Walleye with Rice Stuffing









Ingredients:
• 1 package (6 ounces) wild and long grain rice mix
• 1 teaspoon instant chicken bouillon granules
• 1-1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 jar (2 ounces) sliced pimiento, drained
• 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
• 2 to 2-1/2-pound drawn walleye

Method:
Prepare rice as directed on package, adding bouillon granules to water. Set aside. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease broiler pan or 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

In small skillet, cook and stir mushrooms and celery in butter over medium heat until mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in pimiento and sage. Stir vegetables into rice.

Place walleye on broiler pan. Stuff with rice mixture, placing and extra stuffing around fish. Cover rice only with foil. Bake until fish flakes easily at backbone, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve with Citrus Butter.

Citrus Butter:
• 6 Tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon grated orange, lemon, or lime peel

In small bowl, combine softened butter and citrus peel.

Notes:
I didn’t have a lot of open time in my calendar in July, so I fudged a little and made this in late June after a two-week fishing trip to Ely. I saved a whole walleye for this recipe and it wasn’t packed for long-term storage in the freezer, so I made this month’s recipe early.

I’m not a good judge of fish weight… this 17” walleye weighed just over one pound and I had a lot of stuffing that wouldn’t fit into the fish. When I make this recipe again, I would use two fish in the 16” to 20” range. I would also use boneless, skin-on fillets with a layer of stuffing between, as picking bones on a dinner plate is just putzy.

The stuffing was much better than I expected due to the added mushrooms, celery and pimento and complemented the delicate flavor of the walleye. The Citrus Butter made with lemon peel was a very nice addition.