Trout fried in bread crumbs. Photo made in the studio
Freshwater anglers target certain fish when the weather starts to cool down…so it’s a great time to heat up your pan!
The fall feed — when fish eat more than usual in preparation for winter — is one of the best times for fishermen and freshwater fish eaters alike!
Although not as high in healthy omega-3 fatty acids as some saltwater fish, freshwater fish are a nutritious — and delicious — fish choice. Most freshwater fish are low in fat and high in protein. One serving of most freshwater fish provides more than 30 percent of the required dietary intake of protein for adults.
Here are some of our fall favorites:
PERCH: Fresh perch has moist, translucent, deep-pink flesh with no fishy odor or taste. When cooked, the lean meat is white with a mild, sweet flavor and it has a firm but flaky texture. Although farmed perch has a higher fat content and lower protein level than wild, the taste is essentially identical.
BASS: Among the different kinds of bass — from Chilean to Black — the freshwater bass is one of the most favored fish for cooking with its juicy and tender texture.
PIKE: Pike is a little more fishy than walleye and other freshwater varieties. The meat is flaky and most people like it breaded and fried…but any way you’d cook other fish works for pike as well. It is considered one of the tastiest, most flavor-packed freshwater fish there is. The flesh is white, firm and lean, and can be combined with many different spices.
TROUT: Trout is a member of the salmon family, but many think its meat lacks the robust flavor salmon delivers. While trout and salmon are typically interchangeable in recipes, they do have slightly different flavors. The earthy taste of freshwater trout stands up well to strong, savory flavors — like bacon! (how can you go wrong with that?!)
WALLEYE: Walleye fishing is awesome…walleye eating is awesome(r)! The walleye flesh is snowy white, delicate and flaky. It has a sole-like texture with a sweet flavor, and is generally considered the premium freshwater species for the dining table. Consider it the fillet mignon of the freshwater fish!
SALMON: YES – freshwater SALMON! During the fall, salmon swim up streams and rivers to spawn. Commonly found in the Pacific Ocean and the Great Lakes, we have heard that Grand Lake also has a salmon run in the fall!
Freshwater and saltwater fish differ in only a few nutrients. Freshwater fish are generally higher in calcium and also have slightly higher levels of fatty acids. Freshwater salmon and bass contain a higher proportion of vitamin A and folate compared to their saltwater cousins.
Just a note: Freshwater and saltwater commercial fishing regulations are different and we just aren’t able to get some freshwater fish (like pike, perch and salmon). So if you want it, you’ve got to catch it yourself.
Varieties of trout, bass, salmon and perch all have something in common: they can live in both fresh and saltwater. So the debate over fresh versus saltwater fish is NOT an argument — it’s a matter of taste!
