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Walleye Minot

Note that you can make the fish stock, sauce and dry the fish skins for the chicharrons several days ahead of time. To make the chicharrons, use this recipe.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 1405 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

STOCK
  • 3 to 5 pounds of bones and heads from the fish you are cooking (gills removed)
  • 1/4 cup sunflower or other vegetable oil
  • salt
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • salt
SAUCE
  • 1/4 cup buffaloberry syrup, or some other syrup
  • 2 to 3 teaspoons Tabasco sauce or other hot sauce
  • salt to taste
FISH
  • 4 skinless white fish fillets
  • salt
  • 1 pound unsalted butter
BARLEY RISOTTO
  • 5 tablespoons sunflower oil or unsalted butter (divided)
  • 1 cup minced onion
  • 3 garlic cloves , minced
  • 2 cups barley
  • Smoked salt or regular salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 cup chopped wild green onions (or scallions or chives)
  • freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Start by making the stock. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Make sure you remove the gills from the fish carcasses, as they will make the stock cloudy and bitter. Coat the fish carcasses with the oil and salt well. Lay the carcasses out side by side in a roasting pan -- stacking them will slow the browning process -- and roast until nicely browned, about 1 hour. I flip the bones halfway.
  2. Once they're nicely browned, move the bones, heads, etc to a large stockpot and just barely cover with water. Pour some water into the roasting pan and use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits in the pan. Pour all this into the stockpot. Add the remaining stock ingredients and bring to a very gentle simmer. A shimmy, really. Let this steep/cook for 2 hours.
  3. While the stock is cooking, mix together the ingredients for the sauce. When the stock has about 30 minutes left to go, take the fish from the fridge and salt it. Set it on a cutting board to cure quickly. Melt the butter over low heat in a pan large enough to hold the fish in one layer. Once the butter has melted, turn off the heat for now.
  4. As soon as the stock is ready, begin the risotto by sauteing the onions in 3 tablespoons of sunflower oil or butter in a medium pot set over medium-high heat. Salt them as they cook. When the onions are translucent, add the garlic and the barley and saute for 2 minutes, stirring often. Grab a ladle in one hand and a fine-meshed strainer in the other. Ladle some stock through the strainer into the risotto pan. Start stirring the barley. You will need to do this more or less constantly until the barley cooks, which takes about 35 minutes or so.
  5. Add the thyme and a healthy pinch of smoked salt and keep adding more hot stock as you go, one ladle at a time, replacing the stock when the liquid has mostly evaporated.
  6. Once you start adding the stock to the risotto, pat the fish dry with paper towels and submerge it in the melted butter. Turn the heat to low on the butter and very gently poach the fish as you make the risotto. Don't let the butter sizzle!
  7. When the barley is ready -- you want it to be cooked through but still a bit al dente -- add the wild onions, salt and black pepper to taste. Stir in the final 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil or butter.
  8. To serve, spoon some risotto into shallow bowls on on plates and top with a piece of fish. Drizzle some of the sauce around the edge of the barley, and top each fish with the chicharron. The chicharron will get soggy quickly, so everyone should eat that first.

Nutrition Information

Calories 1405kcal (70%) Carbohydrates 92g (31%) Protein 48g (96%) Fat 97g (149%) Saturated Fat 60g (300%) Trans Fat 4g Cholesterol 329mg (110%) Sodium 172mg (7%) Potassium 1231mg (35%) Fiber 19g (76%) Sugar 15g (30%) Vitamin A 8064IU (161%) Vitamin C 9mg (10%) Calcium 132mg (13%) Iron 5mg (28%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 1405

% Daily Value*

Calories 1405kcal 70%
Carbohydrates 92g 31%
Protein 48g 96%
Fat 97g 149%
Saturated Fat 60g 300%
Trans Fat 4g 200%
Cholesterol 329mg 110%
Sodium 172mg 7%
Potassium 1231mg 26%
Fiber 19g 76%
Sugar 15g 30%
Vitamin A 8064IU 161%
Vitamin C 9mg 10%
Calcium 132mg 13%
Iron 5mg 28%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.