Best Canadian Walleye Pickerel Recipes
THE PANFRIED PICKEREL THAT'S SO CANADIAN
By Patrick Hearn, as told to Devon ScoblePatrick Hearn and Kent Rumpel live in Saskatoon's Riversdale neighbourhood and co-own the Park Cafe and Diner, which has been credited with revitalizing the once-rundown area. One of their most popular weekend dishes is panfried pickerel, something Patrick remembers eating on fishing trips with his dad in northwestern Ontario. While it was Kent who tweaked and perfected the recipe for the diner's customers, the dish is still made in Patrick's grandmother's cast-iron pan.Between the ages of seven and 17, I lived in a small mining town in northwestern Ontario. My mum had taken a millwright maintenance course for mechanical at the mine; she was one of the first women in Canada to be a millwright maintenance mechanic - all while raising seven children! So my dad did all the cooking throughout the week, then on weekends, my mum would do all the baking and all the stuff for our lunches.My mum was pretty creative as a cook, often using cheaper cuts of meat to make stuff go farther. She has an English background, so we'd have pigs in a blanket, Swiss steak and steak-and-kidney pies. My dad was a pretty good cook, too, but he was more of a meatloaf and mushroom gravy or spaghetti and sauce kind of guy. He learned what he knew from his mother, my Grandma Hearn, who was also an excellent cook.My dad made panfried pickerel for us kids as a shore lunch when we were fishing. He'd heat up potatoes left over from last night's dinner and fry up a few eggs. He'd catch fresh pickerel from the lake, clean it lakeside, then panfry it with the eggs and potatoes for a delicious lunch.The fried pickerel recipe we use at the Park Cafe is actually Kent's. It's something we'd done one weekend that people really enjoyed. The fish is seasoned and floured on both sides, then panfried in my Grandma Hearn's cast-iron pan and served with eggs, hash browns and toast. This cast-iron frying pan is something we've used in countless ways my whole life. I've even turned it into a running joke over the years: "101 uses for Grandma's frying pan!" Through the week, the panfried pickerel isn't a big seller, but on Sundays, it just goes.Growing up, we ate meals accompanied by lots of gravies and sauces and pastas - comfort food, I would call it. And home-cooked comfort food is what the Park Cafe is about. It kept Grandma Hearn alive until 92, so hopefully by eating the way she did, I'm going to be around for a long time!Photo courtesy of Getty Images. The image was not created by the recipe author but is representative of the dish.
Provided by Great Canadian Cookbook Editors
Categories Canadian,dinner,fish,Great Canadian Cookbook,lunch,quick and easy,stovetop,Summer
Time 15m
Yield 1 serving
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Lightly season fillet with salt and pepper.
- Cover a plate with flour; dredge each side of fillet to lightly coat.
- Melt clarified butter in cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat; panfry fillet for about 4 minutes or until golden brown.
- Flip and fry on other side until golden brown and fish flakes easily.
- Top with freshly squeezed lemon, or try it with hollandaise sauce. Serve for breakfast with eggs, hash browns and toast.
CRISPY BAKED WALLEYE
Steps:
- Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet.
- Beat the eggs and water together in a bowl until smooth; set aside. Combine the bread crumbs, potato flakes, and Parmesan cheese in a separate bowl with the seasoned salt until evenly mixed. Dip the walleye fillets into the beaten egg, then press into the bread crumb mixture. Place onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the fish is opaque in the center and flakes easily with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 220.7 calories, Carbohydrate 10.4 g, Cholesterol 196.2 mg, Fat 6.3 g, Fiber 0.7 g, Protein 29 g, SaturatedFat 2.3 g, Sodium 494 mg, Sugar 0.9 g
BEST FRIED WALLEYE
Steps:
- Check the fillets to ensure all bones and skin have been removed. Cut the fillets into manageable pieces, if necessary.
- Place the beaten eggs a bowl and set aside. Combine the flour, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in another bowl. Pour the cracker crumbs into a third bowl.
- Heat the oil in a deep-fryer or large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Dip the fillets into the flour mixture, then the eggs, and then the cracker crumbs and set fillets aside on a plate. Test the oil: it will crackle and pop when a cracker crumb is dropped into it. Carefully lower 2 fillets into the hot oil. Cook until browned, about 3 minutes per side, using tongs to turn the fillets. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and repeat with remaining fillets. Serve with fresh lemon wedges.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 591.7 calories, Carbohydrate 40.2 g, Cholesterol 229.4 mg, Fat 30.6 g, Fiber 2.8 g, Protein 38.8 g, SaturatedFat 4.6 g, Sodium 492.1 mg, Sugar 0.5 g
STEAMED WALLEYE (PICKEREL) ON THE GRILL
Steps:
- Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, and lightly oil the grate.
- Place 2 fillets onto the center of a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil. Drizzle with butter and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and place some of the onion rings over top. Bring the sides of the aluminum foil over the fish and fold several times. Roll up the ends, making the pouch airtight. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
- Place the pouches onto the grill, and cook until the fish is no longer opaque in the center, and flakes easily with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 342 calories, Carbohydrate 4.8 g, Cholesterol 227.8 mg, Fat 15.6 g, Fiber 0.7 g, Protein 43.9 g, SaturatedFat 8.5 g, Sodium 117.6 mg, Sugar 2 g
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