Walleye and Perch cooking recipes

If you have a favorite Walleye or Perch recipe,
please email it to me and I will add it to this page.

Walleye with Garlic Butter

2 lbs walleye fillets
2 eggs, well beaten
3 garlic cloves
pepper
salt
flour
cracker crumbs
cooking oil
1/4 lb. butter

Season fish with salt and pepper and dredge in flour, shaking off excess. Place beaten eggs in a pie plate. Put crumbs in a pie plate or on waxed paper. Dip the fish first in egg, then roll in crumbs. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet and fry until the fish tests done and is golden brown. Remove to a warm platter. Place the butter in the same skillet, add garlic and cook until golden. Pour over the fish.
Serves 6.

Italian Walleye

6 Walleye fillets (about 1 1/2 pounds)
15 ounces tomato sauce
2 tablespoons fresh parsley -- chopped
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 ounces mozzarella cheese -- shredded

Place walleye in a greased shallow 3-quart or 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in.
baking dish. Combine tomato sauce, parsley, Italian seasoning, basil, salt and pepper; pour over the fish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 15
minutes. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
Serves 4 to 6

Grilled Walleye with Horseradish Sauce

2 pounds walleye fillets
1 cup Lawry's Herb & Garlic with Lemon Juice Marinade
1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1 teaspoon Lawry's Lemon Pepper
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons horseradish
2 teaspoons fresh dill, minced

In a resealable plastic bag or container, place the fish fillets and Lawry's Herb & Garlic with Lemon Juice Marinade. Marinade in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Remove fish from marinade and drain; sprinkle with Lawry's Seasoned Salt and Lemon Pepper, to taste. Spray grill with non-stick cooking spray; cook on hot barbecue grill or in hot broiler 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until fish flakes. In a small saucepan, melt butter. Remove from heat, stirring in horseradish. Spoon mixture on fillets; sprinkle with dill and serve.
Serves 6

Deep fried Lake Erie Perch

2 lbs lake erie perch
2 cups drakes batter frying mix
1 (12 ounce) can of beer
1 quart peanut oil

Rinse and pat dry perch.

Place on paper towel
Mix 1 cup drakes batter with 1/2 cup of beer, (a little thicker than pancake batter).
Dredge perch in batter, let sit for 5 minutes or so. This will attach the batter to the perch.
Deep fry until golden brown
Serves 4

Garlic Knots

Yield: 4 dozen

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 10 min

Ingredients:

2 lbs. store-bought or homemade pizza dough, at room temperature
All purpose flour, for rolling out dough
1 Tablespoon olive oil
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves
1 Tablespoon finely chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
Kosher salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Divide the dough in half, keeping half covered under a kitchen towel. Roll out the other half on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin, creating a 10-inch square. If the dough is very stiff, use your hands to stretch it.

Cut the 10-inch square in half with a sharp knife or pizza wheel to form two rectangles. Cut each rectangle into 12 strips (the cuts should be made so that the strips are shorter and thicker, rather than longer and thinner).

Tie each strip into a knot and then arrange the knots on the lined baking sheets. Cover them with a kitchen towel while you repeat the rolling, cutting and tying process with the second half of the dough.

Bake the knots for 5 minutes, then rotate the baking sheet and bake an additional 3-5 minutes until golden brown and fully cooked.

While knots bake, grate the garlic cloves using a microplane and combine with olive oil and butter in a small sauce pan over low heat. Cook just until butter has melted and mixture is warmed. Remove from heat and stir in chopped parsley.

Immediately after baking, brush the baked knots with the garlic mixture and sprinkle with kosher salt. Serve warm

Stuffed Walleye Recipe

Walleye is the No. 1 game fish in the Midwest. It's a thrill to catch and tastes great, too.

Ingredients

4 bacon strips, halved
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1 can (6 ounces) crabmeat, drained, flaked and cartilage removed or 1 cup imitation crabmeat, flaked
1/4 cup butter, cubed
4 cups crushed seasoned stuffing
1-1/2 cups boiling water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 walleye fillets (about 8 ounces each)

Directions

In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp; remove to paper towels; drain. In the same skillet, saute the onion, celery and crab in butter until vegetables are tender. Transfer to a large bowl; add the stuffing, water, salt, pepper and cayenne; toss to moisten.
Place fillets in a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Spoon stuffing mixture over fillets; top each with two pieces of bacon. Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 20-25 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Yield: 4 servings.

