Feast your eyes and your senses upon this Walleye Soup with Couscous topped with crispy pan seared walleye. This fish soup is a symphony of flavors and a celebration of the walleye we love to catch here in North Dakota!
This walleye recipe is perfect when you need to feed a family of four with just one fish. No matter how diligent we are trying to catch our daily limit, sometimes we fall short and only land one walleye in the boat or on top of the ice. I used just one walleye for this walleye soup recipe, cutting each of the two fillets in half in order for everyone to get a piece.
When you make this fish soup recipe, you'll get to enjoy a bowl of warm velvety broth with carrots, onions, celery, and plenty of garlic, simmered to perfection. Into this cauldron of liquid gold, we introduce the warm spices of cinnamon and juniper berries, each contributing its own unique character to the fish soup.
As this walleye soup simmers, the flavors meld and mingle, creating a harmonious blend that will dance on your palate with every spoonful. A squeeze of fresh lemon just before serving adds a bright, citrusy note, while a sprinkle of chopped fresh chives provides a fresh onion-y bite.
Pan Seared Walleye For A Fish Soup Recipe
Then we top it off with a crispy and tender chunk of pan seared walleye to add yet another layer of complexity to this culinary masterpiece that is simple to make and ready in just over 30 minutes.
There is nothing quite as amazing as a piece of perfectly pan seared walleye with its crispy crust begging to be devoured. Pan searing is a classic restaurant method of cooking fish, but easily mastered right at home when following the simple steps listed below.
This walleye soup is a perfect dish to share with friends and family during a long soup season like we have here in North Dakota.
How To Make Walleye Soup
1. Take the walleye fillets out of the fridge and cut them in half. Now pat the fillets dry with a paper towel, then sprinkle both sides of each fillet with about ⅛ teaspoon of salt and crushed pink peppercorns per side. If you don't have pink peppercorns, just substitute black pepper. Let the fish fillets come to room temperature for about 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large pot or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring regularly, for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables soften. Season the vegetables with ½ teaspoon of kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper. Add 1 tablespoon of crushed juniper berries and ⅛ teaspoon of ground cinnamon and stir well to incorporate.
3. Add 6 cups fish stock or chicken broth, 2 cups water, and 2 tablespoons of sun dried tomato pesto. Stir well. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low. Cover the pot part-way and let simmer for 15 minutes.
4. While the broth is simmering, make the couscous. In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Add ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt and 1 tablespoon of butter. Stir in 1 cup couscous. Remove from heat and cover with a lid. Let stand for at least 5 minutes or until ready to serve with the soup.
5. Now let's cook the fish. Heat a large nonstick sauté pan over high heat. When it's hot, add 2 tablespoons of canola oil and carefully swirl it around. Pat the fish dry with paper towels once more before adding the fillets to the pan.
6. Make sure you have a fish spatula handy. Set the fish fillets, skin side (or the side where the skin used to be) down in the hot pan and carefully and slowly swirl them around in the oil so they don't stick. Press down on the fillets with the fish spatula to flatten them. Keep the pressure on for 30 to 60 seconds.
7. Using a large spoon, baste the exposed side of the fish with the hot oil by slightly tipping the pan a little to collect the oil. Baste the fish with the hot oil for about 1 minute until the fish turns an opaque color.
8. Reduce the heat to medium and let the fish continue to cook undisturbed for about another 3 minutes.
9. When the fish is done, use the fish spatula to transfer the fillets, skin side up, onto a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle them with a little kosher salt and black pepper.
10. Using a lemon zester tool, zest the lemon and place the lemon strings on a small plate. When zesting the lemon, be sure to zest just the peel and not the pith, which is the white layer underneath the peel. The white part is extremely bitter, and you definitely don’t want that in your soup. Juicing a lemon will be easier if the lemon is softened a bit. Simply, roll the lemon between your hand and your countertop or a cutting board for a few seconds to soften it. You can also soften the lemon by heating it in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Now cut the lemon in half and juice it using a handheld juicer or electric juicer.
