Preparation:
When cleaning the fish “zipper” out the lateral line and remove all fat from surface of fillets – this especially important if baking.
Rinse fillets in cold water, drain, and place on paper towels until almost dry.
Put Ritz crackers in a blender/chopper until crackers turn into a fine powder.
Lightly salt & pepper fillets, then sprinkle Ritz cracker powder on fillets. Gently roll fillets until they are completely coated with Ritz powder.
Note: Add any seasoning you prefer. Walleye is a delicate fish so do not overpower it with large quantities of strong seasonings. I like a 25% mixture of original Shore Lunch with the Ritz crackers.
Bake:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
Line pan with Reynolds Wrap NON-STICK Aluminum foil (do not use any non-stick sprays or butter as it will smoke in the very hot oven)
Lay fillets on foil in a single layer (do not stack one on top of another).
Depending on thickness and desired crispness, bake about 5 minutes, flip fillets, and bake about 4 more minutes.
When done the thickest fillets should easily flake all white meat when a fork is inserted.
Pan Fry:
Preheat fry pan with about 3/16 inches of peanut oil.
When the oil just starts smoking, add a single layer of fillets to the pan.
Fry for about 2 minutes, flip fillets, fry for about 1 more minute.
When done the thickest fillets should easily flake all white meat when a fork is inserted.
To absorb any remaining oil, place fillets on paper towels.
Pan fry notes:
– Any oil will work, but peanut oil has the highest smoke point. Fish fried at a higher temperature will absorb less oil and have a crisper surface.
– Do not have the oil covering a complete fillet, as it will hinder moisture escaping from the fillets while frying.
– A big heavy cast iron pan works the best; it takes awhile to heat up but holds the temperature of the oil.
Dave Gulczinski