Easy Lemon Butter Baked Paddlefish
Looking for a simple yet delicious way how to cook paddlefish? Try my Easy Lemon Butter Baked Paddlefish recipe! This flaky and flavorful dish comes together in 15 minutes and is a healthy dinner the whole family will love!There's nothing quite like snagging a paddlefish from the waters of western North Dakota. These prehistoric giants, known for their unique, spoon-shaped snouts, can grow up to 7 feet long and weigh over 200 pounds. For many anglers, catching a paddlefish is a true badge of honor.It was May 1, 2023 and I had driven 7 hours from Fargo to join hundreds of men and women who lined the shores near the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers just outside of Williston, North Dakota.I used an 8-foot snagging rod with 85-pound test line to make cast after cast, yanking a heavy lead 5-ounce weight and large treble hook through the water. It was exhausting! After 12 hours of trying on day 1, and 8 hours of trying on day 2, I finally caught a 45-pound fish to take home for dinner.HOW TO CLEAN A PADDLEFISHTo clean my 56-inch long paddlefish, I laid it on the tailgate of my pickup truck. I used my favorite fillet knife to gut the fish. It's at this point that you will want to try to save any eggs to make caviar. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to make your own paddlefish caviar.There is also is a great YouTube video on "How to Clean and Cook a Paddlefish" that shows you how to remove the notochord as I describe below.I made an incision just behind the head and cut through the notochord. Then I made another shallow cut down near the tail (don't cut too deep or you will slice through the notochord). The notochord is cartilage that makes up the backbone of a paddlefish and looks like a plastic tube. You need to remove this! After making the cuts with your knife, twist the tail in a clockwise rotation to break the outer lining of the notochord, then pull downward to remove its outer end. This will let blood drain from the fish. There are NO bones in a Paddlefish, so once you remove the notochord you are almost home free!You will now be able to slice the fish into steaks by slicing down from the back down toward the belly.With the steaks on a cutting board, slice the flesh free from the skin. Then remove the red meat that runs down both the outside and center of the fillet. The red stuff is very muddy and tastes awful and needs to be removed! You want to be left with a nice clean white piece of fish.Rinse the paddlefish fillets well with clean fresh water before cooking or packaging. If you want to soak them in a little salt water for about 30 minutes, that would be ok, but no longer than that. I suggest a brine solution of 3 Tablespoons of salt to 4 cups of water. The salt penetrates and the fish gains a firmer, more satisfying consistency. The flesh ends up tasting better and is easier to handle.Paddlefish flesh is very firm and contains enough fat that it will not dry out on the grill as quickly as most fish. Most fish varieties bake really well and for this super simple recipe any white fish will work. I've made this particular recipe with walleye and salmon and everyone loved it!MORE FISH RECIPESIf you are looking for more great ways to use some of that fish in your freezer, be sure and check out some of our favorite fish recipes:Lahori FishFish SoupPaddlefish CaviarPaddlefish Caviar on Twice Baked PotatoesFried SmeltPotato Crusted FishCatfish "Scallops"Potato Chip Fish CakesBlackened Catfish with Corn SuccotashSalmon ChowderFish TacosPickled Northern PikeCOME TO NORTH DAKOTA TO CATCH PADDLEFISHIf you would like to visit North Dakota and experience an amazing fishing experience snagging a North Dakota Paddlefish, check out details at the North Dakota Game & Fish Department website.If you make this Baked Paddlefish recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #wildgameandfishDid you enjoy this Easy Lemon Butter Baked Paddlefish Recipe? Be sure to leave a 5-star rating RIGHT HERE!
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 pounds paddlefish fillets
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons butter, softened
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 lemon, zested and sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish with the olive oil.
- Pat the fish dry with a paper towel and then lay out in single layer in the prepared baking dish. Season fish with salt and pepper.
- In a small bowl mix together softened butter with paprika, oregano, and lemon zest.
- Brush butter mixture evenly on top of fish then top with lemon slices.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes until it reaches 145 degrees F with an instant-read thermometer.
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