How To Prepare and Cook a Walleye

One of the best parts of fishing as a hobby is if you have a successful day, you may just earn yourself dinner. If you fish in Canada or anywhere near the Great Lakes, you are likely familiar with Walleye. Maybe you’ve had it for a few meals.

But have you ever caught and prepared Walleye yourself? It’s an immensely rewarding experience that, if done correctly, ends in a tasty meal. Here’s how you do it:

When You Catch Them

The first order or business is obviously to locate and catch the Walleye. Once you do so, you should work quickly to both minimize the suffering of the fish and to prevent the meat from spoiling. You should knock it unconscious with a rock or specialized tool if you have one handy. Then you “bleed” the fish by cutting into both the gills from the bottom up with a sharp knife, which will sever the main artery. You can dip into the water and massage it along the spine to help the blood pour out. When the flow stops, throw the fish in the cooler to chill until it’s time to head home.

At-Home Prep

Once you get the fish home, decide if you want to remove the skin or not. Walleye can be eaten either way, but it’s generally recommended to remove the skin if you’re going to fry it. Next, you should remove the innards from the belly by running a knife through the belly from the anus to the neck. Reach inside and grab the innards, starting at the neck and pull down and out. Discard them and rinse the fish’s belly with water.

Prepare and Cook

The next step in the process will depend on how exactly you want to cook the Walleye. You may want to cut it into the steaks or filets or even just leave the fish whole. What you do next is limited only be your imagination and taste buds. You can cook it on a grill, over a fire, in your oven, on the stove, or even in a deep or air fryer. There are dozens of ways to flavor, season, or serve it so don’t be afraid to get creative or try something new.

If this all sounds good to you, but you don’t live close enough to do it, it’s time to plan a trip to do some Walleye fishing. Anderson’s Lodge in Ontario, Canada is a perfect place to do it. We can offer you world-class accommodations with the best staff-to-guest ratio in the area, in addition to a wonderful fishing vacation. Make a reservation today.