• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Forager | Chef
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Interviews
  • Partnerships
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Interviews
  • Partnerships
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • About
    • Recipes
    • Interviews
    • Partnerships
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Meat and Game

    Lobster Mushroom Crusted Walleye

    Published: Mar 31, 2014 Modified: Dec 26, 2022 Author: Alan Bergo

    Jump to Recipe

    lobster mushroom crusted walleye

    Wondering what to do with all those dried lobster mushrooms? Here's a great technique.

    At a restaurant I used to work at, the signature dish was veal tenderloin crusted with ground porcini and espresso. The first night I did a stage trying to get a job, they offered me some chow, whatever I wanted off of the menu. Naturally I wanted to try the veal.

    The tenderloins were rolled in the porcini mixture and seared, then served with some linguine, garlic butter and shiitakes, as well as choron sauce. The espresso overtook the porcini completely, but I always remembered the combo, and how the chef used ground mushrooms as a seasoning.

    Fast forward a couple years and I'm juggling a massive fruit of lobster mushrooms. I pickled them, preserved them whole in butter, and dried them. All the preservation methods were good, but I noticed drying the lobster mushrooms really seemed to bring out their shellfish flavor.

    dried lobster mushrooms

    One night in the winter, we had a chef's table that requested fish. The old veal dish popped into my head and I thought: "man I should crust the fish with lobster mushrooms!". The chef''s table loved it, and it became a staple technique in our kitchen.

    lobster mushroom crusted walleye

    Make sure to dredge the fish quickly, Dried mushrooms will clump if the fish is left to sit in them for too long.

    Crusting fish with dried mushrooms serves a couple purposes. We use only with freshwater fish where I work, and many are lacking in natural oils that can insulate them from overcooking, a nice dredge in some flour can help this, and acts like a layer of fat. Some freshwater fish too (especially whitefish) can be difficult to sear and crisp their skin: if the pan is too hot the skin burns on the edges, if it isn't hot enough the skin sticks to the pan and rips off.  Not only does this method helps the fish not stick, but adds a really great lobster mushroom flavor.

    This winter, I thought It would be fun to do with walleye, Minnesota's state fish. Alongside it is a lobster mushroom broth, and some wild rice with winter vegetables. I'll leave it up to you to pick a nice side dish to go with yours. 

    Cutting Boneless Walleye Filets

    Walleye and pike have plenty of bones, but with a little effort you can remove them. Cutting off the boneless, meaty portion of the walleye filet might seem like a waste, but you can save the scrap for mousse, dumplings, or soup. You don't have to cut your filets like this, but it helps the fish cook evenly and makes a nice presentation.

    boneless walleye filet

    Removing the middle section of the filet takes out the pin bones and makes an attractive, even filet.

    lobster mushroom crusted walleye
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    No ratings yet

    Lobster Mushroom Crusted Walleye

    Prep Time20 minutes mins
    Cook Time10 minutes mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Lobster Mushrooms, Walleye
    Author: Alan Bergo

    Equipment

    • Spice grinder

    Ingredients

    • 2 whole skinless walleye filets
    • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
    • Flavorless oil, as needed for cooking, a few tablespoons
    • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
    • Dried lobster mushrooms, as needed

    Instructions

    • In the bowl of a vita mix blender spice grinder, grind the lobster mushrooms to a powder. You can sift the mushrooms to get them really fine, but I kind of like leaving chunks in it, since the butter rehydrates them a little at the end of cooking.
    • If desired, de-bone the walleye filets and cut into even, rectangular filets. Heat a saute pan with searing oil like grapeseed or canola, as well as a tsbp of unsalted butter, the milk solids in the butter help the mushrooms not burn.
    • Season the walleye filets lightly with salt and pepper, then dredge each one in ground lobster mushrooms and put them immediately in the pan.
    • Cook until the lobster mushroom crust is golden brown and aromatic on each side, adding some more unsalted butter at the end of cooking if needed to ensure the crust doesn't burn. When the walleye is cooked through and flakes, serve.

    More Lobster Mushrooms 

    lobster mushroom crusted walleye

    « Jean Louis Palladin's Black Truffle Ice Cream
    Saffron Milkcaps With Cumin Yoghurt »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Dan Farmer

      March 31, 2015 at 10:04 pm

      Got a tuna steak that I'm gonna try this with tomorrow. Got shrooms to use up!

      Reply
      • Dan Farmer

        April 01, 2015 at 6:07 pm

        Wow! I almost didn't do it. I started thinking perhaps I needed to do something more conceptually correct with tuna than lobster mushrooms, like mango salsa or whatever. I am very glad that I stayed with the plan. It worked extremely well. Thanks for the tip, Alan!

        Reply
        • Alan Bergo

          April 02, 2015 at 8:20 pm

          Glad you liked it Dan, it's a favorite preparation of mine.

          Reply
    2. Dan Farmer

      March 31, 2014 at 12:04 pm

      That looks and sounds amazing, Alan. So sorry to hear about the glut of lobster mushrooms you had to deal with, though. If you ever again have to find a way how to reduce your supplies, let me know. I might have an idea.

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        March 31, 2014 at 4:38 pm

        Yeah, next time we get together I'll throw ya some, dried lobsters are fun to play with. Thanks Dan!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Chef Alan Bergo

    HI, I'm Alan: James Beard Award-winning Chef, Author, Show Host and Forager. I've been writing about cooking wild food here for over a decade. Let me show you why foraging is the most delicious thing you'll ever do.

    More about me →

    Get The Book

    the forager chef's book of flora
    The Forager Chefs Book of Flora

    As Seen On

    An image showing many different brands and media companies forager chef alan bergo has worked with.

    Footer

    Privacy

    Subscribe

    Be the first to hear what I'm doing

    Contact

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2025 Forager | Chef LLC® Accessibility Statement

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required