My favorite meal on planet Earth is fresh caught, beer batter walleye over an open fire. Especially if I’m the one who did the catching. Click here for a step-by-step guide on how to prepare such a feast at home. You have a wide variety of beer batter coating options, but in my opinion it’s hard to beat Shore Lunch Beer Batter Mix.
Even with my love of fried beer batter walleye, I must admit that now I often choose a different cooking method. As I’ve aged, my stomach can manage only so much deep-fried food before an alternative appeals. This past summer during a shore lunch in Manitoba, Aikens Lake Wilderness Lodge head guide and foodie Kurt Sharanowski prepared over an open fire what is to this day the best fish bake I have ever tasted. The delicious bake is surprisingly simple to make yourself. Here’s how.
Ingredients
- Boneless walleye fillets
- Yellow onions
- Bell peppers
- Banana peppers
- Lemons
- Green onions
- Softened butter
- Cajun seasoning
- Pepper
- Borsari salt
- Olive oil
Step 1.
Start a fire. Have enough wood to maintain a moderate-size flame for 40 minutes including prep time. If using an oven, set temp at 350 degrees.
Step 2.
Cut onions, lemons and peppers and place on a clean plate (photo below).
Step 3.
Fillet your walleyes into 6-inch strips. Set them on a separate plate.
Step 4.
Tear off a large sheet of aluminum foil (about 18 x 10 inches). Spread butter generously across the top side, being careful not to puncture the foil.
Step 5.
Add half of all prepped veggies and lemons in a row across the center of the foil, leaving a 2-inch perimeter of open foil.
Start with the yellow onions as your base and douse in pepper and Cajun seasoning (half and half). Then layer on lemons, topped off by peppers and green onions (photo below).
Season with Borsari salt.
Step 6.
Lay fish evenly on top of vegetables. Add a touch of Olive oil and season with Cajun on both sides of the fillets (top photo, left).
Step 7.
Add the other half of all prepped veggies and lemons then season with Borsari salt.
Add more butter.
Step 8.
Tightly seal the aluminum foil (photo below). Double wrap with another large sheet of foil, be sure to flip it over to have seals on opposite sides.
Step 9.
Cook over fire for 20 minutes total (photo below). Rotate 90 degrees every few minutes, and carefully flip onto the other side after 10 minutes.
Step 10.
Once done the foil will puff up. Make a small puncture in the foil with a knife and if steam comes out it is ready. If not, close or cover the punctured foil and cook for 2-3 additional minutes.
Serve and enjoy!
Photos by Tony Capecchi
