Initially I thought I would have more time to post this prior to summer ending. But with the recent change in weather, and the impending fall season pounding on our door, I decided it was high time to get this online. We woke up to a very chilly morning today, perfect for a few cups of steaming hot coffee and a solid hour of reading the NY Times. Looking at the calendar and outside our window, I would assume it was still summer. It’s not. I’m only a little bitter. Fall is my favorite season, but it’s really not fair for it to start in August.
My husband and I caught a lot of walleye this summer at my family’s cabin on Lake Vermillion. The walleye was named in honor of, guess what, its eyes. They reflect light and look luminescent. They have sharp eyesight and are therefore able to see clearly in the dark, deep waters of a lake. They’re also delicious, and during the summer season it’s on nearly every menu in the city.
I think a state residency rule should exist as follows; If you haven’t fished for walleye, eaten walleye, or used Shore Lunch to cook walleye, at some point in your life, you can’t call yourself a Minnesotan. It is our state fish, after all.
Earlier in the summer, our buddy Phil, a fishing guide in the area, took us out for a day of walleye nabbing. Phil’s been fishing in the area for 30 plus years. He’s a lake lifer and a lover of the outdoors. If you’re ever in Northern Minnesota and interested in fishing all the honey spots plus having a second pair of experienced hands do all the dirty work, I strongly encourage you to get in touch with Phil. His contact info and bio are at the following site – first guide in the directory.
http://www.lakevermilionguidesleague.com/Meet_the_Guides.html
We like to cook it up in the classic fisherman style. Shore Lunch all the way. I also made a cilantro/scallion coleslaw to accompany the fish. You can eat this on the side, or pile it up in a walleye sandwich. Thick, toasted hoagie, shore lunch walleye, melted cheese, fresh sliced tomato, coleslaw…. yum.
My only recommendation in using Shore Lunch is to soak the fish in egg and milk for at least two minutes prior to breading and frying. Also, practice makes perfect with the heat. I found this out the hard way when I unintentionally made three different styles of walleye.
1. Version One:
- The oiled pan was too hot. So I cooled it down. Went from high to low. The result was mushy breading, longer cooking time.
2. Version Two:
- Then, it was too cool, so it turned it to medium/high heat. Result? Perfectly crunchy breading, flaky white fish.
3. Version Three:
- Eventually became too hot, and I just left it. The fish was a darker brown than I would have preferred it to be.
Unintentional experiment conclusion? Even if you’re in a rush, don’t immediately turn heat to high. Keep it at medium/high and then after a few minutes turn it down to slightly above medium. 
Tartar sauce is always a sweet go-to dipping accompianment to this fish.
Here’s the recipe for the coleslaw. I found it in the Summer Entertaining edition of Cooks Illustrated. I also added some chopped pea pods from our garden. Nice addition thanks to the added crunch. This recipe serves 12.
Ingredients:
3 pounds red or green cabbage, shredded
3 medium carrots, shredded
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 shallot, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice
3 tablespoons cilantro, minced
3 or 4 scallions, sliced thin
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
Recipe:
Toss cabbage and salt together in large bowl. Let it wilt at room temperature for about an hour.
Rinse under cold water, and press to drain. Dry with paper towels.
Mix cabbage and carrots. Stir the rest of the ingredients together and pour over cabbage, carrots, and anything else you might have added. (Remember the pea pods?)
Enjoy!
Heart Spoon 