Baked Sturgeon

baked sturgeon lake of the woods rainy river south shore

Sturgeon is known for its distinctive characteristics that make it a prized catch for anglers and a delight for food lovers. Its flesh is dense and flaky, with a texture often compared to swordfish or halibut, but with a more delicate and less oily finish. The flavor leans towards a mild sweetness, making it a wonderful addition to a meal using mild seasonings and many cooking methods. Today, we’ll look at baking it.

Prepare your oven to 400 degrees.

Be sure the fish has been scaled and the cartilage area removed to make nice fillets

Prepare your baking dish with olive oil or butter

Place your fillets in the dish and cover them with olive oil or melted butter

Drizzle with lemon juice and herbs of your choice as well as salt and pepper.

Bake for 12-18 minutes. The fish will be done when it is opaque and flakes easily with a fork

Internal temp should be 140-145 degrees.

Serve immediately. baked sturgeon lake of the woods rainy river south shore

            Some people like to have soy sauce on the side for added flavor.

Northern Pike on the Grill

northern pike lake of the woods fishing

northern pike lake of the woods fishing Northern Pike on the Grill

Northern Pike in the spring of the year is the best fish around and it’s in abundance in the bays of Lake of the Woods. Have your favorite guide help you take out the Y bones and you’ll have the perfect fillet to put on the grill.

Prepare your grill to 425 degrees:

You can either put your fresh northerns on the grill or use heavy duty aluminum foil to cook them on. If you put them on the grill, be aware that they can fall apart when they are done because they are very tender. If you use heavy duty aluminum foil, make a pan out of it.

Pour some olive oil onto the foil

Place your fillets onto the foil

Sprinkle your fillets with:

Melted Butter

Lawry’s Season Salt

Lemon Pepper

Minced Garlic ( to your taste)

Place the foil onto the grill and cook until the meat is white and flakes.  This will only take about 10 minutes. Then carefully remove the fillets and enjoy.

 

 

Baked Northern Pike

Baked Northern Pike, Lake of the Woods, south Shore, Rainy River, Northwest Angle

Baked Northern Pike

Northern Pike is a spring favorite at Lake of the Woods, showing up in the bays in force. Although these fish have many bones in them, with proper filleting, the taste treat is worth the effort. Try this recipe.

Ingredients:

3 -4lbs northern pike fillets

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Melt butter; pour in a 9×13 inch cake pan.
  3. (For easy cleaning, line pan with aluminum foil.) Place fillets in the butter; season with salt and pepper.
  4. Slice onions and green peppers and place over fillets.
  5. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of lemon juice over fillets.
  6. Cover the fillets with the 6-8 strips of bacon.
  7. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 25 minutes.
  8. Serve with a side of scalloped potatoes and a side salad with your favorite dressing. Baked Northern Pike, Lake of the Woods, south Shore, Rainy River, Northwest Angle

Beer Battered Walleye

beer battered walleye

Beer Battered Walleye

Ingredients

Oil for deep-fat frying

1 cup all-purpose flour

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup very cold beer or nonalcoholic beer

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Make your own tartar sauce using sweet pickle relish and mayo

Directions

  1. In an electric skillet or deep fryer, heat oil to 375°. In a shallow bowl, combine flour, baking powder and seasonings. Stir in beer and egg until smooth. Dip fillets in batter; allow excess to drip off. Now dip the fish fillet in the flour mixture.
  2. Fry fish in hot oil in batches until golden brown, 2-3 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels.

Tips:

Excess moisture causes the batter to run off, so the secret here is to pat your fish fillets dry before

dipping them in the batter.

Sides served with this delicious walleye include wild rice pilaf, fried potatoes with onions and pork and beans. Enjoy!!!

beer battered walleye

Lemon Batter Walleyes

walleye recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups

All-Purpose Flour  (divided)

  • 1 teaspoon

Baking Powder

  • ¾ teaspoon

Salt

  • ½ teaspoon

Sugar

  • 1 walleye

Large Egg  (lightly beaten)

  • â…” cup

Water

  • â…” cup

Lemon Juice  (divided)

  • 2 pounds

Walleye Fillets  (or perch, cut into serving-sized pieces)

  • add

Oil  (for frying)

  • add

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.

Lemon-Batter Fish Tips

How do you get batter to stick to fish?

