Smallmouth a la Spednik Sauteed Bass Meunier

Bass meunier is the French technique of dredging fish in flour and sauteing in butter, and this version adds cornmeal to the dredge for a crunchier, more rustic crust. The cornmeal gives each piece a golden, gritty texture that holds up better than flour alone.

Cook the bass slowly over medium heat. Rushing it with high heat burns the butter and leaves the inside raw. You want the coating to turn deep golden brown while the flesh goes from translucent to opaque all the way through.

The pan sauce is dead simple: vinegar stirred into the browned butter and pan drippings. Those crispy bits stuck to the bottom of the pan dissolve into the vinegar and create a sharp, nutty sauce that cuts through the richness of all that butter.

Chef Tips

• Turn the fish only once, and use a thin spatula. The cornmeal crust is fragile when it first forms. Let it set fully before flipping.
• Keep the heat at medium. Butter burns fast at high temperatures, and burnt butter tastes bitter, not nutty.
• The fish is done when it turns completely opaque and flakes when gently pressed with a fork. Don’t wait for it to fall apart on its own.

Variations

• Use lemon juice instead of vinegar for a more traditional meunier preparation.
• Add capers and a squeeze of lemon to the pan sauce for a piccata-style finish.
• Any firm freshwater fish works here: walleye, perch, or trout all take the same treatment well.