Wiener Schnitzel

Name: Wiener Schnitzel
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: Austria
Ingredients: 4 (about 5 oz each) veal escalopes, about 140 g each, from the top round (leg); 6 g (1 tsp) fine sea salt; freshly ground white pepper; 60 g (½ cup) all-purpose flour; 2 eggs; 2 tbsp heavy cream or milk; 120 g (1¼ cups) fine dry breadcrumbs, from white rolls, not panko; 750 ml (3 cups) neutral oil or clarified butter, or a mix, for frying; 30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter; 1 lemon, wedges; lingonberry jam and Potato Salad, to serve

Veal pounded thin, crumbed and fried until the coating billows

Serves: 4
Hands-on: 30 min
Total: 35 min
Level: Some skill

Under Austria's official food codex, a Wiener Schnitzel must be veal; anything else is "Wiener Art" (Viennese style). Thin veal escalopes are crumbed and fried in plenty of hot fat, the pan rocked constantly so the coating puffs into golden waves, and served simply with lemon, potato salad and lingonberry jam. This is the book's classic thin cutlet; for chicken see Chicken Schnitzel, for thick panko-crusted pork Tonkatsu.

Ingredients

4veal escalopes (about 5 oz each)about 140 g each, from the top round (leg)
6 gfine sea salt (1 tsp)
freshly ground white pepper
60 gall-purpose flour (½ cup)
2eggs
2 tbspheavy cream or milk
120 gfine dry breadcrumbs (1¼ cups)from white rolls, not panko
750 mlneutral oil or clarified butter (3 cups)or a mix, for frying
30 gunsalted butter (2 tbsp)
1lemonwedges
lingonberry jam and Potato Saladto serve

Allergens: gluten, egg, milk, mustard, celery, sulphites
Origin: Austria (Vienna)

Method

Lay each escalope between sheets of plastic wrap and pound gently with a flat meat mallet or the base of a pan, working from the center out, to 4–5 mm thick. Snip the edges in two or three places so they don't curl.
Season both sides with salt and pepper. Set up three dishes: flour; eggs beaten with the cream (just mixed, not foamy); breadcrumbs.
Coat each escalope in flour and shake off; dip in egg; then lay in the crumbs and turn — don't press. The crumbs should sit loosely.
Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan or sauté pan to 170°C (340°F); it should be about 1.5 cm deep so the schnitzel swims, and come no more than one-third of the way up the side. Add the butter for flavor.
Fry one or two at a time, constantly rocking the pan so the hot fat rolls over the top, until the coating puffs away from the meat and is golden, about 2 minutes. Turn and fry 1–2 minutes more. Veal this thin is cooked through — 63°C (145°F) — by the time the crumbs are golden. 4 min
Drain briefly on paper towel, then serve immediately with lemon wedges, lingonberry jam and potato salad.

Why it works

Dipping in egg without pressing the crumbs leaves a loose shell. As the thin meat cooks, its steam lifts the egg-bound shell away from the surface, and rocking the pan bastes the top so the coating sets in waves — the famous soufflé effect. Deep fat cooks the thin escalope in the time it takes for the crumbs to turn golden.

Common mistakes

Pressing the crumbs on. It glues the coating flat.
Shallow fat: the coating can't float and puff.
Coarse panko or seasoned crumbs. Fine, plain breadcrumbs are traditional.

Variations

Schnitzel Wiener Art: Use pork loin escalopes, pounded the same way; cook to 63°C (145°F).
Holstein: Top each schnitzel with a fried egg, a few anchovy fillets and capers.

Make ahead and storage

Pound and season up to a day ahead. Crumb just before frying.

Notes

Rose veal from welfare-friendly farms is widely available. For chicken, see Chicken Schnitzel. Mustard, celery and sulphites only from the potato salad.