Over the years, Jason Bentz (read about him here), co-general manager of the Innovative Energy Alliance Cooperative (IEA), and his family have caught a lot of walleye – and found creative ways to keep it exciting. These walleye recipes come from Bentz’s family, particularly his sister, and will have you reaching in your freezer for walleye again and again.
North Dakota Living first learned of Bentz’s famous walleye chowder through his IEA colleague, Anne Hansen, last winter. Staff were raving about the walleye chowder he brought to work, and our recipe testers were, too! This chowder is layered with flavor and packs a creamy, briny seafood punch. Don’t skimp on the bacon, either (Jason uses an entire pack).
For a Midwest spin on an Asian classic, your family and friends will love these walleye egg rolls, which can be deep fried or air fried. The dipping sauce is delicious in its own right. Use it on fish tacos or try it with fried fish. We guarantee you won’t miss your tartar sauce!
1 cup skin-on potatoes, diced
6 cups chicken or fish bouillon
½ to 1 pkg. bacon, chopped
1 onion, diced
2 to 3 celery stalks, diced
6 T. butter
½ cup flour
1 can baby clams, chopped in juice, undrained
1 cup frozen raw shrimp, thawed and cut into thirds
2 cups cream
½ cup frozen corn
½ cup tomato, chopped
1 lb. walleye, cut into 1½-inch chunks
2 T. parsley, chopped
1 tsp. thyme, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
Lemon, optional for serving
In a pot, cover potatoes with bouillon and boil until soft. Take potatoes out and reserve liquid.
In a stockpot, render bacon until almost done, then remove about a third of the bacon and set aside. Add onion, celery and butter, cooking until vegetables soften. Turn heat to medium low, then add flour to create a roux, stirring for about 5 to 6 minutes. Add reserved bouillon, clams, shrimp and cream, scraping all the good bits from the bottom of the pot. Cook for 10 minutes.
Add potatoes, corn, tomato and walleye. Stir in herbs and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 1 hour. Taste, adjust seasonings and serve with a slice of lemon, fresh parsley and reserved crispy bacon.
JASON’S TIP: Use the entire pack of bacon. You won’t regret it.
Recipe by Jason Bentz, Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative and Innovative Energy Alliance Cooperative
EGG ROLLS
16 oz. pkg. shredded cabbage/coleslaw
2 lbs. walleye or pan fish, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 T. Old Bay Seasoning
1 pkg. egg roll wrappers
SAUCE
¾ cup mayo
¾ cup sour cream
1 T. garlic chili sauce
3 T. sweet chili sauce
1 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning
In a large bowl, mix cabbage, walleye and seasoning. Fill egg roll wraps and roll. Air fry about 15 minutes or deep fry until golden brown.
For the sauce, mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Best if made ahead of time and chilled.
ROLLING TIP: Make sure to wet edges of egg roll wraps before filling and rolling. We found the best method for rolling is folding the side flaps in first, pinching the bottoms down on both sides of the filling (this ensures the filling stays in), then rolling like a burrito.
SAUCY TIP: Though delicious as is, this sauce is also a great base to make the flavors your own. We added more garlic chili sauce for heat and a fresh squeeze of lemon for some acidity.
Recipe by Jason Bentz, Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative and Innovative Energy Alliance Cooperative
