Walleye
Photo: Timothy Knepp · Public domain

History

Walleye anchors Minnesota dining the way lobster does coastal Maine. The fish has been the centerpiece of shore lunches across the state's 10,000-plus lakes for more than a century, and the Department of Natural Resources stocks more than 200 million walleye fry annually. In Minneapolis-Saint Paul kitchens, walleye landed on resort menus first then onto downtown plates after WWII. Today Indigena by Owamni serves it cedar-planked over wild rice as part of Sean Sherman's Indigenous program, Restaurant Alma plates a seasonal preparation, and Sea Salt Eatery does a beer-battered version that gets a line down the path at Minnehaha Falls every summer.

Book a food experience

Tours, tastings and classes from the cities on this page, bookable on GetYourGuide.

Browse every bookable food experience

Common allergens: Fish, Gluten (in battered preparations)

Make it at home

Yield 2Hands-on 15 minTotal 20 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 2 walleye fillets, 6 oz each, skin off
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal
  • 1 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
  • 2 tbsp butter plus 1 tbsp neutral oil
  • 1 lemon, halved
  • Fresh dill or parsley to finish

Method

  1. Pat the fillets dry with paper towel. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
  2. Combine flour, cornmeal, salt, pepper and paprika in a shallow dish.
  3. Dredge each fillet, shaking off excess. Let sit 2 minutes for the coating to set.
  4. Heat butter and oil in a wide skillet over medium-high until foaming.
  5. Lay fillets away from you. Cook 3 minutes undisturbed until golden, then flip and cook 2 more minutes.
  6. Squeeze lemon over the top, shower with dill, plate over wild rice or buttered new potatoes.

Tip from the editors. Substitute pickerel, perch, or tilapia if walleye is hard to source; the cooking time and crust hold up across white-fleshed lake fish.

Where to eat walleye

Walleye in Minneapolis

Indigena by Owamni ★ 4.9

$$$$ Tasting $110-175New AmericanMill DistrictChef Sean Sherman

Sean Sherman's Indigena by Owamni inside the Guthrie Theater runs the country's pre-eminent Indigenous tasting kitchen in Minneapolis since June 2026.

Book8 weeks ahead

Directions Book

Restaurant Alma ★ 4.6

$$$$ Tasting $67 (3-course)New AmericanNortheastChef Alex Roberts

Alex Roberts's Alma on University Avenue has run seasonal-American fine dining in Minneapolis since 1999. James Beard Best Chef Midwest 2010 winner.

Book3 weeks ahead

Directions Book

Sea Salt Eatery ★ 4.3

$$ SeafoodLongfellow Powderhorn

Sea Salt Eatery at Minnehaha Falls has run a seasonal seafood counter in South Minneapolis since 2007. Lobster rolls, po'boys, oysters at the park pavilion.

OrderThe lobster roll with butter or the shrimp po'boy.

TipSeasonal May to October only; weekend line runs an hour. Walk the falls while you wait.

Directions Book

All Minneapolis signature dishes →

More cities are in research. Want walleye covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

Browse all dishes →