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Walleye Pike

 

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Fish

Wisconsin has thousands of fresh-water lakes and is bordered by two of the Great Lakes.  Freshwater fish has an entirely different flavor than seafood.  Fish from a deep, cold-water Wisconsin lake tastes fresh.

Beer Battered Walleye
This recipe works well with other fish, including Wisconsin perch, bluegill and crappie.  It's also good with salt-water fish such as cod or haddock.

2 lbs walleye fillets
3 eggs
1/2 can cold beer
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt

Beat eggs well.  Add beer and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  In separate bowl, combine flour, cornmeal and remaining salt. Dip fillets first into liquid batter then into dry mixture, and back into liquid batter. Fry in butter or vegetable oil until coating is light brown and fish flakes easily with a fork. Serves 4.

Jimbo's Tartar Sauce
1 medium onion. Use the kind of onion that tastes best to you (I use sweet Vidalia).
Squeeze juice from half a lemon
Mayonnaise (you'll taste and adjust here)
Sweet pickle, chopped real fine (not pickle relish, and again, you'll taste and adjust here)
Dijon mustard (yep, you'll be tastin' and adjustin')
Dried or fresh tarragon (ditto the above)

Cut the onion to the texture you like in your mouth.  Squeeze the lemon on top.  Add just enough mayo to bind it together and stir.  Add about a teaspoon of Dijon mustard and stir.  Add about 2 tablespoons of finely chopped sweet pickle.  Stir.  Now comes the tarragon, and you want to be careful here.  It's an herb with a bit of a licorice flavor, the French call it "little dragon".  If you taste licorice, you've overdone it.  If you taste something mysterious in the back of the other stuff in the recipe, you have it just right.  Start with half a teaspoon if it's dried or a full teaspoon if it's fresh tarragon.  Stir.  Now comes the part that separates recipe-followers from people who have other people begging for your recipe.  Taste and adjust!  If you want more mayo flavor or a thinner sauce, add mayo.  If you like mustard, start with a teaspoon of Dijon.  If you like sweet pickle, add more sweet pickle.  If you want a bit more mystery to the flavor, add a bit more tarragon, but not so much that you taste licorice, because then it's not a mystery anymore, it tastes like licorice, eh?  When you have it just right for your taste, sprinkle just a bit of salt into it - no more than a quarter teaspoon. That'll help make the flavors dance on your tongue.  Keep adjusting and tasting, adding only a little bit of any one ingredient at any given time, until you have the perfect tartar sauce for you.

Almond-Coated Walleye
You can experiment using other types of nuts in this recipe.  Try walnuts or pistachios.

2 cups ground almonds
2 cups ground saltine crackers
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups flour
1 cup milk
2 eggs
2 pounds walleye fillets
oil for frying

Mix almonds, crackers, and pepper.

Place the flour on a large plate and cracker/almond mix on another plate.  In a shallow pan, whisk the milk and eggs.  Dredge the walleye fillets in flour, then dip in egg mixture, and then into the cracker meal/almond mix.  Continue until all walleye pieces are coated.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Test the temperature of the oil by touching an end of the fish to the oil.  If it starts sizzling, it's ready to cook.  If oil smokes, it's too hot.  Place enough fish in pan to cover the bottom, but do not crowd.  Cook fish about 5 minutes per side, until golden brown and flaky in center.

Breaded Fried Fish
Walleye, perch, bluegill, crappie, catfish, etc. tastes great with this recipe.

1/4 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
4 fish fillets
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
flour for first dredging
vegetable oil

Mix first 6 ingredients for breading mixture.  Beat eggs, then add milk and mix thoroughly.  Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Dip fillets in plain flour, then in egg mixture. then in breading mixture.  Place fish in pan and fry until golden brown and flaky in center.

Fish recipe secret:  If you have a stronger-flavored fish, soak fish in milk, refrigerated, for up to 24 hours before breading and frying.

Pickled Pike
Northern Pike is a bony fish - only a highly skilled fish-cleaner can get a bone-free filet.  This recipe was developed in part because the vinegar dissolves the bones.  Consider it an old northern version of ceviche.

Six pounds fish fillets
Vinegar to cover, (plus one quart vinegar)
2/3 cup salt
2 1/2 cups sugar
Two Tablespoons pickling spice, (tied into a cloth)
Sliced onions

Put six pounds fish fillets into glass bowl. Cover with salt and mix. Cover with white vinegar. Put in refrigerator. Stir each day, for seven days. Then pour off liquid and rinse the fish.

Boil sugar, vinegar and pickling spice for five minutes. Set aside until cool. Remove spice bag.

Pack fish in layers in jars, alternating with sliced onions. Pour cool brine over fish and onions. Keep in refrigerator.  Eat with crackers.

Door County Fish Boil (Outdoor Cooking)
In Door County, "the Cape Cod of the Midwest", Fish Boil is served at many supper clubs on summer evenings.  It's more than a meal - it's a theatrical presentation, especially when kerosene is poured on the fire to make the pot boil over at the end of cooking.  The boiling over has a culinary purpose as well - it purges the fish oils from the cauldron.

 For each person:
3 small, peeled onions
3 small new potatoes
1 pound of whitefish, cut into chunks
1 cup of salt per 3 gallons of water
Freshly melted butter

The typical manner for building the fire for the cauldron in Door County is to stand the halved firelogs on end, leaning against the bottom of the cauldron. This allows the heat to become more focused on the bottom of the pot.

Add the salt to the water in the cauldron and begin building the fire.  Once the water begins to boil, throw in the potatoes and boil for 10 minutes.  Then, add the onions.  Build up the fire more and boil for 7 minutes.  Build up the fire some more.  Once the water is strongly boiling, add the fish and boil for 9 minutes.  Build up the fire once more and allow the water to boil over (this is typically done by throwing kerosene on the fire).  Drain and serve the fish, potatoes and onions with plenty of melted butter.  Serve with cole slaw, rye bread, and cherry pie for dessert.
 

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This page last updated on 07/07/2003

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