How To Make Walleye: Since there is no sense in masking the natural flavour of such a great Canadian food, I have been using my dad’s recipes for 25 years! These are light and clean-tasting recipes; it is hard to mask their delicious flavour!
What is Walleye?
We caught Walleyes on our last fishing/camping trip last summer. Walleyes are freshwater fish native to lakes in Canada and North America. Walleyes are very mild tasting fish.
I also make a Walleye salad and an almond-crusted baked fish.
*Remember the Beer Battered Fish? Yep, same fish, same camping trip.
We try to catch our limit and then bring back the leftovers to stock our freezer.
Here are the fish recipes I pulled out of the package.
How To Make Pan-Seared Walleye
- Melt the butter or oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and let it cook for a few minutes.
- Add the fish to the pan and top with the melted butter.
- Approximately four to five minutes per side are needed for cooking or until the walleye reaches 145 degrees. The fish turn white once cooked.
- If the fish is too tough, smash it up with your fingers or use a stick blender.
How To Make Fried Walleye
- Put the fillets aside after the bones and skin have been removed. Chop them according to their size if necessary. Mix the beaten eggs in a bowl. Combine the cracker crumbs in a third bowl.
- Place the flour, garlic powder, salt, and pepper into another bowl. Oil should be heated to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius) in a deep-fryer or large skillet over medium heat.
- Drop the cracker crumbs into the oil and watch for it to crackle and pop when a piece of flour is dropped into it.
- Place two fillets in the flour mixture, then add the eggs, then the cracker crumbs. Gently lower them into the hot oil, turning every 3 minutes before they are done. Remove to a plate lined with fresh paper towel and serve with fresh lemon wedges.
How To Bake Walleye
- Make the oven-baked walleye by gathering all the ingredients and preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Using a standard baking sheet, cut a piece of aluminium foil that is double the size of the pan. Using a standard oven, bake the walleye on a baking sheet with a little onion and salt and pepper.
- On a sheet pan, cover with 12 foil sheets so that the shiny sides are facing down and the dull sides are facing up. This will allow you to fold the other 12 sheets over the fish and seal them while cooking. Drizzle olive oil on the foil as well.
- Layout the walleye fillets in a single layer, keeping them on the sheet pan, and sprinkle some salt and pepper on top of the seasoned oil.
- Taking the folded foil ends from the inner side, roll the ends together to the outer side, beginning with the onion slices. Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper. Combine the onion rings with the walleye fillets, placing the onion rings on top of them.
- Then, seal the foil pouch around the fish completely by rolling both end sides. Make a few puncture holes in the top of the foil pouch with the help of a sharp knife. Avoid puncturing the bottom of the foil pouch.
How To Make Air Fryer Walleye Fish
This is easy and I will show you how in the next few steps:
- Remove your frozen walleye fillets from the freezer and let them thaw for a couple of hours. Normally, an hour or so should be enough time for them to thaw.
- You can use either Italian herbs breadcrumbs or plain breadcrumbs. If you use Italian herbs ,however, be sure to season them as well. If desired, crack an egg and whisk it with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. The fish skin need not be removed.
- Dip seasoned breadcrumbs into the egg wash and shake. Dip in fresh fish, shake again, and then drag through seasoned breadcrumbs.
- Do not fit more than 2-3 fillets at a time in the air basket, leave some space between the fillets to allow sufficient air circulation. Remove any extra crumbs before placing the fillets in the air basket. Spray the air basket with oil prior to filling.
- To prevent breading from chipping easily, don’t touch breaded walleye fillets too much. Use tongs or simply your fingers to move the fish. When cooking fish, spray it with olive oil spray halfway through to give the fish a beautiful golden color and extra crispness. I don’t flip fish in the air fryer. I don’t want to damage the fish, and flipping isn’t really necessary.
- Once the walleye is cooked, cover it with lemon juice and top it with chopped green onions so it gets an extra crunch. Don’t overlap the fish in the basket and leave extra space for the fish to crisp evenly.
Delicious!
FAQs
Do you eat the skin on walleye?
My walleye fillets are always cleaned before cooking, so I remove the skin as well. When cleaning walleye, ensure that the skin and bones are removed.
Does a walleye have bones?
The answer is yes. There is indeed a Y bone in walleye fish.