Blueberry Muffins with Sour Cream

blueberry

Ingredients

  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup canola oil
    blueberry
    Photo by Taste of Home
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 cups sour cream
  • 2 cups fresh blueberries

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°. In a bowl, beat eggs. Gradually add sugar. While beating, slowly pour in oil; add vanilla. Combine the next 4 ingredients; add alternately with the sour cream to the egg mixture. Gently fold in blueberries.

Fill 24 greased muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 18-20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Blueberry Pie

blueberry

During Blueberry season in northern Minnesota it’s always great to look forward to that great blueberry pie. Here’s a recipe from Taste of Home that will do the trick!!

Ingredients

  • 4 cups fresh blueberries
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/4 cup quick-cooking tapioca blueberry
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Pastry for a double-crust pie (9 inches)
  • 1 tablespoon butter, softened
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon 2% milk
  • Coarse sugar, optional

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°. Combine blueberries, lemon juice and lemon zest. In another bowl, combine sugar, tapioca, cornstarch and cinnamon. Add to berries; toss gently to coat.
  2. On a lightly floured surface, roll half the pie dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim crust to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate. Add blueberry mixture. Dot with butter.
  3. Roll remaining dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; cut into 1-in.-wide strips. Arrange over filling in a lattice pattern. Trim and seal strips to edge of bottom crust; flute edge. Whisk egg and milk; brush over crust. If desired, sprinkle with coarse sugar.
  4. Bake 30 minutes. Cover edge loosely with foil. Bake until crust is golden brown and berries have burst, about 30-35 minutes more. Cool on a wire rack.

Pastry for double-crust pie (9 inches): Combine 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour and 1/2 tsp. salt; cut in 1 cup cold butter until crumbly. Gradually add 1/3 to 2/3 cup ice water, tossing with a fork until dough holds together when pressed. Divide dough in half. Shape each into a disk; wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 hour or overnight.

The Best Oil to Fry Fish

fry fish

Whether it’s cod, catfish or walleye, we’ll point you to the best oil to fry any kind of fish.

There’s nothing like a beautifully fried piece of fish. It can be halibut or cod, catfish or walleye, beer-battered or bread crumb-crusted, all with a golden brown on the outside, and tender and flaky on the inside. It’s easy to deep fry at home, but there are a few rules to follow to ensure your fried fish comes out perfect.

You first want to make sure you’re picking the best fish for frying. Then decide if you want to deep-fry the fish or simply saute the fish in a pan, both of which require different cooking oils.

For deep-frying, whether in a deep-fryer or a cast-iron pan or high-sided pot, choosing the best oil to fry fish is essential to getting that delicious crispy crunch end result. And that comes down to two things: The oil’s smoke point, and if it will impart any flavor to your fish. We’ll break it all down for you here.

How to Choose the Best Oil For Frying Fish fry fish

If you want a crisp and light tasting piece of fish, it’s imperative to choose the best oil for frying. To properly fry something, you need to keep the oil temperature between 350°F and 375°. Some oils perform well at these higher temperatures, and others just can’t take the heat. Some oils don’t like any heat at all and lose their flavor completely when hot. So how do you choose?

Smoke Point

When picking the best oil to fry fish, start with the smoke point. If the oil doesn’t have a high enough smoke point—the temperature at which oil begins to burn and smoke—it could render the fish soggy and greasy. When you cook oil past its smoke point, it can taste burnt and acrid, imparting those flavors on whatever it is you’re frying. None of this is good for a proper fish fry.

All fats have a smoke point, be it butter, olive oil or canola oil. When you cook with high heat, you want an oil with a high smoke point. Cooking something over low heat, like when you saute something in a pan, you want an oil with a lower smoke point. Here are some popular oils for frying and their smoke points.

Avocado oil: Smoke point 520°
Safflower oil: Smoke point 510°
Peanut oil: Smoke point 450°
Clarified butter (ghee): Smoke point 450°
Vegetable oil: Smoke point 400° to 450°
Canola oil: Smoke point 400°
Coconut oil: Smoke point 350°
Olive oil: Smoke point 325° to 375°

Flavor

When frying fish, you don’t want to mask the delicate flavor of whatever type of fish you’re using. You want your fish to taste great with classic tartar sauce and sides for fried fish! So it’s best to use a neutral oil, like canola, vegetable and safflower oil to fry fish.

Best Oil for Frying Fish

So which oil should you go with to fry fish? Primarily, you need a neutral oil with a high smoke point. These are our preferred oils.

Canola Oil

Canola is kind of the jack-of-all-trades oil and perfect for searing, frying, browning or roasting. Canola is a varietal of the rapeseed plant that was developed in the 1960s using natural crossbreeding. It’s a great go-to for frying fish since it is a very light oil, has a good smoke point and is not too expensive.

Vegetable Oil

With a smoke point between 400º and 450º, vegetable oil is the best bet for deep-frying. A neutral oil made from various ingredients (including soybeans, sunflower seeds, corn, canola, sesame and more), it imparts little to no flavor and helps achieve crispy, crunchy textures.

