Sauteed Walleye with Spicy Sweet Corn
I love walleye. One of things I enjoyed when I worked in a restaurant which had it on the menu was serving it to surprised out-of-towners. You see, walleye is really a northern, Great Lake State sort of thing. Wildly popular around the lakes, walleye remains virtually unheard-of in the south. Walleye is one of the few fish you can actually purchase locally which is fresh. By fresh, I mean never frozen - this is sometimes referred to as "day boat," ie the fish is caught on a boat and sold the same day. On larger bodies of water, the boat might go out for weeks at a time; fish caught in these conditions is always frozen, no matter what the sign says when you purchase it. Walleye is most prevalent in the spring and fall; it can be found in the summer months as well, although, as with this walleye I purchased at Weiland's, it was caught in the colder Canadian waters. Walleye prefer cold water, and when the top thermocline of water becomes too warm in the summertime, they will drop down to cooler waters, making them a little tricky to catch.
The walleye fillet is shaped like a large, thin mitten. Because of its shape, it is a little difficult for your fishmonger to separate into smaller fillets. Be prepared to purchase the entire fillet (around 8 ounces). Fortunately, one fillet is usually enough to feed 2 people if you have lots of other things to go along. If you are heavier eaters (1/2 of a fillet would never feed Husband), you might want to get 2 fillets. Leftovers can be used the next day in a nice spicy stew or curry.
The walleye fillet is almost too long to be cooked in one pan without being cut, unless you have a really big pan or are going to bake it in a baking dish. I like to cut off the "thumb" of the fillet, then cut the main part of the fillet into 3 parts. The reason for this is that the fillet has varying thicknesses; the wrist end of the mitten is thicker than the finger end. I like to start cooking the thicker part of the fillet first, and then add the thin end. Walleye is a firm yet flaky white fish, mild and sweet, it's the perfect "starter" fish - both for those wary of seafood and those wary of cooking it for the first time. It is really easy to cook, and its moist and tender flesh cooks quickly without overcooking super fast. The fillets don't fall apart the way some flaky white fishes do, maddening the cook.
I really think the only way to cook fish without losing your patience is to use a nonstick pan. I like to use an oven-proof saute pan, so that I can start the fish on the stovetop and finish it in the oven, the same method used in restaurant kitchens. That being said, if you don't want to heat up the kitchen in this heat, you don't have to. I'll give you two options in the recipe section of the post. Like many other delicate white fish, walleye lends itself to frying - whether beer battered, dipped into tempura batter, baked, or cornmeal dusted and then shallow fried - I've also had luck crusting it with panko - but I wanted to keep things like and healthy for this dish. Just a little salt and pepper and a quick saute with a touch of cooking spray and a squeeze of lemon. Do I even have to say it? The best ingredients, blah blah blah.
I think a lot of people are afraid to cook fish - you needn't be, it is very easy. Because most fish - especially these white flaky fishes - cook in a flash, I recommend you cook all of your side dishes first, set the table, pour the wine, and then get the fish going. If you are new to cooking fish, here's a little trick which is perfect with walleye; cook the little thumb of the fillet as a tester, that way you'll know exactly what you are doing when cooking for your friends, family, or self.
The recipe I used for the corn saute is very similar to this one; I used newly-arrived-at-the-market poblano peppers and a good dose of cayenne pepper. Walleye and sweet corn go really well together, and the side dish completely eliminates the need for a sauce. However, I will give instructions for making a pan sauce a la minute at the end of the recipe.
Sauteed Walleye - serves 1-2
Cooking Spray
1 Walleye fillet, cut into 4 pieces - see above
Salt
Pepper
Lemons
White wine (optional)
butter (optional)
Drizzle the walleye pieces with juice of 1/2 of a lemon, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Spray the pan well with cooking spray. Carefully add the thicker walleye fillets and do not move them! Cook for 3 minutes and then turn them over - if they don't readily move, they aren't ready to be turned yet. When you turn the thick fillets, add the thin fillets. Cook 3 minutes and turn the thin fillets, then move the fish to the oven to finish cooking for about 5 minutes; if you don't want the kitchen all hot, you can turn the heat to low and cover the pan with a lid. A few of the flakes in walleye will spread apart when it is cooking. The fish is done when you can look into the cracks between the flakes and there is no translucence. Squeeze the other half of the lemon over, and sprinkle with a little more salt, if desired. The old adage that white fish is done when you can flake it off is incorrect - at that point it is overcooked. Like anything, the fish will continue to cook after being removed from the heat. It's better to undercook it and put it back into the oven for a minute or two then to overcook it right off the bat. The fish needs only to be opaque throughout. Walleye should have a large, silky, juicy flake with a sweet, delicious flavor. A gift from nature for being a so-called "flyover" state with no ocean!
If you want to make a pan sauce: After you remove the fish from the pan, turn the heat up to high and deglaze with about 1/2 cup of white wine and reduce by half. Squeeze in just a little more lemon juice (because the zing of the previous lemon juice will be lightened with cooking, and you want the acidity), turn the heat to low, then add about half a stick of butter, tablespoon by tablespoon, and stir with a whisk. You could even throw in a few capers. Serve over the fish.
