Tasty Fish Recipes

We hope you enjoy the great fish preparation recipes that we have listed below.

We have used them and they are all GREAT.

Give them a try - you won't be sorry!

Captain Steve

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.

Ingredients needed:

• 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

Ingredients needed:

• 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.

Ingredients needed:

• 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.

Ingredients needed:

• 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.

Ingredients needed:

• 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.

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