Owamni ★ 5.0
Sean Sherman's Owamni at Water Works Park runs the country's pre-eminent Indigenous tasting kitchen in Minneapolis since 2021. Beard Best New Restaurant 2022.
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 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.
Common allergens: Fish, Gluten (in battered preparations)
Make it at home
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
- Pat the fillets dry with paper towel. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Combine flour, cornmeal, salt, pepper and paprika in a shallow dish.
- Dredge each fillet, shaking off excess. Let sit 2 minutes for the coating to set.
- Heat butter and oil in a wide skillet over medium-high until foaming.
- Lay fillets away from you. Cook 3 minutes undisturbed until golden, then flip and cook 2 more minutes.
- 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.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Where to eat walleye
Walleye in Minneapolis
Restaurant Alma ★ 4.6
Alex Roberts's Alma on University Avenue has run seasonal-American fine dining in Minneapolis since 1999. James Beard Best Chef Midwest 2010 winner.
Sea Salt Eatery ★ 4.4
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.
Signature: Lobster roll, Po'boy
Order: The lobster roll with butter or the shrimp po'boy.
Tip: Seasonal May to October only; weekend line runs an hour. Walk the falls while you wait.
More cities are in research. Want walleye covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.