Filets de Pêrches
If you go into a restaurant in Geneva area then there is a good chance that one of the dishes on the menu will be Filets de Pêrches – fillet of perch.
After living here for sometime, a colleague of my husband remarked that it was a wonder anyone could swim in Lake Geneva, the amount of Perch that was on offer in the restaurants. He was of course alluding to the fact that the restaurants give the impression of offering fresh fish from the lake, when it is anything but. It is imported frozen from other countries.
Some restaurants do sell perch from Lac Leman, as Lake Geneva is called in French but finding a local supplier can be difficult.
Luckily for us, there is now a small fish shop in one of the nearby villages. It is called Pêcherie de Coheran and was funded by the local government of Corsier, Hermance and Anières.
The fishermen, Romain Gindre and Julien Monney are to be found sorting out their nets and filleting fish most mornings. When we went there this morning, we watched the Perch being removed from the nets and sorted.
Once sorted, the fish are gutted and prepared for sale. The little fish fillets cost CHF 70/kg – I recently bought fish for CHF 35 (about €30) and that was enough for two very generous portions. This is slightly more expensive that you would pay in a supermarket, but well worth the extra cost for the freshly caught fish straight from the lake.
Now for the preparation. My favourite method is the simplest one. Melt butter and oil in a pan, slide the lightly floured perch in, skin side down, little bit of salt and pepper.
Gently fry the perch until golden brown and slightly crispy then sprinkle with fresh herbs. DONE. Serve with steamed potatoes or chips and a fresh green salad.
4 Comments
Bassfeld
I like the filets de perche at the lakeside Restaurant Le Creux-de-Genthod. Fantastic view of the Mont Blanc on clear days and onto Geneva as a bonus.
Anonymous
That restaurant looks fantastic, will certainly try it out. Link here: http://www.creuxdegenthod.com/
Butterflyexperience
Yum!
I love food in it’s purest form
MmeLindor
Yes, no faffing about for hours, just in and out of the pan. Done and delicious.