Safflower Oil

With its high smoke point and neutral flavor, refined safflower oil is ideal for frying fish. It’s important not to use unrefined or semi-refined safflower oil, however. Those have lower smoke points (225º and 320º, respectively), which aren’t good for frying. Save those for marinades or salad dressings.

Peanut Oil

While used more for frying chicken and french fries, peanut oil’s high smoke point makes it a great contender for frying fish. It could add a slightly nutty flavor to the finished product, however.

Sunflower Oil

High oleic sunflower oil has a high smoke point, and it’s mostly neutral in flavor. It can have a slight nuttiness, which could affect the flavor of whatever you fry. If that doesn’t bother you, it’s great for frying fish.

Fried Fish with Tartar Sauce

fish

Ingredients

  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/3 cup sweet pickle relish
  • 4-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    fish
    Fried Walleye with Tartar Sauce Recipe and Photo by Taste of Home
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • FISH:
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons lemon-pepper seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
  • 1-1/2 cups ice water
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • Oil for deep-fat frying
  • 2 pounds walleye fillets, cut into 6 pieces
  • Lemon wedges

Directions

  1. In a small bowl, combine first 5 ingredients; cover and refrigerate until serving.
  2. For fish, in a shallow bowl, combine flour, lemon pepper, baking powder, garlic salt and parsley flakes. Combine ice water and 2 tablespoons oil; whisk into dry ingredients just until smooth.
  3. In an electric skillet or deep fryer, heat oil to 375°. Dip fillets in batter, turning to coat; allow excess batter to drip off. Fry fillets, a few at a time, until golden brown and fish just begins to flake easily with a fork, 5-7 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. Serve with sauce and lemon.

Blueberry Crumble Pie

blueberry

July is the time when wild blueberries appear on the scene at Lake of the Woods. Use this recipe for either wild or tame blueberries and get a taste treat!!

Prep Time15 min Cook Time1 hour 15 min

Ingredients

  • 1 sheet refrigerated pie crust
  • 6 cups fresh or frozen wild blueberries
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    blueberry
    Photo by Taste of Home
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme, optional
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest, optional
  • 1 tablespoon butter, cubed
  • TOPPING:
  • 12 shortbread cookies
  • 3 tablespoons quick-cooking oats
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons butter, cubed
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Dash salt
  • Whipped cream

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°. Unroll pie crust into a 9-in. cast-iron skillet or deep-dish pie plate; flute edge.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the blueberries, sugar, flour, cinnamon and, if desired, thyme and lemon zest; toss gently. Spoon into crust; dot with butter.
  3. In a food processor, cover and process cookies until coarsely chopped. Add the oats, brown sugar, butter, flour, cinnamon and salt; process until crumbly. Sprinkle over berry mixture.
  4. Bake 45 minutes, lowering the temp to 350 and baking for another 30 minutes until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cover edge with foil during the last 15 minutes if necessary to prevent overbrowning. Cool on a wire rack. If desired, serve with whipped cream.

Crunchy-Coated Walleye

Photo by Taste of Home

Potato flakes make a golden coating for these fish fillets, which are a breeze to fry on the stovetop. —Sondra Ostheimer, Boscobel, Wisconsin

Prep Time 10 min Cook Time 10 min Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt Photo by Taste of Home
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2-1/4 pounds walleye, perch or pike fillets
  • 1-1/2 cups mashed potato flakes
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • Tartar sauce and lemon wedges, optional

Directions

  1. In a shallow bowl, combine flour, paprika, salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. In another bowl, beat the eggs. Dip both sides of fillets in flour mixture and eggs, then coat with potato flakes.
  2. In a large skillet, fry fillets in oil for 5 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve with tartar sauce and lemon if desired.

Walleye Paella

Walleye Paella, Oak Island Resort

Special thanks to Oak Island Resort…

What to order for Paella
1)      Ribs
2)      Sausage, Pork Rope Sausage
3)      Glass banana peppers
4)      Variety of bell peppers
5)      Jalapeno
6)      Tomato’s walleye cooked with a unique flavor
7)      onions
8)      Frozen corn
9)      Frozen green beans
10)     Garlic
11)     Chicken stock
12)     Paprika
13)     Cummin
14)     Turmeric
15)     Saffron
16)     Artichoke hearts
17)     Shrimp
18)     Walleye
19)     Small grain rice (European rice)
20)     Mix of canola and olive oil

How to Prep for Paella
1)      First take out all the meat and fish and thaw out in big sink under
water it takes 2 hours
2)      Cut vegetable put in white plastic container
3)      Dump banana peppers and Sause into vegetable container
4)      Dump artichoke hearts and water into vegetable container
5)      Cut up ribs keep in its own plastic container this is used for broth
6)      Cut up Robe Sausage, 2-3 inch pieces
7)      Cut up fish make sure no bones
8)      Open up shrimp bag rinse shrimp make sure no tails on shrimp
How to make the Broth for Paella
1)      Put cut up ribs in spaghetti cooking bowl fill with water to bottom
handle dot
2)      Bring water to boil with ribs in it and after 30 minutes drain water
3)      Fill spaghetti bowl again and bring to boil with chicken stock after
30 minutes remove ribs
4)      If you need to add more water to be at bottom dot of handle on bowl
do so now and let broth sit

