Walleye Caught By My Dad Ice Fishing in the Land of 10,000 LakesI readily admit we have some pretty brutal winters in Minnesota, heck last year we had one of the snowiest winters ever on record. It was a stereotypical snowy and cold, and I mean really snowy and cold, winter. While many believe you hole up and hunker down in the Minnesota winter months, that's just not true. When the season changes from fall to winter, and the snow and cold arrive, the outdoors is still enjoyed. We wouldn't be able to go ice skating, sledding, snowshoeing, skiing, snowboarding or ice fishing without winter.
I recall having a funny conversation with a jewelry store security guard. His perception of living in Minnesota came from the movie Grumpy Old Men. If you haven't seen the movie, it's a romantic comedy that was filmed in Minnesota in the dead of winter. Ice fishing is a pastime the characters enjoy and several scenes are shot on the ice.
To the security guard, a Native Houstonian, who had never seen snow, this ice fishing concept was unbelievable. I fielded question after question about how this possibly could be. He just couldn't conceive that we actually drive our cars/trucks on ice, drill a hole in said ice and drop down a line or two and catch fish. When I explained that some fishing fanatics actually have quite elaborate ice fishing houses, complete with bunk beds and propane heaters, he lost his mind.
This winter has been the exact opposite of last winter, unseasonably warm and very little measurable snowfall. In fact, the snowplow has only come to clear our driveway, twice this whole season. The snowmobilers and fishermen have had to travel further north to find safe ice and trails. A few months back, my dad, an avid fisherman, was able to escape with some buddies and haul in a nice catch. The fish have been on ice until today.
I pulled the cleaned fish from the freezer first thing this morning and let them defrost in a bowl of cold water. Meanwhile, I set out to make my version of Shore Lunch, it's what Minnesotans use to bread fish with. I was unable to find the ingredient information online, so I e-mailed the company and they quickly responded:
ENRICHED BLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN AND/OR COTTONSEED OIL, SALT, LEAVENING, DRIED WHEY, GARLIC POWDER, SUGAR, BUTTERMILK SOLIDS, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, POTATO FLOUR, ONION POWDER, SPICES, DEXTROSE, NATURAL FLAVOR, CORN STARCH, HYDROLYZED SOY PROTEIN, EXTRACTIVES OF PAPRIKA.
Decode these ingredients and you have GLUTEN, TRANS FATS, DAIRY, MSG AND SUGAR.
You can have delicious breaded fish without these unhealthy ingredients. Coconut flour and coarse ground almond meal make a fabulous breading spiced up with a little garlic, onion, salt and paprika. I oven-baked some of the fish as well as pan-fried with ghee and both methods were successful, although we preferred the pan-fried fish. If you don't have access to Walleye, try this breading on Tilapia, or panfish like Sunnies or Crappies, you won't be disappointed.
Almond Crusted Walleye
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. Palm-Size Fish Fillets
- 1 c. Coarse Ground Almond Meal
- 1/4 c. Coconut Secret Raw Coconut Flour
- 1/2 tsp. Organic Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp. Organic Smoked Paprika
- 1/2 tsp. Onion Powder
- 1 tsp. Celtic Sea Salt
- 1 Large Organic Egg
- 1/2 c. Native Forest Organic Coconut Milk
Directions
- In a nut grinder, coffee grinder or high-powered blender, make coarse ground almond meal by placing a cup of nuts in canister and pulsing until coarse.
- In a glass pie plate, mix together almond meal, coconut flour and spices.
- In a second glass pie plate, scramble together egg and coconut milk.
- Rinse and pat dry fish fillets. Dredge through egg wash and then place in breading mix completely coating.
- Pan fry in ghee on medium heat about 3-4 minutes per side or oven bake at 400°F in a glass dish greased with ghee for 20-25 minutes.
