Species sheet · The Edible River
Walleye
The eye that glows in the night of northern lakes.
- Fillets breaded and pan-fried in butter, the lakeside shore lunch
- Grilled in foil over the campfire
- In a chowder with potatoes and onions
- In French
- Doré jaune
- Scientific name
- Sander vitreus
- In the water
- A cousin of the zander, it lives in the big lakes and rivers of Canada and the northern United States. It hunts at dusk, in murky or deep water.
- Season & buying
- Caught mostly from spring to autumn, and through the ice in winter; in Quebec its season reopens in May.
- Common length
- ~45 cm
- How to identify it
- Long golden to olive body mottled with brown
Large glassy eyes that reflect light
Dark blotch at the rear of the first dorsal fin
On the plate
White, fine, flaky flesh, mild, with no muddy taste.
Avoid: Overcooking it: the lean flesh dries fast; take it off the heat as soon as it turns opaque.
Its eyes carry a reflective layer that lets it see at night: that glassy look gave it its name, walleye.
In Umay recipes
One Umay recipe calls for it.
