Walleye in restaurants

[TV BOY]

I'm new to FM and I admit I don't know a whole heck of a lot about commercial fishing. I do enjoy a good walleye filet (beer battered). I rarely order it in a restrauant, because I usually enjoy a good steak.

Just wondering... Should a FM'er feel guilty eating walleye at a restaurant?

I didn't know which forum to post this, but I'd figured I'd get the most response here.

[sami0115]

not at all....

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YIPPPPEEEEEEEE

[BDR]

For as long as man has been catching fish, man has been buying/selling and trading fish.

Guilty, No! But I do think comercial fishing should be strictly controlled and even move further in a farming direction.

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I'd rather be skunked than follow the crowd!

Brian Rogers

JR's Tackle
Catch-N Tackle and Bio Bait

[otterman]

I have never ordered walleye at a restaurant before and never will it just doesn't have the effect as knowing you caught it. I don't see anything wrong with somebody else ordering it I myself just wouldn't do it.

[huskiesplayer15]

it would be a cold day in he** when you see me ordering walleye in a restaurant, look at this way, there is no steak that costs as much as a walleye fillet,
boat, truck, rods, lures, beverages, bait licenes, gas, hotels, poker money, what else am I forgetting, 6 fish about 18 inches, thats what 1 to 2# of meat? thats what $12,000 a pound?
Best Fishes
Chris

[The Grebe]

I have ordered Walleye in various eateries on several occassions, none recently. Not one of the walleye fillets that I ordered, was in my opinion, very good, and I love all kinds of fish.

For starters the fillets are to big, they are usually off of the size of walleye I would'nt even keep. I feel that the bigger the fish gets, (Fresh water) the worse it tastes.

Next, the fish are taken commercially and I do believe that alot of them come from the Great Lakes, they have an all together different taste.

Lastly, how fresh are they? how long have they been frozen? How are they thawed, have they been nuked in a micro wave?

I'm sure there must be spots to get a good walleye fillet in a cafe/restuarant/ whatever, I've been tempted to try Culvers sandwich. I do buy fish fillet sandwiches at Mc D's, but I believe that those are far from being walleye fillets!

[sunnyj]

Next time you want walley in a restaurant try your local American Legion Club on a Friday night. They do a great job on their fishfrys. And the cost is minnamal. In my town its only 9$ and thats after they raised thier prices. Good luck with opener.

[dlskills]

i am a believer in fresh fish to eat(but) i have had the walley dinner at culvers and that is the best fish dinner boughten i have had i don't like frozen fish at all if it not fresh i don't eat it but that was a really good meal and have had it several times only in one store though the one in willmar!!

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Dwight Skillings
[email protected]

[Kidd]

If you want a good Walleye dinner try Tavern on Grand. It's great.

[Paul Rohweller]

I will never ever ever order walleye in a restraunt again. Once was enough. It tasted like bilge scrapings. Besides I didnt know where it came from. Was it a fish harvested by natives on mille lacs? I dont want my nickel supporting that operation or one like it. Restraunt walleye has nothing over fresh caught fried walleye in my trusty cast iron skillet.. Paul

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Paul Rohweller
Pine to Prairie Guide Service
218-962-3387 home
701-261-9525 cell
[email protected]
N.P.A.A. 425
Quality Bait and Tackle, Detroit Lakes Mn
www.scenictackle.com
North Country Outdoors Radio 99.3 fm
http://fishingminnesota.com/pinetoprairie

[TV BOY]

Anybody know what % of walleye in restaurants is actually from MN?

[Guest]

im pretty sure none of the walleye fillets they sell in restaurants is from minnesota. i was told it comes from canada. or it comes from out of state. the "native americans" arent suppose to sell them but who knows if those wonderful people follow the law!

[Paul Rohweller]

Quite a bit of the local restraunt walleyes come off of lake winnipeg in Manitoba. Some are farm raised in shallow warm dirty water, thus the taste isnt what were used to. Another rumor I've heard is an ocean fish called Pollak...

[friendlyfisher]

I am a chef in a minnesota resturant and we sell a lot of walleye. I would never eat the walleye we sell. It is to big, must come from a three or four pounder at least. They are frozen and the package has the date it was packed. thay can be up to a year or so old. All of our walleye comes from canada. Not sure where, Paul probably has it right. I will take my personal 1 to 2lb walleyes caught localy and cooked the way I like it any day, rather than the resturant fat fishy fillets. friendly.

