peas and cheddar cheese.

Perch Rice Recipes

Sometimes you find yourself with less perch than you’d hoped for. In such situations, plumping up your dishes with some starchy rice can extend your modest catch much further, feeding far more mouths than the fish alone would.

To extend the reach of your flavorful filets and elevate this basic panfish, plate your perch with a range of creamy risottos. The flavors of sage, butternut squash and lemon accentuate this fish exceptionally well. For more filling rice options, combine perch with fried rice, tomato rice or simple long-grain rice.

Cured and Fermented Perch

There are a few methods available to you by which you can cure perch. The curing process both preserves your catch while imparting flavor to the fish. Typically, fish can be cured with salt, smoke or dehydration, or a combination of these techniques.

Although few recipes exist that are specifically tailored to perch, general recipes for pan fish and whitefish can be used. Below you’ll find several recipes for pickling fish and smoking fish as well as a few recipes on curing and smoking perch roe.

Do note, perch are best smoked whole as these smaller fish can easily dry out if smoked fileted. Smoking with the skin still on helps conserve moisture and preserve the texture.

Curing Fish
Pickled Perch
Smoked Perch
Salt Cured Dried Perch Fish Eggs
Smoked Perch Roe (+ Recipe for Perch Ukha, Perch Fritters, and Perch Roe Croutons)

Preserving Perch

On the occasion that you had an especially bountiful fishing trip and captured an entire school of perch, you may be curious as to what your preservation options are.

Freezing, canning, smoking and pickling are the most prominent practices of preserving fish. However, safe handling and preparation of fish is essential to bypass any risks of foodborne illness. Of all the meats, fish is the most vulnerable to spoilage and decomposition.

To avoid any risk of spoiling, keep perch alive as long as possible. Next, be sure to clean and freeze your fish quickly or process them via your preferred preservation method. General outlines for freezing, canning, curing and dehydrating fish are provided below.