Baked Walleye in Sour Cream
Submitted by metzmaker101
Whole walleye rubbed with butter and onion, laid on bacon strips, and topped with a sour cream, Parmesan, and breadcrumb crust. The best thing to happen to your lake catch.
YIELD
5 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
30 minREADY
45 minUp in the northwoods, walleye is king. And this recipe treats it like royalty.
A whole scaled walleye gets rubbed inside and out with butter and minced onion, then rests on a bed of bacon strips that render their smoky fat into the fish as it bakes.
The crowning glory is a thick layer of sour cream mixed with Parmesan, thyme, breadcrumbs, and lemon juice that sets into a golden, tangy crust.
Serve it with a baked potato and a tossed salad, and you’ve got a shore lunch that moved indoors.
Kitchen Tips
- Scale the walleye but leave the skin on. It holds the fish together during baking and gets tender under that sour cream blanket.
- The bacon strips on the bottom aren’t just for flavor. They keep the fish from sticking to the pan and add a smoky richness to every bite.
- Spread the sour cream mixture evenly over the top and sides. It insulates the fish and keeps it incredibly moist.
- A 3 to 3.5-pound walleye feeds about five people. If your catch is smaller, just scale the topping down proportionally.
Ingredients
Directions
Scale but don’t skin the walleye and pick a 3-3½-pounder.
Salt and pepper the fish. Mix the minced onions with soft butter and spread inside and outside the fish.
Lay the bacon strips on the bottom of a shallow baking dish and lay in the fish.
In a bowl mix the sour cream, thyme, grated cheese, bread crumbs, and lemon juice and spread the mixture over the fish. Bake at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes.
Serve with tossed salad and baked potato.
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