Crispy Baked Perch

Have you ever had ocean perch? It's a white fish that is mildly sweet, super flaky and firm, and very easy to cook. One of my favorite ways to cook ocean perch is to coat it in a delicious Dijon-mayo-Parmesan-breadcrumb topping and bake until crispy. The parmesan crusted perch bakes in under 10 minutes, making for a very easy seafood dinner. Kid-friendly, easy, tasty—perfect! Try this Baked Perch recipe for dinner this week!

Oh, and if you can't find perch, try this parmesan-crusted fish recipe with tilapia!

Baked perch fillets

Ocean perch is not a large fish, so it has little fillets that are super easy to cook with and quickly cook through to perfect flakiness. Since this perch recipe has a crispy topping made with crispy Panko breadcrumbs, the fillets remind me of a fried fish stick but without all the grease.

Baked fish without the fuss and grease of deep frying?? Yes please!

More easy baked seafood recipes: Baked Swai in Lemon Garlic Sauce

What does perch taste like?

Ocean perch is a white fish that reminds me of the combination of tilapia and cod. Tilapia in flavor, cod in flakiness and firmness. It is a great fish to cook with and is a favorite even with my picky kid, who won't eat any other white fish other than fish sticks. 

Perch is pretty mild in flavor with a subtle sweetness (not sugary sweet, but ya know how lobster meat has a mild sweetness?? YUM). It is a lean fish without too much fat in it.

In this recipe, the perch fillets are coated in a Dijon-mayo spread and then dipped into a combination of crispy Panko breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan. The Dijon and mayo mixture has the perfect combination of a little mustard flavor and a little bit of fat, which balances out the leanness of the perch. (By the way, try my mayo baked salmon, it's so good!!).

And the crispy Parmesan topping??? SO GOOD!

Ingredients

• 1 lb ocean perch fillets (skin on is OK)
• salt and pepper, to taste (about ½ teaspoon each)
• 1.5 tablespoon Dijon mustard or regular yellow mustard
• 1.5 tablespoon mayonnaise
• ⅓ cup plain panko breadcrumbs
• ⅓ cup grated Parmesan (finely grated, not shredded. The stuff in the green jar is OK here, but freshly grated is better)
• 1 teaspoon herbs de Provence (or your favorite dried herbs)
• olive oil sprayer (I love this refillable one)

More easy seafood dinners: Swai in Tomato Caper Sauce

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F. Spray or brush a large baking sheet with oil, or line a baking sheet with parchment paper and then spray it with oil.

In a large dinner plate, combine the panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and herbs de Provence. Mix to combine.

In a small bowl, combine the Dijon mustard and mayonnaise and mix well.

Season the perch with salt and pepper on both sides. Lay flat (skin side down if the skin is on). Use the back of a spoon to spread the mayo+mustard mixture on top of the perch fillets (top side only).

Use your hands to place the perch fillets mustard side down into the breadcrumbs mixture. Press down gently but firmly to get the breadcrumbs to coat the bottom. You're coating just one side.

Arrange the breaded perch fillets on the baking sheet with the breadcrumb side up. Spray the tops with olive oil.

Bake in a preheated oven for 5-6 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil for 2-3 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are golden brown and the perch is cooked through. Keep a close eye on the tops of the perch to make sure the breadcrumbs don't burn!

Serve warm, squeezing fresh lemon juice over the tops of the perch fillets.

What to serve with baked perch

Baked perch makes a great addition to pretty much ANY dinner because it goes with so many dishes!

It makes a fun twist on crispy fish tacos. Just put a piece or two in a tortilla and add some fruity salsa on top, like this pineapple pico de gallo! We love it with rice and a roasted or air fried vegetable. It tastes great next to roasted young potatoes or mashed potatoes.

For a quicker dinner where all the dishes can be ready in about 20 minutes or less, pick some easy sides:

• Veggie ideas: chopped salad, tzatziki cucumber salad, frozen veggies, or roasted shishitos (ready in 10 minutes!).
• Starchy side dish: microwaveable instant rice, microwaveable young potatoes, whole wheat garlic bread.

If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!

Print Recipe

5 from 15 votes

Crispy Baked Perch

This crispy seafood dinner of baked perch is ready in under 20 minutes! Just a few ingredients and so delicious. Read the blog post for serving ideas.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time8 minutes mins

Total Time18 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 3

Author: Kate

  Cook Mode: Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• 1 lb ocean perch fillets - (skin on is OK)
• salt and pepper - to taste (about ½ teaspoon each)
• 1.5 tablespoon Dijon mustard - or regular yellow mustard
• 1.5 tablespoon mayonnaise
• ⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs
• ⅓ cup grated Parmesan - (finely grated, not shredded. The stuff in the green jar is OK here, but freshly grated is better)
• 1 teaspoon herbs de Provence - (or your favorite dried herbs)
• olive oil in a sprayer - (I love this refillable one)

Special equipment

• Large broiler-safe baking sheet
• Parchment paper (optional, but makes for easier cleanup and guarantees that the perch won't stick)
• Spoon
• Oil sprayer (I love this refillable one)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400F. Spray or brush a large baking sheet with oil, or line a baking sheet with parchment paper and then spray it with oil.
• In a large dinner plate, combine the ⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs, ⅓ cup grated Parmesan, and 1 teaspoon herbs de Provence. Mix to combine.
  
• In a small bowl, combine the 1.5 tablespoon Dijon mustard and 1.5 tablespoon mayonnaise and mix well.
• Season the perch with salt and pepper on both sides. Lay flat (skin side down if the skin is on). Use the back of a spoon to spread the mayo+mustard mixture on top of the perch fillets (top side only).
  
• Use your hands to place the perch fillets mustard side down into the breadcrumbs mixture. Press down gently but firmly to get the breadcrumbs to coat the bottom. You're coating just one side.
  
• Arrange the breaded perch fillets on the baking sheet with the breadcrumb side up. Spray the tops with olive oil.
  
• Bake in a preheated oven for 5-6 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil for 2-3 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are golden brown and the perch is cooked through. Keep a close eye on the tops of the perch to make sure the breadcrumbs don't burn!
• Serve warm, squeezing fresh lemon juice over the tops of the perch fillets.

Notes

The nutrition facts are estimated assuming 1 lb of perch for 4 people, which ends up being 2-3 pieces per person, depending on the size of the fillets.

Nutrition

Calories: 250kcal (13%) | Carbohydrates: 5g (2%) | Protein: 35g (70%) | Fat: 10g (15%) | Saturated Fat: 3g (15%) | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 84mg (28%) | Sodium: 689mg (29%) | Potassium: 490mg (14%) | Fiber: 1g (4%) | Sugar: 1g (1%) | Vitamin A: 94IU (2%) | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 147mg (15%) | Iron: 2mg (11%)

The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.