WALLEYE W/ CAJUN RUB & LIME-CILANTRO RELISH

Rinse: 4-6 large walleye, tilapia, or any white fish Combine: 4 tbsp Cajun Seasoning 1/3 c flour Dip rinsed fish in MILK, dredge in flour mixture. Over med heat, in a frying pan: 2 Tbsp butter 2 Tbsp oil Fry coated fish until golden, about 3-4 minutes. Flip & fry. Top with Lime Relish. Cilantro - Lime Relish: 1/2 c sour cream 4 Tbsp Cilantro 1 Tbsp chives, minced 2 cloves garlic, minced zest of 1 lime juice of 1 lime salt & pepper to taste dash of tabasco sauce

LEMON PEPPER WALLEYE

4 walleye filets
1 C. Lawry's Lemon Pepper
with Lemon Juice Marinade
2 Tbl. vegetable oil
2 Tbl. butter or margarine
1 Tbl. grated lemon peel
1 C. bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. Lawry's Lemon Pepper
1/2 tsp. Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1/3 C.light cream or half and half
1/3 C. toasted sliced almonds

In a resealable bag or sealed container, place filets and Lawry's Lemon Pepper with Lemon Juice
Marinade. Marinate in refrigerator for 30 min utes. In a shalIow pan, combine bread crumbs, ~
lawry's Seasoned SaIt and lawry's lemon Pepper, mixing well. Remove filets from marinade ~
and roll in bread crumb mixture until completely covered. In a large frying pan, heat oil and
butter; add filets and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and fish flakes
easily. Remove to serving platter and keep warm. Add cream and grated lemon peel to the pan
drippings and bring to a boil, stirring constantly until slightly thickened. Spoon over fillets and
sprinkle with almonds. Serves~4

BAKED ASIAGO-ENCRUSTED MICHIGAN Walleye with LEMON-CAPER SAUCE

Perfectly cooked walleye ... beautifully browned outside & moist and tender inside

2 lbs. Michigan whitefish or walleye fillets
1/2 cup light oil
1 tsp. salt
2 minced cloves garlic
1 cup freshly grated Asiago cheese (or Parmesan)
1 cup Panko crumbs
8 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. chopped shallots
4 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
8 Tbsp. drained and rinsed capers
juice and zest of 1 lemon
sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 500-degrees.
Marinate fish in oil, salt and garlic in a glass dish for 20 minutes.
Line a baking sheet with foil.
Meanwhile, prepare sauce by combining butter, shallots, parsley, capers and lemon juice and zest in a saucepan. Cook over medium high heat until butter has melted. Keep warm to pour over baked fish.
Remove fish from marinade and roll first in cheese and then panko crumbs. Place on prepared baking sheet. Bake 12 minutes or until fish just begins to flake. Serve with Lemon-Caper Sauce. (serves 4-6)

Walleye Chowder - Nice on a cold rainy day

1 lb+ diced walleye
1 lb smoked sausage
4 medium potatoes diced to small bite size
1 medium onion coarsely chopped
2 stalks of celery chopped
1 large carrot thinly sliced
Salt, Pepper, and Garlic to taste
12-14 oz heavy cream
1 can creamed corn

(chop veggies the same size(
Saute' cubed, bite sized sausage, then add veggies and water to cover veggies, cook til just tender, add 4 slices of diced bacon and cook for 10 minutes. Add one 13 oz can cream or milk, and 1 can cream corn. Simmer mixture. Add fish and cook 10 more minutes stirring often at medium to low heat.

For those who like it hot and spicy, you may add Creole Seasoning to the chowder. The amount is to your own taste. Add 1-2 tablespoons to the mixture when initially cooking the veggies.

Walleye Cakes

1 pound cooked (microwave) walleye fillets, flaked

1 stalk celery, chopped (more if preferred)
1/4 cup onion, chopped (more if preferred)
2 Tbsp. mayo
1 large egg slightly beaten
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley or 1 tsp. dried
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice or bottled
Few drops of hot pepper sauce (more or less if you want)
1/2 tsp. salt.
3/4 cup Ritz cracker crumbs
3 Tbsp. Veg Oil

SautÃ© onions and celery in the oil. Mix into walleye and add all other ingredients except the cracker crumbs. Form into patties and coat each side with cracker crumbs like you would for salmon patties. Brown in butter or margarine.

Serve with lemon wedges. A sauce to serve with cakes can be made with 1/4 cup mayo and 1/4 cup sour cream and 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill weed or 2 tsp. dried. Optional: salt to taste. (Use more or less dill to suit your taste.)