11. Stir in 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice to the soup. Now transfer ¼ cup of the cooked couscous into each soup bowl. Pour about 1 ½ cups of the hot broth over the couscous. Then top each bowl with one of the cooked fish fillets. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the chopped fresh chives into each soup bowl, garnish the fish with a few slices of lemon zest, and serve immediately.
Walleye Substitutions
If you are not able to get walleye fillets for this walleye recipe, you can also use perch, whiting, flounder, or other white flaky fish. Just be sure the fish fillets you are using for this recipe are about ½-inch thick or less. If you go with a thicker piece of fish, you will need to cook them longer.
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The Best Walleye Soup Recipe with Couscous
Ingredients
- 2 skin-on walleye fillets (about 6 to 8 ounces each)
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon crushed pink peppercorns
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 12 baby carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 1 ½ tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon ground juniper berries
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 cups fish stock
- 2 tablespoons sun dried tomato pesto
- 1 cup couscous
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 fresh lemon
- ¼ cup fresh chives, chopped
Instructions
- Take the walleye fillets out of the fridge and cut them in half. Now pat the fillets dry with a paper towel, then sprinkle both sides of each fillet with about ⅛ teaspoon of salt and crushed pink peppercorns per side. If you don't have pink peppercorns, just substitute black pepper. Let the fish fillets come to room temperature for about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large pot or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring regularly, for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables soften. Season the vegetables with ½ teaspoon of kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper. Add 1 tablespoon of crushed juniper berries and ⅛ teaspoon of ground cinnamon and stir well to incorporate.
- Add 6 cups fish stock or chicken broth, 2 cups water, and 2 tablespoons of sun dried tomato pesto. Stir well. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low. Cover the pot part-way and let simmer for 15 minutes.
- While the broth is simmering, make the couscous. In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Add ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt and 1 tablespoon of butter. Stir in 1 cup couscous. Remove from heat and cover with a lid. Let stand for at least 5 minutes or until ready to serve with the soup.
- Now let's cook the fish. Heat a large nonstick sauté pan over high heat. When it's hot, add 2 tablespoons of canola oil and carefully swirl it around. Pat the fish dry with paper towels once more before adding the fillets to the pan.
- Make sure you have a fish spatula handy. Set the fish fillets, skin side (or the side where the skin used to be) down in the hot pan and carefully and slowly swirl them around in the oil so they don't stick. Press down on the fillets with the fish spatula to flatten them. Keep the pressure on for 30 to 60 seconds.
- Using a large spoon, baste the exposed side of the fish with the hot oil by slightly tipping the pan a little to collect the oil. Baste the fish with the hot oil for about 1 minute until the fish turns an opaque color.
- Reduce the heat to medium and let the fish continue to cook undisturbed for about another 3 minutes.
- When the fish is done, use the fish spatula to transfer the fillets, skin side up, onto a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle them with a little kosher salt and black pepper.
- Using a lemon zester tool, zest the lemon and place the lemon strings on a small plate. When zesting the lemon, be sure to zest just the peel and not the pith, which is the white layer underneath the peel. The white part is extremely bitter, and you definitely don’t want that in your soup. Juicing a lemon will be easier if the lemon is softened a bit. Simply, roll the lemon between your hand and your countertop or a cutting board for a few seconds to soften it. You can also soften the lemon by heating it in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Now cut the lemon in half and juice it using a handheld juicer or electric juicer.
- Stir in the freshly squeezed lemon juice to the soup. Now transfer ¼ cup of the cooked couscous into each of the four soup bowls. Pour about 1 ½ cups of the hot broth over the couscous. Then top each bowl with one of the pieces of cooked fish. Sprinkle each bowl with the chopped fresh chives, then garnish the fish with a few slices of lemon zest. Serve immediately.
Matt says
This soup was amazing, but I used 6 cups of fish stock instead of just 4 so it would be enough to feed the family. Turned out great.
Jeff Benda says
Thanks Matt. Glad you enjoyed it. Great idea on adding an extra 2 cups of fish stock. I do that with other recipes all the time when trying to stretch out a recipe to get a few more servings.