Oh Canada! (A Smoked Walleye Recipe)

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Walleye, Eh?!

Have you ever fished for Walleye? I just returned from a family fishing trip in Canda where Walleye was one of our main targets. We caught HUNDREDS of fish when we were up there. We released most of the fish we caught, but each of us was able to return with a one day’s limit worth of Walleye (amongst other fish species). Catching the fish is fun, but making Traeger Walleye and serving it to your friends and family is great too.

One of my favorite things about the Canada fishing trip was the copious amounts of fried fish we ate EVERY SINGLE DAY. On the drive home all I could think about was eating more fish. I was determined to cook some walleye on the smoker that tasted just as good as fried fish.  I am pleased with the results this Traeger Smoked walleye recipe produced.

Preparing the Fish to be Cooked

I’ll be talking about walleye throughout this post, but this recipe works well with other types of white fish too. Halibut, Pike, Ling Cod or Rock Fish would all be good using this recipe.

The first thing you need to do is chunk your fillets into 4 inch long by 1 inch wide pieces.

After you’ve cut the fillets into smaller portions, let the fish pieces soak in a bath of whole milk. While the fish is soaking you can get your smoker and any ingredients you’ll be using ready to go.

Why Should I Soak Fish in Milk?

We would soak halibut fillets in milk when I was working in Alaska. According to this Lifehacker article, soaking fish in milk for a short period of time pulls a chemical out of the fish called Trimethylamine. That chemical is what is responsible for the “fishy” smell. A 15-minute bath in milk is all it takes to remove most of that chemical from the fish!

Add Some Flavor to the Walleye

Now that your walleye is “chemical free”, it’s time to prep the walleye fillets for your smoker. In a shallow bowl combine the following ingredients:

• 1/3 cup dried bread crumbs or panko
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup instant mashed potato flakes
• 1 tbsp Paprika
• 1/2 tbsp bbq rub – I used my poultry rub here

In a second bowl combine 2 eggs with a tablespoon of water.

Pull a chunk of fish out of the milk bath, dredge it in the egg, and then press it into the dry ingredients. Place each breaded chunk of Walleye on a greased baking sheet. 

Cooking Walleye on a Smoker

This is the easiest part of the whole recipe. Set up your smoker to cook at 450 degrees.

Once the smoker is up to temp, put the baking sheet full of fish in the smoker and let the fish cook for approximately 20 minutes. They’re done when the internal temperature of the fish is 145 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.

When the fish hits that internal temp, it’s time to pull it off the smoker, and serve immediately!

Yield: 4

Traeger Walleye Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

A delicious way to prepare any white fish on a Traeger or pellet grill - this walleye recipe is fantastic! 

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Ingredients

• 16 ounces of walleye fillets
• 1/3 cup dried bread crumbs or panko
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup instant mashed potato flakes
• 1 tbsp Paprika
• 1/2 tbsp bbq rub - I used my poultry rub
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp water

Instructions

1. Chunk your walleye fillets into 4 inch strips
2. Place the walleye strips into a shallow bowl and cover with milk. Let the Walleye fillets sit in the milk for approximately 15 minutes
3. In one bowl combine your dry ingredients, in the other combine the egg and water.
4. One by one remove the walleye strips from the milk bath. dredge in the egg wash, and then press each chunk of fish into the dry ingredients. Place on a greased baking sheet.
5. Prep your smoker to cook at 450 degrees, using indirect heat. I have a Traeger Pro 34, and used the "high" temperature setting to get my temps where they needed to be.
6. Once the smoker is up to temp, put the grill rack full of fish in the smoker, and let the fish cook for approximately 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the fish is 145 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.
7. When the fish hits the internal temp of 145, it's time to pull it off the smoker, and serve immediately!

Notes

Here are the items I used for this recipe:

Thermapen MK4

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 175