Pan-Fried Perch (Brown Butter)

This is a simple perch recipe from someone who loves perch. I love everything about them — their sweet, delicate flavour, the striking colouration, and the stubborn fight they put up for their size. The key to this recipe is getting the butter to a perfect nutty brown. Technically it's still butter, but something happens when it's toasted like this and it really does become another ingredient altogether.

1 cup all-purpose flour, unbleached
1 tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. black pepper, finely ground
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
8 oz fresh perch fillets
2 Tbsp. butter
1 lemon, cut in half

Whisk flour, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in a shallow bowl. Gently press perch fillets into flour mixture to coat, shaking off any excess flour.

Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat until butter is foaming and nut-brown in colour. Working in batches, cook fillets in brown butter until lightly golden, about 2 minutes per side.

Transfer cooked fillets to a plate, squeeze lemon juice over the top and serve.