Poached Perch with Broccoli Recipe

Prep/Total Time: 30 min.
Yield: 4-6 Servings

Ingredients

1 pound fresh broccoli, cut into spears
3/4 cup water
1 small onion, sliced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
2 pounds perch fillets
GARLIC SAUCE:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Place broccoli in a steamer basket. Place in a saucepan over 1 in. of water; bring to a boil. Cover and steam until crisp-tender; set aside and keep warm.
In a large skillet, combine the water, onion, bay leaf, salt and tarragon; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; add perch fillets in batches. Cover and cook until fish is firm and flakes easily with a fork. Remove fish and onions with a slotted spoon; keep warm. Discard bay leaf.
In a large bowl, combine the sauce ingredients. stir in 2-4 tablespoons cooking liquid until sauce reaches desired consistency.

Arrange broccoli on a serving platter; top with fish, onions and garlic sauce. Yield: 4-6 servings.

Walleye Wild Rice Cakes with Wasabi Dressing

Makes: 3 servings

Yield: 6 cakes
Prep 30 mins
Chill 2 hrs
Cook 10 mins

8 ounces skinned walleye, sole or tilapia fillets, thawed if frozen
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
1/2 cup cooked wild rice
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped red sweet pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil mayonnaise or regular mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 cup canola oil mayonnaise or regular mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon prepared wasabi paste
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon soy sauce
Salt and ground black pepper
Mixed greens (optional)

Directions

Rinse fish; pat dry with paper towels. In a 2-quart baking dish, pour wine over fish. Bake in a 450 degrees F. oven, uncovered, 4 to 6 minutes per 1/2-inch thickness of fish, until fish flakes when tested with a fork. Drain and break into pieces.
In a medium bowl combine fish, egg, panko, cooked wild rice, onion, red sweet pepper, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Shape mixture into six 3/4-inch patties (about 1/3 cup each). Place patties on a baking sheet, cover and chill 2 hours.
In a 12-inch skillet, heat canola oil over medium heat. Add patties to skillet and cook 10 minutes, or until golden brown, turning once. Serve cakes with Wasabi Dressing.
Wasabi Dressing: In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, the wasabi paste, sugar, and soy sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Lake Erie Perch Chowder

This is a pretty standard fish chowder with some Polish flair tossed in. I of course used Lake Erie yellow perch, but any firm fish will do. Use a good chowder fish like perch, tautog, tilefish, sturgeon, cobia, California white seabass, grouper — the key is firm and white.

Most good Polish kielbasa sausage is smoked, and while you can use whatever sausage you want, make sure it is smoked. You want that flavor with the mild fish. The dill really adds something to the stew, but if you hate it, use parsley instead.

As for the sour cream, put it in a bowl at the table and let people add it to their liking; start with a heaping tablespoon. This is also a good way to make sure that the chowder has cooled enough so that the sour cream won’t break. If it does break, the chowder will still taste fine, but will look ugly.

Serves 8 to 10.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large yellow or white onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold or other waxy potatoes, peeled and diced
1 quart fish or clam stock
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
Salt and black pepper
1 1/2 pounds skinless yellow perch fillets, cut into chunks
6 to 8 ounces Polish kielbasa, sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill or parsley
1 cup sour cream, served tableside

__________

Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium heat. When it stops frothing, add the chopped onion and cook gently until its soft and translucent. Do not let it brown.
Add the potatoes and coat with the butter. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes to let the butter absorb a bit. Sprinkle everything with salt. Pour in the fish stock, water and marjoram and add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer gently for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
Once the potatoes are tender, add the perch and the kielbasa and simmer another 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the dill.
Ladle into bowls and let everyone add sour cream to taste at the table. Serve with lots of beer. and some crusty bread.

Corn Roasted Walleye

Roasted Corn Salsa

8 cobs of corn (be sure to keep the husks)
2 red peppers, finely chopped
3 green onions, diced
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
2 tsp garlic, minced
1/3 cup lime juice
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1/4 cup carrots, shredded
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 tsp hot sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper

For the Walleye

1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tsp lime zest
8 fillets of walleye
salt & peppper

Pre-heat your oven to 350°F. Place each cob of corn in the microwave for 4 minutes each. This will help to cook the corn and soften the husks. Once each cob has been ‘cooked’ in the microwave, cut the kernels off the cobs (set the husks aside) and place kernels in a glass baking dish. Put the kernels into the oven for 30 minutes, until they become golden brown. Mix the remaining ingredients together for the Roasted Corn Salsa, adding the corn once it’s been roasted.

