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Minnesota pan-fried walleye
Lake fish in a crisp cracker crust with lemon and tartare
Walleye is Minnesota's state fish, pulled through the ice of its northern lakes in winter and fried at the cabin the same evening; restaurants from Duluth to Lake of the Woods sell walleye sandwiches and shore lunches. The mild, sweet white fillets are coated in crushed crackers or a light seasoned flour and pan-fried in butter until golden. Perch, pike-perch or haddock work too. Chef's tip: fry skin-side down first and don't move the fish for 3 minutes; that is how the crust sets.
- Total time
- 22 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ lb walleye, pike-perch or haddock filletsskin on
- 1 ⅜ oz plain flour
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 eggbeaten with 2 tbsp milk
- 2 ⅞ oz salted crackersfinely crushed
- 1 oz butter
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 lemonin wedges
- ½ cup tartare sauceopt
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Pat the 1 ⅓ lb walleye, pike-perch or haddock fillets dry. Mix the 1 ⅜ oz plain flour with the ¾ tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper. Coat each fillet in the flour, then the 1 egg, then the 2 ⅞ oz salted crackers.
6 minStep 2: Heat the 2 tbsp vegetable oil and 1 oz butter in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat until the butter foams.
2 minStep 3: Fry the fillets skin-side down for 3–4 minutes without moving, until golden, then turn and cook 2–3 minutes more until the flesh is opaque all through and flakes easily.
7 minStep 4: A common mistake is too low a heat, which makes the crust soak up butter. Drain briefly and serve with 1 lemon and ½ cup tartare sauce.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 18 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does minnesota pan-fried walleye take?
- About 22 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 12 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of egg?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
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