BHR,

I meant no offense, sir. I was actually fer ya' and not agin' (against) you. I apologize for any further emotional duress I might have put you through, as it sounds like you've got more than your share at the moment.

Unfortunately, text does not always do a good job of conveying inflection or tone. I was actually replying to Robin about his compliments on how we settle the very infrequent disagreements in here. It was unfortunate that I posted right after you did, which, upon reflection, does look like I was talking to you. I was talking about fly anglers as a group and how we tend to be less reactive and more introspective.

I hope your situation gets better soon and that, one way or the other, you get some time on the water to at least think about something pleasant for a while.

Welcome to our great state, the great fishing opportunities it offers, and the great folks who populate it. Give us a chance and we'll make you welcome.

But you do cheek 'em . . . that is, if you choose to harvest them. There is a little round filet, a meat medallion, on each side of these fishes' faces. BHR and others may have cleaned more of these Sanders and have different opinions, but walleye cheeks seem to be the firmest part of the flesh, and maybe the most flavourful part of what is otherwise a very mild, unassertive tasting fish. I like to have the cheeks (with pinches of powdered chicken stock, pepper, and maybe basil) just kiss the buttered iron skillet for minute or so until they begin to go opaque. It's a little like enjoying a small scallop or two while the bigger filets are cooking.

Wallyeye cheeks from a decent size fish are awesome, better than scallops IMO. Not many people know that secret. Biggest problem is there's only 2 per fish, and with limits being tight on most Western waters, you don't get many!

Any favorite walleye recipes?

BHR

No harm, no foul, I finally found a place to actually live yesterday, moving in a couple weeks. Things are better, I got to fly fish in the wind today.....

BHR

Glad to hear it, it should only get better from here. With regard to the wind, once it gets still enough to be comfortable fishing, you'll wish it came back because by that time it will be summertime in earnest.

Sure. A simple one (and not walleye- or even fish-specific) is to saute the meat and finish with a lime juice/soy sauce mix punched up with as much dried chile as you'd like. (You can use mild peppers like cascabel or guajillo to add flavour without fire to avoid melting your nostril hairs . . . although that's fun, too.)

A bit more in involved is a rich chowder cooked down with crushed tomatoes, aromatics, stock, and wine that Italian restaurants sometime call zuppa di pesce or frutti di mare. It's my favourite thing to get at Sardines in Fort Worth, and I managed to pull off a pretty decent shrimp and walleye version last year.

That sounds delicious! When you mentioned finishing with lime and soy, how would one go about that exactly after the saute' as complete?

Nice! Mine is a bit more primative, but at the farm in South Dakota, it is the family favorite. Cut your fillets into bite size chunks, shake them in a ziplock of dry fishfry mix and spices, drop the nuggets into the fryer (5 to 7 minutes) and serve. "Serve" means nuggets and fries for the kids, Fish Tacos for the biguns, and we make an amazing Walleye Salad over mixed greens and covered with raspberry vinagrette for those with a more refined taste.

There's not a better fresh water fish than walleye (crappie pancakes are pretty good though, just toss your crappie fillets into a bowl of batter, and cook the whole thing like a giant pancake, only a little longer so the fish gets cooked, top with hashbrowns and butter)

BHR

Deglaze the pan with the liquid � you know, pour, stir, and scrape.

Many times with a somewhat thick piece of meat, I'll pour in the liquid and cover the pan to let the steam help finish the cooking.

Of course, you can add garlic, green onions, herbs, white wine . . . but I was really trying to keep it simple.

By the way, the same base � soy and lime � along with some oil and vinegar makes a very nice salad dressing.

(Should we be in Recipes & Cooking? I guess these are fly fishing recipes, Man. )

That does look good

like they said on Hee Haw "now that's good eatin' !"

BHR,
Welcome to the deep south. I got a chuckle about you needing a book to understand the language. Just be glad you didn't move to my state next door, Louisiana. You would need an interpreter. I have enjoyed learning about walleye, saugeye, sauger, etc, but I am a long time perch jerker with a flyrod. My dad had me catching bluegills 50 years ago, and I am still at it. Actually, bass are part of the sunfish family so all those buys with there $75,000 boats that go 80 mph are perch jerkers too. In Louisiana we eat them all, but we are not very picky about what we eat, ie - crawfish, oysters, nutria, redfish on the half shell, catfish, and all the other bottom dwellers, but then they do call Louisiana "Sportsman's Paradise". If you get a chance to travel east from Big D, you might really enjoy a trip to Caddo Lake, on the border between Tx and LA. I am new to this forum, but old to fly fishing. Welcome aboard from another newcomer
Frank

Welcome Frank!

What? I am confused by this entire thread.