The Louisville Chef
- 4 good size walleye filets, 8-10 oz each
- 3 Tbsp butter, one Tbsp set aside to finish the sauce.
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ lemon, squeezed
- ¼ cup white wine
Remove the fillets from the refrigerator and dust both sides with sea salt, black pepper, and other spices. Let the fish rest at room temperature for at least 10 minutes. Cold fish doesn’t cook well.
Heat a large nonstick sauté pan. Once it’s medium hot, add 2 Tbsp of butter. When the froth subsides and the butter is just starting to turn amber, gently add fish, skin side down. If you want a nice crispy skin (and you do), don’t move the fish too much.
As the walleye is cooking, use a spoon and baste it with the butter. If the filets are not very thick, this may be enough to cook it through, but feel free to gently flip them over if need be. A slotted spatula is very handy here.
Once done, remove the fillets to heated plates. This is important, as fish will cool quickly, and you need a few minutes to make your sauce.
Add lemon juice and wine to the sauté pan and bring the heat up to high. Stir until the sauce starts to thicken, then add the remaining 1 Tbsp of butter and continue stirring until the sauce glistens. Spoon the sauce over the fish and serve immediately. It is great served with oven-roasted cauliflower rice.
Serves 4