The other day I received the current edition of Better Homes and Garden. As I was flipping through the recipe section...first of course...I stumbled upon a recipe for trout with a hazelnut balsamic reduction and thought I might be able to substitute some of our freshly caught walleye. I also figured that substituting pine nuts for hazelnuts wouldn't be a bad thing, so I got to work.Walleye with Balsamic and Pine Nuts
adapted from Better Homes and Garden - September 2006
2 10-12 oz. walleye fillets
1 tsp. ground cumin
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 Tbsp. butter
1/4 c pine nuts
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Sprinkle fish with cumin, salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish and cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn and cook 2-3 more minutes or until fish flakes easily. Transfer to serving platter.
For the sauce, reduce heat to medium and add butter and nuts. Cook, stirring often, 1 1/2 - 2 minutes. Butter and nuts should begin to brown. Stir in lemon juice and vinegar; cook for 30 seconds until slightly thickened (aroma will be stron.) Add remaining pepper. Pour over fish and serve immediately.
I served this with roasted vegetables.
This turned out to be an interesting dish. I really liked the tangy sweetness of the vinegar and the toasty nut flavor with the fish. I never would have paired them together without finding this recipe. I was also excited to try the new bottle of balsamic vinegar that I picked up awhile back. Yummy. It was definitely a change of pace from the normal fish dish.
