Wienerschnitzel

About This Recipe

Wienerschnitzel — the Viennese schnitzel — is one of Austria's national dishes and, by law (Wiener Schnitzel is a legally protected name in Austria and Germany), must be made with veal. The technique is exact: a top-round cutlet is pounded to 4 mm thick, dipped in flour, beaten egg, and dry breadcrumbs (sometimes panko-textured but never coarse), then fried in shimmering clarified butter or lard so the coating puffs away from the meat in the signature 'Souffleur' bubbles. The schnitzel arrives the size of a side plate, often hanging over the edges, accompanied by a wedge of lemon, a tiny lake of capers and parsley, and a side of buttery petersilkartoffeln (parsley potatoes) or cucumber salad. Eat with knife and fork; squeeze lemon over; taste the contrast of crisp golden crust, tender pale veal, and the bright bite of citrus.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 4veal cutlets from the top round (150–180 g each)
• 120 gplain flour
• 3 largeeggs, lightly beaten with 2 tbsp milk
• 200 gfine fresh breadcrumbs (semmelbrösel)
• 1.5 tspfine salt
• 1 tspfreshly ground white pepper
• 200 gclarified butter (or 60 g butter + 200 ml neutral oil)
• 1 small bunchflat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tbspcapers, drained
• 4lemon wedges
• 600 gsmall new potatoes (for parsley potatoes)
• 40 gunsalted butter (for potatoes)

Instructions

1. 1

   Pound thin

   Place each cutlet between sheets of cling film. Pound with a smooth-faced meat mallet (not a tenderiser) from the center outward to 4 mm thick. The schnitzel should be larger than your palm.

2. 2

   Boil potatoes

   Boil new potatoes in salted water until tender, 15 minutes. Drain. Toss with melted butter and a generous handful of chopped parsley. Keep warm.

3. 3

   Season and set up the breading

   Season cutlets on both sides with salt and white pepper. Set out three wide shallow dishes: flour, beaten egg with milk, and breadcrumbs.

4. 4

   Bread

   Dredge each cutlet in flour, shaking off excess. Dip in egg, letting drips fall off. Lay in breadcrumbs and press very lightly with the back of your fingers — do not push hard or the soufflé effect won't happen. Lay on a tray.

5. 5

   Heat the fat

   In a wide heavy skillet, heat clarified butter to a depth of 1 cm to 170°C — it should shimmer. The amount must be enough that the schnitzel essentially swims rather than fries.

6. 6

   Fry one at a time

   Lay one schnitzel into the hot fat. Immediately swirl the pan continuously, basting the top with the hot fat using a spoon. Within 60 seconds the breading should lift and puff into the Souffleur bubble — wavelike crackling between meat and crust.

7. 7

   Flip and finish

   After 90 seconds, flip carefully. Cook 60 more seconds, continuing to baste, until both sides are deep gold.

8. 8

   Drain on paper

   Lift onto a paper-towel-lined rack. Continue with remaining schnitzels, adding clarified butter if the pan looks dry. Each schnitzel takes about 3 minutes total.

9. 9

   Plate

   Lay each schnitzel onto a wide plate. Top center with a small mound of chopped parsley and capers. Add a lemon wedge and a generous side of parsley potatoes. Serve immediately.

Variations

• •

  Schnitzel Wiener Art ('Viennese style schnitzel'): made with pork, the everyday variant.

• •

  Schnitzel Holstein: topped with a fried egg and anchovies.

• •

  Jägerschnitzel: with a creamy mushroom sauce on top.

Storage

Eat immediately. Reheat refrigerated leftovers (up to 2 days) in a hot oven at 200°C for 8 minutes — never microwave.

Frequently Asked Questions