In winter, it never fails: When I drive by McWenneger Slough, someone is fishing on the ice. Often several popup and homebuilt shanties dot the frozen surface as people seek perch, pike and other fish below it.
Each time, I’m tempted by the idea of a fresh meal when my garden is buried in snow. Many of my ice-fishing friends grab their rods for exactly that reason. Even those who are well stocked after fishing avidly in summer crave a just-caught dinner. They keep tabs on the Snappy Sport Senter fish report, especially the ice thickness, and the many fishing derbies on lakes and reservoirs valleywide from January to mid-March.
When I dug for details about how fisherfolk cook their catch once they return from the cold, the answers were fairly simple: bread and deep fry, fillet and pan-fry or bake with lemon and butter. Their answers reminded me of piccata, a quick Italian-style dish that combines lemon, butter and capers into a rich sauce. It pairs well with perch’s mild, delicate flavor.
Fortunately, you don’t have to hit the ice to enjoy piccata. Any panfish, from perch or sunfish pulled out of local waters to farm-raised and store-bought tilapia or barramundi, can be dredged in flour, browned and then set aside so that you can quickly make the sauce in the same pan. Beyond fish, piccata often starts with veal or chicken. I also serve the sauce over sauteed oyster mushrooms for a vegetarian twist.
Panfish Piccata
Serves 3-4
1 pound white fish fillets, such as perch or tilapia
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose or gluten-free flour
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup white wine, dry vermouth or mild fish stock
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1–2 tablespoons capers
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Pat the fish dry and season with salt and pepper. Dredge both sides in flour, shaking off excess, and set aside. In a small bowl, mash with a fork about 1/4 teaspoon of the leftover flour and 1 tablespoon of butter; set aside.
Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat; add the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter. Once melted, add the fillets and cook for 2-3 minutes, shaking the pan as needed to prevent sticking. Flip carefully and cook for another minute, until the fish starts to flake. Gently transfer to a plate.
Put the wine and garlic in the same pan and whisk over medium-high heat for about one minute, until the liquid deglazes the pan and about half evaporates. Stir in the lemon juice and capers. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the butter–flour paste, whisking constantly until the butter melts and coats the back of a spoon. Return the fish to the pan, spoon sauce over it, remove from the heat and garnish with lemon zest and parsley. Serve immediately.
Julie Laing is a Bigfork-based cookbook author and food blogger at TwiceAsTasty.com.