Strawberry Walleye

Fresh walleye tastes awesome enough, especially when roasted to moist perfection. Now imagine it topped with this refreshing strawberry salsa. No walleye? Any white-fleshed fish can easily stand in for this recipe.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp red wine or orange juice
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp liquid honey
• Zest of ½ orange
• 2 cups fresh strawberries, coarsely diced
• 20 fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 skinless walleye fillets, 6 to 8 ounces each
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

Preparation

Strawberry Salsa

In a bowl, mix together olive oil, red wine, balsamic vinegar, honey and orange zest. Add strawberries and marinate for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Just before serving over fish (below), sprinkle with basil leaves and freshly ground black pepper.

Walleye

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Drizzle a baking dish with 1 tbsp oil, and layer with onion, lemon and garlic.
2. Rub fillets with remaining oil, add to baking dish and season with salt and black pepper. Roast in oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until flesh is no longer translucent.
3. Top each fillet with a spoonful of salsa; serve remaining salsa on the side along with coleslaw or potato salad.

Tip: Roasting brings out the natural sweetness of fish—without all the extra calories that frying fillets in oil or butter adds. But roasting can result in dry fish. To prevent this, roast the fillets on a bed of vegetables and citrus fruit slices. Sliced onions and garlic, along with the likes of lemons, limes or oranges, impart moisture and extra flavour. Adding a ¼ cup of white wine or chicken stock can also help keep fish moist while roasting. In either case, avoid overcooking the fillets.

Drinks: Why wait for warmer weather? A light summer beer or chilled pitcher of sangria is an excellent complement to this fish dish.