Walleye Surprise

Ingredients:

• 6-8 red potatoes, scrubbed and thinly (¼”) sliced

• 4 walleye fillets, cut into pieces

• 3-4 cups thinly sliced vegetables, combined (ex. celery, carrot, zucchini, bell pepper, beans)

• ½ onion, thinly sliced

• ½ cup grated cheddar cheese

• ¼ cup butter or as needed

• Salt and pepper, as needed

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Grease the bottom and sides of a 9”x12” baking dish with butter.

Spread the potatoes evenly on the bottom of the baking dish.  Place pea-sized dabs of butter on top of potatoes and season with salt and pepper.  Lay fish - in a single layer - on top of potatoes, dab with butter and season with salt and pepper.  If parts of the fish are very thick, split in half before layering.  In a bowl gently toss vegetables and onion together.  Layer on top of fish, dab with more butter and season with salt and pepper.

Cover the baking dish loosely with aluminum foil while tightly sealing the edges around the rim of the dish.  Bake for 25-30 minutes (longer for larger fillets).  Remove aluminum foil and sprinkle cheese on top.  Bake for another 5-7 minutes to melt the cheese.  Feeds 6-8 people.

Recipe submitted by Kanina Terry, our Indigenous Relations Coordinator

Chef’s notes:  There are a few surprises to be had with this dish: how easy it comes together; how it’s a full meal in one dish; how tasty it is!  The walleye (ogaa in Anishinaabemowin) used in the photo above was sustainably harvested using a fish gill net in Treaty #3 territory.  Fishing by gill net is not recreational, rather a subsistence method that provides large quantities of fish for families and communities.