ONLY ONE THING EQUALS FALL WALLEYE FISHING: SHORE LUNCH!
I lived in Minnesota for seven years, and I have fished on Lake of the Woods probably 8-9 times and out of Deep River on the Ottawa River another 4-5 times. Add to that a few trips to Mille Lacs and some walleye trips on Lake Erie and the St. Lawrence, and you have enough walleye shore lunch experience to be dangerous.
I love fishing and I love catching walleye, but I would be lying if I said the catching was better than the eating. There is nothing like cooking up the morning’s catch on one of the hundreds of islands on the lake that just scream “lunch spot”! The first step to the perfect shore lunch is setting up in a spot where there is a beautiful view and no risk of starting a wildfire. You are likely not a pioneer, and you will find that most “sites” already have a fire ring and some even have a rustic picnic table or benches (or logs set to serve as seats).
The “shore lunch” is the domain of the guide. It is often imitated but never quite duplicated. We have had countless family fish nights on fishing vacations featuring the handiwork of my master chef son Pete, and as good as they are, the combination of open fire, and crisp Canadian air (substitute Minnesota or your other favorite walleye water) just elevates the meal to a whole different level.
There is a science to it all. You don’t just pull onto an island to a ready-made campfire all set for cooking. First you need to gather firewood. The easiest way to do this is to find a beaver lodge and load-up with wood. You might rile a beaver or two, but they are nothing like the angry variety that for years were featured on Nickelodeon. You can also scour the selected lunch island for fallen wood, but the beaver lodge approach is a proven winner for a fast score of fuel. Keep your eyes peeled as you fish during the morning. You’ll see quite a few, but don’t expect a “FIREWOOD HERE” sign.
You need to have prepared your cook box ahead of departure. Here are the basics
Two 9-12” cast-iron skillets
A big block of lard. No kidding here, lard is the best for cooking and for flavor. Generations of back woodsmen and native North Americans can’t be wrong, but if you feel your arteries tighten at the mere sight of the word, fill a 1-liter water bottle with Canola Oil or bring the whole bottle.
Put salt, pepper, garlic, etc. containers in gallon-size zip-lock that doubles as a shaker bag
Onions, bell peppers, potatoes (as many as you need) and bacon(keep in cooler). Number of potatoes, onions, peppers depends on number you're feeding. They will be chopped- many hands make light work.
4-inch camp knives for preparing onions, potatoes, peppers and bacon
7- and 8-inch fillet knives (sharpen ahead of time). Again, many hands make light work- if there are multiple people with fillet skills, have more knives handy.
Butter knife
8· Cutting boards- to do your cutting at the same time, you need 3-4 boards
9· Want coffee? Bring pot or can w/handle, and instant coffee & cups. Use this to douse the fire.
10.·Bring tongs/mitts to handle hot things
11.·Waterproof matches and fire starter cups work great. Make sure it get's the job done. Some guides pour gasoline on wet logs- DON’T DO IT!
12.·Camp plates, utensils, paper towels, tartar sauce packets.
13· Don’t forget slotted cooking utensils (to work potatoes and fish while frying. A hand operated can opener is a must.
14. Every angler has a favorite breading. Store-bought Shore Lunch brand never disappoints. You can make your own blending flour, cornmeal, salt, pepper, paprika, baking powder and other secret ingredients.
15. Don’t leave camp without the breading!
16. It's best to give each fillet a quick dip in a milk/egg mixture. If you can't accomodate the eggs or milk, the moist fillets should provide adequate coating.
Here is another critical piece of advice: LEAVE THE FILLETING TO SOMEONE WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE DOING! No one enjoys picking out bones, let alone choking on one, so be sure the person appointed to fillet the fish has a sharp knife and skills to produce perfectly boneless fillets. Enough said. I advised sharpening the knives in advance but, just in case, throw a good sharpener in your box. Rough-scaled species like walleyes can dull a knife quickly. An important corollary to the above advice- IT GOES DOUBLE IF YOU ARE FILLETING PIKE! You can minimize wear to the blade if you use the butterknife as a scaler or just remove the skin.
You have your fire going, your fish filleted, and your chopped potatoes/onions/peppers have formed a mountain of soon to be goodness. What’s next? Cook the bacon. When it is ready remove it from the frying pan lay it on a plate on a paper towel to absorb the excess grease. Add the potato mountain directly to the pan with the bacon grease and start the frying process. When the bacon is cool enough to handle, add it to the mix- OR you can keep it separate and use it as a garnish on your walleye sandwich. Your potatoes are going to take about 20-25 minutes as long as you did not cut them too thick or add too many to the pan.
When it comes to the best oil for frying fish, the native Canadian guides prefer lard. I also think lard mixed with bacon fat produces the best flavor. But since we are supposed to be health conscious, and you don’t want to have a heart attack up in the wilderness, you can settle for canola oil. Canola oil has a high, forgiving smoke point of 425 degrees. Any hotter and its too hot to fry the fish without burning it. The ideal temperature for frying fish is in the 350-to-375-degree range. Any cooler the fish soaks up too much oil, becoming greasy; any hotter and you run the risk the fish will burn. If you don’t have a lot of experience frying with oil, a good deep-fry thermometer should be added to your cook box.
MEANWHILE, your breading/coating/spice mixture all goes into your zip-lock shaking bag. Run each fillet through the milk/egg mixture, put it in the bag (one at a time) and give it a light shake. Lay your fillets on a plate for a minute before beginning the frying.
This is where you need to balance your timing between the potatoes and the fish. You want your fish to finish to a golden brown, which typically means leaving them in the oil for 3 to 5 minutes, flipping only once. Don’t overload the skillet. Too many fillets will cause a sudden and dramatic decrease in oil temperature, resulting in under cooked, greasy fillets. Once the fillets are done, lift them carefully with a slotted “flipper” and allow them to drain briefly before placing them on a plate with a paper towel
If you have timed it right the potatoes and fish should be ready to serve at the same time. WHAT? Hey, what about the creamed corn? Ahhhh, the "pièce de résistance"! Creamed corn is a must. Just heat in the fire in the can it came in. No need for anything else except a can opener. It won’t take too long to heat. Remove the lid, set the open can in the outer edge of the coals, on a rock if necessary to keep it from toppling over. When it is heated, my favorite thing is to just spoon it over my potatoes and my fish. If you like tartar sauce on your fish or you are making a sandwich, just spoon it over the potatoes. Some folks also like beans also heated right in the can. That's SHORE LUNCH, the perfect way to #LiveThePassion
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