by Vernon Summerlin
Oven Fried Crappie
1 pound crappie fillets
1 cup Italian Style bread crumbs
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
Vegetable, canola or peanut oil
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pour oil into a medium sized casserole dish to a depth of approximately 1/8 inch. Preheat the oven (and the pan of oil). Combine milk and egg in a small bowl and beat until completely mixed. Dip fillets in milk/egg mixture and then roll in bread crumbs. Add salt and pepper per your preference. Place fillets into the pan of oil, allow oil to soak into first side and then turn fillets over to oil second side. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.
Spicy Mustard Fried Crappie
6-8 large crappie fillets
1 16-ounce carton sour cream
1 cup prepared mustard
3 cups yellow cornmeal
Salt and pepper to taste
Peanut oil
Coat fish with sour cream and mustard and let stand for 20 minutes in refrigerator. Season cornmeal with salt and pepper before dredging the fish in the mixture. Deep fry in hot peanut oil, using either a cast iron skillet or deep fryer.
Foiled Crappie
2 pounds crappie fillets
3 teaspoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon dill
Salt and pepper
Rub fillets with butter and place on aluminum foil with the edges turned up. Sprinkle lemon juice, basil, dill salt and pepper on fillets. Fold foil over fillets and tightly seal edges. Grill or bake for approximately 15 minutes or until fillets are white and flaky.
I save the juices from the foil to use like gravy. Umm, most tasty!