[eyewinder]

If the fish is walleye and is commercially netted, isn't that kind of like buying a stolen gun?

[bottomfeeder]

Gordys High Hat in Cloquet has a pretty tasty walleye sandwhich. Make sure to get some rings and a strawberry shake to go with that. Yummmmm...

[Farley]

I have ordered walleye once in the last 15 years, at an American Legion. The only reason I ordered it was because the waitress said it her favorite. But if she said the old dirty shoe tasted good, I probably would've ordered that, I'm a sucker for cute waitresses.

It was pretty good, but I usually don't order fish unless it's all you can eat. I figure it like it was stated before, you spend all that money on fishing equipment, it doesnt make sense to order it when you have the ability to go catch them yourself and make them the way you want to.

[jegerjack]

Just because you catch it does not mean you know how to cook it. Any meathead, like myself, can deep fry, but some of those sauces you can get in restaurants are worth the price.

JegerJack

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"What did the old man trade for these guys, a used puck bag?"

[The Grebe]

When I was a kid, long ago and far away, my step dad used to buy walleye fillets out of the truck of a car, from some native American gents from up around Mille Lacs... alot of people did, as I recall? Us city people anyways...!

I don't know for sure, but I used to hear that they did a chunk of business with a number of cafes here in the twin cities also. I do know that those fillets were some of the best food we had, while growing up! Maybe that is why I like fish so much.

This brings me to the question...are any of the fish taken by the different tribes, sold commercially? If so, do all those fish go out of state? Do any cafes, or resteurants in Minn. have home growns on the menu? For all the thousands and thousands of pounds that are netted, that seems like an awfull lot of fish to be
used for personal consumption! Just wondering?

[Giant_Jackpot]

OK bottomfeeder, you really did it this time. I stop at the high hat every time I go through Cloquet and now you got me hungry for some of their chow and it will be at least a month before I get up there. I hope you are happy

[Gingerbreadman]

I used to go out for fish frys regularly untill I seen a few posts on this site which make ALOT OF SENSE. I thought I'd do my part in maintaining a healthy poulation of fish by not keeping many...But I ate them in a resteraunt! Those fish were caught by someone other than me, and lots of them.
Where do the walleyes come from anyways? Are they caught by the net fisherman or line fisherman? I used to get mad at guys for keeping fish to eat, then I'd go eat an AYCE fish dinner at the local bar....I see I was a hypocrite. I've seen the light!

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Run, Run, as fast as you can! You can't catch me I'm the Gingerbread Man!

[IFallsRon]

I eat restaurant walleye when it's the choice at a holiday party.

huskiesplayer15, unless you're peddling your Schwinn to the store, your steak probably costs double your estimate for walleye; maybe more when you figure in time spent fishing.

[snaggletooth]

So all of you know. Commercial fishing is a very controlled business. The fisherman are only allowed so many pounds of walleye and with those fish they have to catch a certain poundage of other species including rough fish. And so, if they are catching certain size walleye and getting some of the junk fish out they are helping the fishery. Besides that the fish you eat in restaurants is all from Canada. A lot of it in MN comes from Lake Winnipeg. And the average size gill net is set to catch a roughly 2lb walleye. I have never seen a fillet served in the resort's restaurant that I work at bigger than about 16inches or so. They may not taste the greatest served in restaurants but don't blame the commercial fisherman for that.

[Rost]

I have an uncle that is a chef/cook. He said most of the walleye we order at resteraunts is actually ocean perch. That explains the large fillets. Not saying this is absolutely correct, that is just what he told me.

[Evenflow]

Rost -
You are correct. Most "walleye" in resturants is actually walleye pollock, a cold water ocean fish. They also make most fish sticks out of it.
I researched this topic after a trip to Alaska when I noticed there weren't walleye of any numbers in the state. It turns out that Alaska walleye is another name for the walleye pollock.

Here's a link to a picture.
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~frf/wyg04Srr.html
and to a list of EU approved names for pollock.
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/anima/fispoi/export/euue/w/walgobe.shtml

Evenflow