Kokanee Quinn found a unique twist on traditional wings this week!
According to the chef who posted the recipe on MeatEater, walleye might just be the crown jewel of freshwater fish—or, as he puts it, “the hill I’m willing to die on.” His most convincing evidence is that even his wife, a lifelong fish skeptic, happily cleans her plate when walleye’s on the menu. With its firm, flaky flesh and buttery mild flavor, he says, it’s simply too good to waste a single bite. That’s why he encourages anglers to go beyond the standard fillet. There’s the well-known cheek meat—those scallop-sized morsels tucked behind the eyes—but the real hidden gem, he insists, is the belly cut near the pelvic fins, which he calls “walleye wings.” These flavorful bits haven’t yet made their way into every outdoorsman’s lexicon, but in parts of Canada, the Dakotas, and the Great Lakes region, they’ve been quietly savored for years. “Grill ’em, fry ’em, bake ’em—whatever,” he says. The fins act like nature’s toothpicks, and, as Ryan Callaghan once described them, they taste like fish-flavored potato chips. (You can find a tutorial on how to remove the wings here)
Give it a shot!
- Course: Small Bites
- Duration: 15 minutes
- Serves 2+ as appetizer
Ingredients
- 8+ walleye wings, skinned
- Cayenne pepper
- Salt
- Pepper
- Butter
Special equipment
Grill, sharp fillet knife
Preparation
- Wash the meat and fins well. The fins will have some natural slime on them, so clean them off to remove excess fishy flavor. Pat dry when done.
- Sprinkle cayenne pepper, salt and pepper on each side of each piece of meat.
- Set your grill to medium-high heat. Brush each piece of meat with melted butter before placing them on the grill.
- Grill each side for about three minutes, or until the meat turns opaque and starts to flake. Brush the meat with melted butter after the first flip.
- Serve them while hot with a lemon garlic butter. To eat, hold each fin like it’s a toothpick and gently bite down in front of each fin. The meat is completely boneless, besides small blades of cartilage that are attached to the fins. When cooked correctly, the meat will slide right off of the fins and cartilage.
