Walleye cheeks!

Garyclaw · Sep 25, 2010

........as in the jaw muscle of the Walleye, a fierce predator with a voracious appitite. With its sharp teeth and powerful jaws, it's a eating machine! The cheeks of a walleye are considered a delecacy among savy Lake Erie fishermen.
As you can see, these are a pretty stong muscle:

I dipped them in an egg wash and breaded them in a combo of bread crumbs and cornflake crumbs:

Fired up the top burner on the outdoor kitchen and set the CI skillet to work:

Crispy chunks o' cheeks:

They were mighty tasty and will serve us well as a snack on Lake Erie tomorrow Perch fishing. Thanks for looking.

Shiz-Nit · Sep 25, 2010

Dayum nice

B & B Backyard BBQ · Sep 25, 2010

Looks great

Bluesman · Sep 25, 2010

Nice cheeks. Those have to be some big Eyes to give up those size cheeks. So, what size are they? Look fabulous.

Norm · Sep 25, 2010

One of my favorites too!

bluetang · Sep 25, 2010

Those look good!

boatnut · Sep 25, 2010

nice job on the cheek meat, Gary! I try to save a bunch up and then make "cheek chowder" with 'em.

thirdeye · Sep 25, 2010

How could you stand to wait a day before eating those? You have more will power than I do.

Garyclaw · Sep 25, 2010

Bluesman said:
Nice cheeks. Those have to be some big Eyes to give up those size cheeks. So, what size are they? Look fabulous.

That was a banner day Bluesman. Most all were 6 lb. plus. Some were more, a few were 3-4 lb. 36 that day and a Steelhead for smokin' for good measure.:thumb:

Garyclaw · Sep 25, 2010

boatnut said:
nice job on the cheek meat, Gary! I try to save a bunch up and then make "cheek chowder" with 'em.

I knew "Cheeks" would draw your attention

That is an excellent idea with the chowder Mike. Don't know if we're gonna Walleye again this year or not, with the Perch doin so good now. I hope so. A bit rough today with 5-7 footers. Hope it settles a little for tomorrow.

LMAJ · Sep 25, 2010

I'm not a fish fan but I showed this to Big Al - his response? "Those look awesome!"

hnd · Sep 25, 2010

yeah the cheeks are fantastic...but you generally can only get them fishing in a place where you are able to put the knife to bigger fish. (5+). lake erie would be one of those places....fantastic fishery.

BlueHowler · Sep 25, 2010

boatnut said:
nice job on the cheek meat, Gary! I try to save a bunch up and then make "cheek chowder" with 'em.

We have some nice walleye here in Colorado but I don't think I could catch enough to make Cheek chowder.

Will you share the recipe anyways?

Garyclaw · Sep 25, 2010

Wanted to show the grain in these cheeks:

If you were a little Perch or a Shiner, you wouldn't stand a chance against that "clench".

Johnny_Crunch · Sep 25, 2010

looks delicious, ship me some down in Texas!

huminie · Sep 25, 2010

Thanks for the pics! Look delicious! I grew up in Southern Ontario and have fond memories of walleye (well, pickerel as we called it) fishing up north. One of my most memorable meals was a time we caught some pickerel and cooked it over a campfire on shore. My dad always breaded it with corn flakes...so delicious!

Garyclaw · Sep 25, 2010

huminie said:
Thanks for the pics! Look delicious! I grew up in Southern Ontario and have fond memories of walleye (well, pickerel as we called it) fishing up north. One of my most memorable meals was a time we caught some pickerel and cooked it over a campfire on shore. My dad always breaded it with corn flakes...so delicious!

You bet huminie! Those shore lunch Walleyes can never be duplicated. Will always be the best in my book! Did the same with my Dad. That is definitely one of the best things in life everyone should experience. Thanks for the memory.:thumb:

boatnut · Sep 25, 2010

BlueHowler said:
We have some nice walleye here in Colorado but I don't think I could catch enough to make Cheek chowder.

Will you share the recipe anyways?

sure, you can make with cheeks or any fish. add fish last as does not take long to cook. cheeks can turn rubbery fast if over cooked. to me, the cheeks have an almost scallop consistency.

CHOWDER:
8 slices bacon, chopped
2 small onions , chopped fine
2 carrot chopped fine or shredded
2 celery ribs chopped fine
4 TBS unsalted butter
1 tsp paprika
16 oz bottle clam juice
2 cups water
1 cup heavy cream
2 russet potatoes (about 1 lb)
1 small can sweet corn or equiv.
1 1/2 lbs cheeks or white fish fillet such as cod etc.
4 TBS minced fresh parsley

In heavy suacepan, cook bacon over moderate heat, stirring until crisp and transfer with slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Pour off fat and in pan, cook onion, carrot and celer in butter over low heat, until softened.

Sprinklie flour over mixture and cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Stir in paprikak and cook stirrring 30 seconds. Add clam juice, water and cream and bring to boil stirring occasionally.

while mixture is coming to a boil, peel potato and cut into 1/4" dice. Add potato and corn to mixture and simmer chowder, uncovered for 12 minutes. Stir in cheeks or fish and simmer until just cooked through. Stir in parsley , bacon and salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Two Bears · Sep 25, 2010

Tell ya what my friend, iant nottin better than Walley cheeckys

That there brought back a lot of memories fishing with dad.

Must have been a mess of eyes...

jcfontario · Sep 25, 2010

huminie said:
Thanks for the pics! Look delicious! I grew up in Southern Ontario and have fond memories of walleye (well, pickerel as we called it) fishing up north. One of my most memorable meals was a time we caught some pickerel and cooked it over a campfire on shore. My dad always breaded it with corn flakes...so delicious!

That is just so cruel.....:thumb: Walleye (pickerel) is my favorite fish also, but never had the cheeks. Must try them next time I get a whole fish. Agree that it doesn't get any better than a shore lunch of these guys.

Walleye cheeks!

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