The wordpanfish, also spelledpan-fish orpan fish, is anAmerican English term describing anyediblefreshwater fish that usually do not outgrow the size of an averagefrying pan. It is also commonly used byrecreationalanglers to refer to any smallgame fish that can fit wholly into a pan forcooking but are stilllarge enough to be legal. According to theOxford English Dictionary, the term was first recorded in 1796 inAmerican Cookery, the first knowncookbook written by an American author.[1]
The termpanfish orpan-fish has been used to refer to a wide range of edible freshwater and saltwater fish species that are small enough to cook whole in one frying pan. The fish species that match this definition and usage vary according to geography.[2] One early-20th-century source identifies all the following as panfish:yellow perch,candlefish,balaos,sand launces,rock bass,bullheads,minnows,Rocky Mountain whitefish,sand rollers,crappie,yellow bass,white bass,croaker and most of the common smallsunfishes such asbluegill andredear sunfish.[3]
Here is one example:
As a pan-fish we do not know of any better among Americanfreshwater fishes. We have experimented with the yellow perch and several other species, including both species ofblack bass, the bluegill,wall-eyed pike, and rock-bass, eating each for several days in succession, and found the yellow perch the sweetest and most delicious of them all. One does not tire of it so soon as of the other kinds. Several other persons who tried the same experiment reached the same conclusion. In most parts of its range it is highly esteemed, and in many places it is of very considerable commercial importance. In theGreat Lakes, thePotomac River, and the small lakes in the upperMississippi Valley large quantities are taken, which always find a ready sale.[4]
The following is a typical example of the term as it was commonly used in cooking taken fromThe White House Cookbook compiled by Hugo Ziemann, chief kitchen steward in theWhite House in 1901:
TO FRY FISH – Most of the smaller fish (generally termedpan-fish) are usually fried. Clean well, cut off the head, and, if quite large, cut out the backbone, and slice the body crosswise into five or six pieces; season with salt and pepper. Dip in Indian meal or wheat flour, or in beaten egg, and roll in bread or fine cracker crumbs. Trout and perch should not be dipped in meal; put into a thick bottomed iron frying pan, the flesh side down, with hot lard or drippings; fry slowly, turning when lightly browned.PAN-FISH. Place them in a thick bottomed frying pan with heads all one way. Fill the spaces with smaller fish. When they are fried quite brown and ready to turn, put a dinner plate over them, drain off the fat; then invert the pan, and they will be left unbroken on the plate. Put the lard back into the pan, and when hot slip back the fish. When the other side is brown, drain, turn on a plate as before, and slip them on a warm platter, to be sent to the table. Leaving the heads on and the fish a crispy-brown, in perfect shape, improves the appearance if not the flavor. Garnish with slices of lemon.[5]
In most angling literature,[citation needed] members of the freshwater familyCentrarchidae (also called sunfishes) are the target species most likely to be called panfish. They include:
The term panfish may also be used for members ofPercidae families, such as:
The term panfish may also be used for members of other families, such as:
