Schnitzel

Ingredients

Meat

• 4pork loin steaks, about 150 g each, or veal for a true Wiener Schnitzel

Coating

• 100 gplain flour
• 3eggs, beaten with 1 tbsp milk or cream
• 200 gfine dry breadcrumbs
• salt and white pepper

To fry

• 300 gclarified butter, or a mix of butter and neutral oil

To serve

• lemon wedges
• potato salad
• parsley potatoes
• lingonberry preserve

For Jägerschnitzel

• mushroom cream sauce

For Zigeunerschnitzel

• a paprika and pepper sauce, now often called Paprikaschnitzel

Directions

1. Lay each cutlet between two sheets of cling film or in a bag. Beat it out to about 4 mm thick with the flat side of a mallet or a rolling pin.
2. Use the flat side and strike outward from the centre rather than straight down. It should end up thin and even, roughly the size of a plate.
3. Season the meat itself with salt and pepper, not just the coating. Dredge in flour and shake off every bit of excess. Shake the flour off properly. A thick layer of flour goes pasty under the egg and the crumb slides off in the pan.
4. Dip in the beaten egg, letting the excess drip back. Now the instruction that matters most: do not press the crumbs on. Lay the cutlet in the crumbs and lift it out with the barest pat. The coating must sit loosely on the meat rather than being pressed into it.
5. Fry it immediately after coating rather than letting it stand. Now the fat, and there must be a lot of it. Heat clarified butter in a wide pan to a depth of at least 1 cm, to about 170°C. The schnitzel should swim rather than sit in a film of fat.
6. Fry 2 to 3 minutes until deep golden, then turn it once and give it 2 minutes more. It is done when it is evenly golden and the crumb has visibly wrinkled and lifted. Lift it out and drain it briefly on a rack rather than paper.
7. Serve it immediately, with lemon wedges. For Jägerschnitzel, serve it under a mushroom cream sauce, and note that the coating goes soft under sauce, which is why the classic is served plain.

Technique

• Butterschmalz is sold ready-clarified in German and Austrian shops.
• The crumb should be pale golden and blistered, never dark brown.
• It must be fried to order and never reheated, because the coating goes soft.

Substitutions

• Chicken or turkey breast, beaten out the same way.
• A mix of butter and neutral oil in place of clarified butter.

Variations

• Wiener Schnitzel, made with veal.
• Jägerschnitzel, with mushroom cream sauce.
• Rahmschnitzel, with a plain cream sauce.

History

German law reserves Wiener Schnitzel for veal, so the pork version must be sold as Schnitzel Wiener Art, Viennese style.

Frequently asked questions

What is Schnitzel?

Schnitzel is a main from Germany: breaded fried pork cutlet, often sauced with mushrooms or paprika. German law reserves Wiener Schnitzel for veal, so the pork version must be sold as Schnitzel Wiener Art, Viennese style.

How long does Schnitzel take to make?

Schnitzel takes 20 min of preparation and 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Schnitzel?

Yes, within limits. Chicken or turkey breast, beaten out the same way. A mix of butter and neutral oil in place of clarified butter.

What is the most important thing to get right in Schnitzel?

Use the flat side and strike outward from the centre rather than straight down. It should end up thin and even, roughly the size of a plate.