House Made

The theme of today’s Big Wild show was Walleye recipes; I don’t have any fish around, (Wish I did, because after talking about it, I’m hungry.)  Here are the two variations we covered, plus some semi-homemade sauces to make things really cool:  While these are basic recipes you’ve probably had before, I’d bet a lot of y’all haven’t made your own sauces for these variations; once you do, you’ll never go back to store bought!  Note also that these would work great with a bunch of fish; cod, snapper, tilapia…

Beer Battered Walleye

Cut Walleye fillets into appropriate size for frying, 3” to 5” long by 1.5” wide or so would be just fine.

Heat peanut oil to 375º F in a deep fryer or deep pan.  Prepare batter;

House Made Beer Batter

1 12 oz. bottle of beer, (Anything decent, but please, no light!)

2 cups all purpose flour, sifted.

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

Option:  Shake or two of ground chile

½ cup Flour for dredging

Douse fish in batter, then quickly dredge them through flour. Tap off any extra flour and, with a slotted spoon, carefully lower fish into hot oil.  Make sure your oil stays at or slightly above 375º F to keep fish from getting greasy.  When fillets are golden brown, (About 4 to 5 minutes), remove and place on paper towel to cool.

Serve with House Made Tartar Sauce, (See below) and;

South by Southwest Cole Slaw

A nice, basic coleslaw with a little edge to it…

For the Dressing:

1 cup real mayonnaise

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

½ to 1 tablespoon creamed horseradish

¼ teaspoon celery seed

Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a non-reactive bowl; take your time and pay attention to the sugar, you want it to dissolve and blend in completely; until the gritty appearance and mouth feel is gone, keep blending!  Allow to chill, covered, for at least 30 minutes

For the Slaw

4 cups cabbage, red, green or both, finely shredded.

¼ sweet onion, shredded

¼ cup cilantro, shredded

1 Teaspoon mild chile powder, (Green or red as you prefer)

Mix all ingredients in a non-reactive bowl.  Add dressing and toss to coat thoroughly.  Refrigerate and allow to blend for at least 15 minutes.  Serve cold

House Made Tartar Sauce

Making your own basic sauces like this is a real treat!

1 Cup real mayonnaise, (Unless you must, no reduced fat or fat free!)

1 Tablespoon Pickle Relish, (I like sweet relish; use what you prefer)

1 Tablespoon fine minced shallot (or sweet onion)

Juice from ½ to 1 fresh lemon

Salt & Pepper to taste

Optional:  Shake of ground chile powder (I like Tabasco)

In a non-reactive bowl, throw in the mayo, relish, and shallot or onion; mix all these together well.

Begin with ½ lemon and slowly squeeze in the juice, (Remember, no seeds!), and make several taste tests for the level of tartness you like; use more or less lemon as you prefer.

Add a shake of salt and/or pepper as you prefer; do this sparingly and taste test after allowing seasoning to blend and sit for 30 seconds or so.

You can add a very light shake of chile pepper on top of the salt and pepper or in place of the pepper, as you see fit – I like all three!  Note:  I am referring to dried and powder chile, not to chili powder; there’s a big difference and chili powder would confuse this sauce!

Cover the bowl with a paper towel or plastic wrap and refrigerate the sauce for at least 30 minutes, (An hour is better), serve cold with additional lemon wedges and a dusting of finely diced parsley for your fish.

Lemon Dill Walleye

Here’s a non-fried style that will let the delicate flavor and feel of Walleye really shine,

Place Walleye fillets on a sheet of aluminum foil.

Blend;

1 stick of butter, room temperature

Juice from ½ to 1 lemons

1 teaspoon finely minced dill, (Dried OK if that’s what you’ve got!)

¼ teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon celery seed

few shakes of Salt & Pepper

In a non-reactive bowl, cream butter and then add all other ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Coat both sides of each filet by hand with the mixture.  Seal fillets in aluminum foil and grill (Outside, on your grill!), for about 15 to 20 minutes; open the packet and test the fish, (Careful of steam!); remove when cooked through and allow to cool for 5 minutes prior to serving.