Walleye with Mushroom Cream Sauce

was rarely cooked at our house as a kid. Occasionally at the cabin, my mom would make fish fry in a cast iron skillet on the grill if someone brought home some lake Walleye from a fishing trip. I love a good fish fry and Walleye in particular, but I rarely cook fish at home. After coming home from Mexico this month, where I ate fish daily, I decided to cook more often at home.

After surveying my refrigerator, I came up with this delicious recipe. I liked it so much that I made it again two days later. You would not think fish would work well with cream and mushrooms, but it’s the ultimate Minnesota Surf and Turf if you think about it. You can catch Walleye in the lake and forage for mushrooms and put it all together with a bit of lemon, thyme, and cream for an easy weeknight meal. 

I like to buy fish at Coastal Seafood and Whole Foods, and I will pick it up at Lunds and Byerlys or Kowalskis if I am shopping. The new fish market in the West End is also now on my radar. This shop is locally owned (as is Coastal), and they do a great job.

Walleye with Mushroom Cream Sauce

Yield: 2

This fish dish is straight out of the Minnesota lakes and woods to your plate

Print

Ingredients

• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
• 2 (6-ounces) pieces of walleye filet
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups mushrooms (I like baby bellas but you can use cremini, shitake, morels, or hen-of-the-woods) cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 green onion chopped into white and green parts
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
• 1/4 cup dry white wine (you can substitute 2 Tbsp lemon juice)
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 Tbsp sour cream
• Reserved minced green onions for garnish

Instructions

1. Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Season 2 fish filets fish with salt and pepper and add to the skillet, and cook 4 minutes a side until flaky and the fish is cooked through
3. Transfer fish to a plate; keep warm.
4. Melt 2 Tbsp butter in the skillet and add sliced mushrooms, green onions (white parts only), and thyme. Sauté until mushrooms are browned, about 5 minutes. Add wine, boil, and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Reduce heat to low, and stir in heavy cream and sour cream.
5. Simmer gently until thickened, sand coating the back of a spoon for about 1 minute.
6. Plate each filet of fish on a plate and divide and mushroom mixture among the 2 plates,
7. Garnish with chopped green onions.