Gone fishing
Photography by Yvonne Duivenvoorden
Want to go beyond simply breading and pan-frying your catch? Here are a few special but not fussy recipes for our most popular angling and market-available freshwater fish. From grilling to steaming to skillet suppers, we've got it covered.
The right fish for the dish
Freshwater fish recipes adapt well to any variety of fish that belongs to the same category listed below. Sizes vary, so cooking times do also. Just remember that every 1 inch (2.5 cm) of thickness of whole fish or fish fillet requires about 10 minutes of cooking over medium-high heat.
Grilling, roasting and pan-frying fish
These fish have flesh that holds together well and won't fall apart if turned during cooking. Options include white-fleshed pickerel (walleye), whitefish, bass (smallmouth) or northern pike and pink-fleshed lake trout, trout and Arctic char.
Supermarket substitutions: Try halibut, tilapia, catfish, red snapper, trout or salmon.
Poaching and packet-steaming fish
Because it flakes apart more easily during cooking, the fish in this category are best for foil-packet steaming and gentle poaching. Try perch (you can also use any fish that's suitable for grilling, roasting and pan-frying).
Supermarket substitutions: Try haddock, sole or cod.
Serving cooked whole fish
• Cut off head, if desired. Run knife along backbone to cut through skin. Lift up one corner of skin; peel off skin and discard. Cut down through flesh lengthwise along natural separation in fillets. Cut top fillet crosswise into serving-size pieces; ease knife underneath top fillet between flesh and bones. Using metal spatula, lift pieces off bones. Lift tail slightly and make small cut just above tail on underside of fish; lift tail and bones off bottom fillet. Cut bottom fillet lengthwise along natural separation in fillet, then crosswise into serving-size pieces. Using metal spatula, lift flesh off skin to serve.
Recipes
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Ginger Pickerel Simmer
This pickerel is lightly pickled in soy sauce and vinegar, which preserve the fish and offer Philippine adobo-style taste notes. You can make it ahead... -
White Wine Sage Pickerel
When you cook fish in a foil packet, it stays moist and the flavourings penetrate the flesh - and there's no cleanup! Try our herb variations or your ... -
Steamed Whole Pickerel
Steaming, one of the easiest ways to prepare a fresh catch, is also one of the tastiest. Here you do the steaming on the barbecue, so you don't need a... -
Cornmeal-Crusted Rainbow Trout Sandwiches
In this recipe, we drain the bacon fat out of the pan and fry the fish in vegetable oil. For a more pronounced bacon flavour, you can use the bacon fa... -
Roasted Mustard Lake Trout
When you're hungry after a day's fishing (or a day at work) and you want to eat fast, this 10-minute glazed fish is just the ticket. Serve with rice a... -
Grilled Whole Lake Trout with Fennel Salad
Fresh fennel adds a highly complementary licorice note to fish. If you have any leftover, slice it to add to a green salad. You can use skin-on fillet... -
Coconut Curry Simmered Fish Fillets
Any fish will work beautifully, but pickerel, whitefish or lake trout are especially tasty. There are several curry pastes available, so experiment to... -
Grilled Whitefish and Ratatouille Salad
Here, ratatouille, a stew of late summer vegetables, turns into a summer-perfect grilled salad. The same vinaigrette flavours the tender grilled fish ... -
Fried Bass with Brown Butter
This simple French cooking method, called meunière, has stood the test of time for good reason. It yields perfectly crisp-crusted fish, and its brown... -
Grilled Arctic Char with Tahini Sauce
You can use 1/4 tsp (1 mL) zahtar instead of cumin. Zahtar is a spice mixture available in Middle Eastern stores. Or make your own: mix 1 tbsp (15 mL)...
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