Grilled Walleye Tacos with Mango Salsa Recipe

If you’re lucky enough to get out on the water in this Land of 10,000 Lakes and catch some fish this summer, you can cook up your catch with this easy twist on popular fish tacos.

“Of the millions of ways to put together a taco, this one might be the easiest,” says Twin Cities food writer Keane Amdahl in his book, Lake Fish: Modern Cooking with Freshwater Fish. “That there are so few ingredients is really the selling point,” he adds, “as it helps to emphasize the freshness of the fish. The walleye is perfect as its own entity, and the earthiness of the corn tortillas helps the natural sweetness of the fish to shine. Couple that with a sweet, savory, and spicy mango salsa and you may have created the perfect food.”

If you are interested in some tips to easily prepare and chop the mango, see my post here. And if your time spent on the lake was enjoyable but not blessed with a bountiful catch, the seafood department at your favorite grocery store should have some fish for you, too. There’s no harm in that.

In addition to walleye, the book also includes a range of recipes to make the most of your local freshwater catch including Sunfish Pot Stickers, Smoked Trout Kale Niçoise, BBQ Northern with Cajun Fried Rice, and more. (It’s available at local independent, chain, and online booksellers or from mnhspress.org.)

Grilled Walleye Tacos with Mango Salsa

Makes 2 to 4 servings

1 cup finely chopped mango
1/2 cup finely chopped tomato
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
juice of 1/2 lime
salt, to taste
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
4 (4- to 6-ounce) skinless walleye fillets
8 corn tortillas

1. Stir together the mango, tomato, onion, lime juice, and cilantro in a bowl. Season with salt and refrigerate until needed.

2. Pat the walleye fillets dry and season with salt. Place a grill pan over high heat and coat with nonstick spray. Add the fillets and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side, and then remove from heat. Cook the corn tortillas for about 10 seconds on each side.

3. Flake the fish and place in tortillas. Top with the mango salsa.

Hungry for More?
If a Classic Minnesota-Style Walleye Sandwich sounds tasty—a staple found in restaurants all across the state—it will be even better when you can make it for yourself. Check out Amdahl’s recipe here.

Recipe and image from Lake Fish: Modern Cooking with Freshwater Fish by Keane Amdahl published by Minnesota Historical Society Press used with permission. 

Mary Subialka is the editor of Real Food and Drinks magazines, covering the flavorful world of food, wine, and spirits. She rarely meets a chicken she doesn’t like, and hopes that her son, who used to eat beets and Indian food as a preschooler, will one day again think of real food as more than something you need to eat before dessert and be inspired by his younger brother, who is now into trying new foods.