Did you know that Independence Day is the "most grilled day" of the year, followed by Memorial Day and then Labor Day? About 70% of grilling households in the U.S. are grilling up something on this "most grilled day!"
We are big time "grill-aholics" here! We have a Baby Weber grill, which works great for things like burgers, steaks, chicken, seafood, fish, kabobs, etc. However, our favorite grill is our Mak 2-Star General smoker grill, which we've had for about 6 years. We've made some amazing food on the smoker grill...pork shoulder, pork ribs, brisket, prime rib, beer can chicken, rack of lamb, lamb roast, turkey, goose, duck, and salmon, and have also smoked almonds and a variety of cheeses. Yummo!
We were looking for something "different" to grill for the 4th of July this year, and we decided to use the Mak smoker grill to cook up some walleye! I grew up eating walleye frequently (especially in the summer...lake time/fishing time!), and they are my all-time FAVORITE fish! Mild, non-fatty, clean-tasting, flaky, and delicious! The most common ways that I've eaten walleye have been baked (or microwaved) in some butter with some light salt/pepper, or by batter-frying served with a delicious mayo/horseradish-based sauce. (I'm drooling just a little bit at the moment!) With our love of the smoker grill and a little bit of research, hubby and I decided to make some Cajun Smoked Walleye!
We used a cedar plank to cook the fish, partly because the fish wouldn't end up sticking to the grill grates or grill mat (and the plank was easy to put on/take off the grill), and partly to see if the plank would impart some flavor to the fish. The cedar plank needs at least 2 hours of time to soak in water, so you need to do that well in advance of firing up the grill.
With some good ol' walleye from the Columbia River in hand, I de-boned the fillets. With the cedar plank removed from the water bath and dabbed with paper towels (so no water was dripping from it), I sprayed the plank with some vegetable oil cooking spray, then laid the fish out on the plank, lightly coating the fillets with vegetable oil cooking spray. Then a sprinkle of some Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning on the fish...and onto the smoker grill with the planked fish, using alder pellets for the cooking process.
We are big time "grill-aholics" here! We have a Baby Weber grill, which works great for things like burgers, steaks, chicken, seafood, fish, kabobs, etc. However, our favorite grill is our Mak 2-Star General smoker grill, which we've had for about 6 years. We've made some amazing food on the smoker grill...pork shoulder, pork ribs, brisket, prime rib, beer can chicken, rack of lamb, lamb roast, turkey, goose, duck, and salmon, and have also smoked almonds and a variety of cheeses. Yummo!
We were looking for something "different" to grill for the 4th of July this year, and we decided to use the Mak smoker grill to cook up some walleye! I grew up eating walleye frequently (especially in the summer...lake time/fishing time!), and they are my all-time FAVORITE fish! Mild, non-fatty, clean-tasting, flaky, and delicious! The most common ways that I've eaten walleye have been baked (or microwaved) in some butter with some light salt/pepper, or by batter-frying served with a delicious mayo/horseradish-based sauce. (I'm drooling just a little bit at the moment!) With our love of the smoker grill and a little bit of research, hubby and I decided to make some Cajun Smoked Walleye!
We used a cedar plank to cook the fish, partly because the fish wouldn't end up sticking to the grill grates or grill mat (and the plank was easy to put on/take off the grill), and partly to see if the plank would impart some flavor to the fish. The cedar plank needs at least 2 hours of time to soak in water, so you need to do that well in advance of firing up the grill.
With some good ol' walleye from the Columbia River in hand, I de-boned the fillets. With the cedar plank removed from the water bath and dabbed with paper towels (so no water was dripping from it), I sprayed the plank with some vegetable oil cooking spray, then laid the fish out on the plank, lightly coating the fillets with vegetable oil cooking spray. Then a sprinkle of some Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning on the fish...and onto the smoker grill with the planked fish, using alder pellets for the cooking process.
About 1-1/2 hours later, my Thermapen instant-read thermometer confirmed that the flaky fish was indeed at 140 degrees Fahrenheit...time to eat! Wow...that was some really great-tasting fish! Two thumbs up! I served the yummy walleye with Macaroni-Coleslaw Pasta Salad and some simple baked beans. (By the way, any leftovers are amazingly delish served cold on crackers!)
Here are some helpful tips if you want to give smoker grilling fish a try. Happy Grilling!
Here are some helpful tips if you want to give smoker grilling fish a try. Happy Grilling!