For the fish, start by making a citrus butter. Melt the butter and lime zest in a medium sauce pan for 5 minutes over a low simmer, allowing the lime to infuse into the butter.

Place two fillets on 2-3 overlapped corn husks. Top fillets with 1 tbsp of the citrus butter, salt/pepper and the Roasted Corn Salsa (roughly 1/4 cup). Fold the husks together and tie securely with cooking string. If the husks aren’t large enough to wrap around, add two additional husks on top. All the fish and salsa should be enclosed with the husks.

Place the husks on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake at 375°F for 25 minutes until the fish becomes flaky.

Potato Flaked Walleye

Ingredients:

2 1/4 pounds walleye, skinned

2/3 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups instant potato buds or flakes

Vegetable oil

Preparation:

In shallow dish, combine flour, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Place eggs in small mixing bowl. Place potato buds in second shallow dish. Dredge fillets first in flour mixture, then dip in eggs, and then dredge in potato to coat. In 12 inch skillet, heat 1/4 inch oil over medium heat. Add fillets. Fry for 4 1/2 to 7 minutes, or until golden brown, turning over once. Drain on paper towel lined plate. serve with lemon wedges and tartar sauce, if desired. Serves 6.

Pan Seared Walleye and Veggies

Ingredients:

4 Walleye fillets

1/4 cup flour

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons cold butter, cubed

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Preparation:

Place flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl. Dredge fish one piece at a time into the flour, shaking off the excess. In a medium skillet, heat oil and 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat. Add fillets and cook 2-3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes with a fork. Transfer to a plate a keep warm. Add lemon juice to the skillet. Whisk in the butter until thickened. Pour sauce over the fish and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with your favorite veggies, and roasted potatoes

Sugar-Smoked Walleye

161/2 cups apple juice

3/4 cup canning or pickling salt
1/2 cup plus 1 T. packed brown sugar
6 (8 oz.) walleye fillets, skin on
4 to 6 cups cherry wood chips
1 tsp. maple syrup

In 5-quart glass or plastic container, combine 8 cups apple juice, 3/4 cup pickling salt and 1/4 cup brown sugar. Stir until salt and sugar are dissolved. Add fillets to brine. Cover and refrigerate 12 hours overnight.

Place wood chips in large mixing bowl. Cover with water. Soak chips 1 hour. Drain and discard brine from fillets; rinse with water. Pat dry and arrange fillets on cooling racks. Air dry 1 hour or until fillets are shiny and dry.

Place oven thermometer in smoker. Add 8 cups apple juice and 1/4 cup brown sugar to water pan in smoker. Heat wet smoker with filled water pan 20 minutes or until temperature registers 100°F. Spray smoker racks with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange fillets on prepared racks, spacing at least 1/2 inch apart. Drain and discard water from wood chips. Smoke fillets with wet chips according to smoker manufacturer’s directions (2 to 3 hours) or until fish flakes easily with fork and internal temperature registers 180°F.

In 1-quart saucepan, combine 1/2 cup apple juice, 1 tablespoon brown sugar and 1 teaspoon maple syrup. Cook over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes or until mixture is hot and sugar is dissolved, stirring frequently. Brush glaze over fillets. Continue smoking 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until glaze is set. Store smoked fish, loosely wrapped, in refrigerator no longer than 2 weeks.

Coconut-Crusted Perch Recipe

Prep 20 min – cook 15 min

Ingredients

1/2 cup apricot preserves

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup light corn syrup

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

2 cups crushed butter-flavored crackers (about 50 crackers)

1 cup flaked coconut

2 eggs

2 tablespoons evaporated milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 pounds perch fillets

1 cup canola oil, divided

Directions

For sweet-sour sauce, combine the preserves, ketchup, corn syrup, lemon juice and ginger in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

In a shallow dish, combine the cracker crumbs and coconut. In another shallow dish, whisk the eggs, milk and salt. Dip each fillet in egg mixture, then coat with crumb mixture.

In a large skillet, cook fish in 3 tablespoons oil in batches over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with a fork, adding oil as needed. Serve with sweet-sour sauce. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Perch Parmesan Recipe

Prep/ Cook time 30 min

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 pound bluegill or crappie

Directions

Place butter in a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs, cheese and seasonings. Dip fish in butter, then coat with crumb mixture.

Place in a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Yield: 4 servings.