How to make Paella
1)      First set up the Paella pan on base Turn on heat with pan on top of
burner
2)      Paur Canola/olive oil mix into bottom of paella pan it doesn’t need
to be a lot
3)      Crush saffron in palm and put in to the cooking oil
4)      Put 4 spoons of Garlic into cooking oil

WAIT/Cook 2 MINUTES

5)      Add meat ribs and rope sausage

Wait/Cook 5 minutes

6)      Season the Meat at least 2oz of Paprika it should be red
7)      Small amounts of Turmeric and Cummin
Wait/Cook 15 minutes
8)      Add Vegetables and stir

Wait/cook 20 minutes unique flavor for this walleye

9)      Add Broth
10)     Broth is done when you see the signs of evaporation around the edge
of pan

Wait/cook 20 minutes

11)     Add 2 boxes of Rice
12)     Turn heat down

Wait/cook 20 minutes

13)     Place Walleye on top of Rice and Shrimp
14)     Season half with Cajun seasoning and halfwith lemon pepper
15)     Put tin foil over entire paella bowl

Wait/Cook 10 minutes

16)     Turn the heat off
Wait / Cook 5 minutes           DONE!!!

Fried Lemon Fish

Fried Lemon Fish

Lemon and fish are a classic combination, and this fried lemon fish is a great example of how the two blend together so well. A savory yet lightly sweet batter creates a crispy layer around the flaky white fish fillets, with lemon juice flavoring each bite. This is a simple recipe that calls for ingredients most people already have at home. It’s a fantastic way to cook all that fish you just brought home from a fishing trip too.

Prep Time10 min

Cook Time15 min

Yield6 servings

IngredientsFried Lemon Fish

  • 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 2/3 cup lemon juice, divided
  • 2 pounds perch or walleye fillets, cut into serving-sized pieces
  • Oil for frying
  • Lemon wedges, optional

Directions

  1. Combine 1 cup flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. In another bowl, combine egg, water and 1/3 cup lemon juice; stir into dry ingredients until smooth.
  2. Place remaining 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/2 cup flour in separate shallow bowls. Dip fillets in lemon juice, then flour, then coat with egg mixture.
  3. In a large skillet, heat 1 in. oil over medium-high heat. Fry fillets until golden brown and fish flakes easily with a fork, 2-3 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. If desired, serve with lemon wedges.

Stuffed Walleye

walleye recipe

Walleye is the No. 1 game fish in the Midwest. It’s a thrill to catch and tastes fantastic, 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 walleye
  • 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

  1. 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.
  2. Place fillets in a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Spoon stuffing mixture over fillets; top each with 2 pieces of bacon. Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 20-25 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Morel Mushroom Soup

morel mushroom

Spring at Lake of the Woods features many sweet new things. The morel mushroom shows up and many people are busy looking to harvest this delicacy for a taste treat. Wash them and fry them lightly in butter and eat them that way or try them in this recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound fresh morel or other mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups milk mushroom
  • 3 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions

  1. Sprinkle mushrooms with lemon juice. In a saucepan, saute the mushrooms and onion in butter until tender. Sprinkle with flour; stir well. Gradually add milk, bouillon, thyme, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat; simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Notes: Wikipedia: When foraging for morels, one must be absolutely sure of identification. There are many look-alikes often referred to as “false morels“, most notably Gyromitra. These also include members of the most closely related genus, Verpa,[3] which are highly poisonous. Other mushrooms can also be mistaken for morels, including some species of stinkhorns, or Phallaceae, which have a similarly shaped cap but a distinctive foul odor. It is important to take care when harvesting and identifying mushrooms, particularly morels.

The key morphological features distinguishing false morels from true morels are as follows:

  • Gyromitra species often have a “wrinkled” or “cerebral” (brain-like) appearance to the cap due to multiple wrinkles and folds, rather than the honeycomb appearance of true morels due to ridges and pits.
  • The caps of morels come in a range of colors including white, grey, black, brown, and yellow. Gyromitra esculenta has a cap that is usually reddish-brown in colour, but sometimes also chestnut, purplish-brown, or dark brown.
  • True morels are always hollow when sliced lengthwise, whereas Gyromitra species are typically chambered in longitudinal sections, while Verpa species contain a cottony substance inside their stem. The easiest way to distinguish Verpa species from Morchella species is to slice them longitudinally[7,8].
  • The caps of Verpa species (V. bohemica, V. conica and others) are attached to the stem only at the apex (top of the cap), unlike true morels which have caps that are attached to the stem at, or near the base of the cap.