First Catch of the Season

It's so good to have fisherfriends! Especially when they are nice enough to share their score of Lake Erie Walleye :D This is actually Lake Erie Perch season, but our friend ended up finding a school of hungry Walleye during his day out on the lake. Although I prefer Perch to Walleye on any given day - Walleye is still VERY delicious and I am not one to complain when someone is nice enough to think about us and willing to share their catch.. oh hell no! Hubbs wanted pan fried fish and instead of my normal breading of just plain flour seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper - I remembered the box of Panko sitting in my pantry that I haven't cooked with yet. Panko is an Asian style bread crumb, not as fine as your normal everyday bread crumbs and I don't believe they are toasted. What they do is give whatever it is you are coating an unbelieveable crunch that has made me decide to use them whenever any bread crumb is called for. Delish! I'm just sorry I let them sit for so long before experimenting with them. This fish was moist and delicate in flavor and the goldeny brown crunchy goodness on the outside was extremely satisfying. It only takes a small amount of oil to fry fish in so I don't feel to incredibly bad about yet another fried dinner.. teeee! (I can rationalize anything to make myself feel better *grin*) Pan Fried Walleye using Panko 4 large fillets of the freshest Walleye (or Perch) you can get your hands on 1 c. all-purpose flour 1 TBS. garlic powder Salt and Pepper to taste 2 eggs, beaten and seasoned 1 1/2 c. Panko About a 1/4 inch of vegetable oil in skillet (I used canola oil) Heat oil in skillet. In a shallow bowl, combine flour, garlic powder, salt & pepper. Place the Panko in another shallow bowl. Finally, the beaten eggs in a third shallow bowl. Dredge the fillets in the flour mixture first, then the eggs and finally the Panko. Depending on size of your skillet, place 2 to 4 fillets in the hot oil and fry each side for about 3 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the fish is flaky. Drain excess oil on paper towels.