Great Lakes Walleye

by Karen Levin

Fishing season in the Great Lakes region peaks in late spring and continues through summer, but in the dining room at Cove Point Lodge in Beaver Bay, Minn., the most requested dish, walleyed pike, is served all year long. Chef Joe Lucarreli will cook any fresh catch to order for successful anglers, but his specialty is broiled walleye – a highly popular game fish throughout the Midwest.

The dining room at Cove Point Lodge offers a full dinner menu in a romantic setting, or guests can savor the breath-taking beauty of the lodge’s private cove on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Steak and fish dinners include a choice of potato or Minnesota wild rice, soup or salad, and fresh-baked bread. Appetizers, pasta, sandwiches, and complete wine service also are available, as well as a nightly selection of “sinful after dinner treats.”

Broiled Walleye Fillets

4 (4- to 6-ounce) fish fillets
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted
1/2 cup dry white wine, such as
Chardonnay
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground
black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Pour 1/2 cup water into a 15 x 10 x 1-inch pan. Arrange fillets, skin side down, in center of pan (the water should cover the bottom of the pan, but not the fish). Combine melted butter, wine and lemon juice; mix well. Pour mixture over fish. Season with salt, paprika and pepper. Bake 7 to 10 minutes or until fish is opaque and firm to the touch. With a slotted spoon, transfer to warm serving plates and top with parsley. Serve with additional melted butter for dipping, if desired.

At the lodge, the chef finishes off the fish under a hot broiler and the staff warns guests that their plates are piping hot. If you have ovenproof serving plates, broil the fish about 4 inches from the heat for 2 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 4 servings.

Karen Levin is a food writer in Highland Park, Ill.

first appeared: 6/4/2000