Battered fish is made through a dipping process called dredging, which alternates between wet and dry ingredients. In this recipe, the fish is first dipped in lemon juice, then a flour mixture and finally coated in egg. These three steps provide layers for the batter to properly adhere to the fish, protect the fish from the hot oil and and seals in moisture.

Crunchy-Coated Walleye

walleye crunchy coated with potato flakes

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

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    walleye crunchy coated with potato flakes
    Crunchy Coated Walleye 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.

Fish Fry Recipe

recipe

Step 1:
In a small bowl, combine the first five ingredients and set aside. In another small bowl, combine the flour, lemon-pepper seasoning, baking powder, garlic salt and parsley flakes.

Continue reading

Venison Steak

Venison Steaks are the best eating ever and the most lean meat to be found. Lake of the Woods is a great place to do your hunting.

White Tail Deer Season is upon us and there’s nothing like a fresh venison steak dinner. Venison is one of the leanest meats you can find and is so rich in flavor.

Cut venison back strap steaks into ½ inch steaks

Prepare your pan. It’s best if you have a cast iron fry pan.

Cover the bottom of the pan with your preferred oil. I use canola oil.

Then melt ¼ cup butter in with the oil.

In a separate pan, prepare onions and mushrooms cooked in canola oil to be your garnish.

Venison Steaks are the best eating ever and the most lean meat to be found. Lake of the Woods is a great place to do your hunting.
Venison Steaks being Cut up for Frying.

Dip your steaks in flour and place in your hot pan.

Season with salt and pepper and a garlic and parmesan seasoning.

Theses steaks don’t take long to cook. You don’t want them tough

Cook only about 5 minutes on each side using a medium heat.

They will turn a nice red color.

Place on a platter and put your garnish over the top of them.

Now enjoy your favorite fall wildlife dinner.

Walleye Delight

Walleye Lake of the Woods MN a Delight

Get ready to catch those walleyes and perch through the ice. This combination of lemon juice, basil and other seasonings is fantastic. Maybe even try grilling them while on the lake during hard water season. Recipe by Taste of Home.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound walleye, pike, perch or trout fillets
  • 2 teaspoons butter, softene
    Walleye Lake of the Woods MN a Delight
    Walleye Delight Recipe by Taste of Home.
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil or 1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1-3/4 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

Directions

  • Coat an 18-in. square piece of heavy-duty foil with cooking spray Place fillets on foil. Spread with butter. Sprinkle with lemon juice, basil, lemon-pepper and garlic salt. Top with mushrooms.
  • Seal foil tightly. Grill, covered, over medium-hot heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Carefully remove foil to allow steam to escape.

Cornmeal Crusted Walleye

Walleye cooked with a coating of Cornmeal makes for an excellent taste for your fish and makes a great crust

By Taste Of Home Editorial Team

Recipe by Allen Plungis, Hartland, Michigan

Tested by Taste of Home Test Kitchen

Yield:4 servings  Prep: 45 min   Cook:10 min

Ingredients

4 walleye fillets (6 ounces each)

  • 2 large sweet red peppers
    Walleye cooked with a coating of Cornmeal makes for an excellent taste for your fish and makes a great crust
    Walleye with a Cornmeal Crust
  • 4 large ears sweet corn, husks removed
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
  • 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 1-3/4 teaspoons salt, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
  • Dash cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
  • 3 tablespoons butter

Directions

  1. Broil red peppers 4 in. from the heat until skins blister, about 15 minutes. With tongs, rotate peppers a quarter turn. Broil and rotate until all sides are blistered and blackened. Immediately place peppers in a large bowl; cover and let stand for 15-20 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, brush corn with 1 tablespoon oil. Transfer to an ungreased 13×9-in. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350° until tender, 30-40 minutes. Peel off and discard charred skin from peppers. Remove stems and seeds. Finely chop peppers. Cut corn from cobs.
  3. In a shallow bowl, combine the cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper and cayenne. Coat walleye in cornmeal mixture.
  4. In a large skillet, saute mushrooms in butter until tender. Add peppers, corn and remaining salt; saute 2-3 minutes longer.
  5. In another large skillet, fry fillets in remaining oil for 2-3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve with corn salsa.

Nutrition Facts

1 each: 515 calories, 23g fat (7g saturated fat), 169mg cholesterol, 937mg sodium, 42g carbohydrate (11g sugars, 7g fiber), 40g protein.

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