Edible Antics - Having Fun With Food: REAL Physical Therapy: Walleye Fishing and Vacationing with Rhinelander's Hodag in Wisconsin's Northwoods

A couple of days ago, the receptionist at the sports medicine/physical therapy clinic was telling me about her great weekend fishing on a northern Wisconsin lake. "I caught 18 walleye," she beamed. "And one of them was...." I don't remember the exact weight she said, but it was heavy enough that eyes widened and jaws dropped in the waiting room.

I asked her, "Did you get to fry it up that day? There's nothing better than fresh-cooked walleye."

"Oh no," she said, "We were fishing for (a charity benefit whose name I didn't catch and which her tone assumed I knew of). "All the fish went to the fund-raiser And we're going to go up next weekend and do it again!" I marveled. How cool was that! Anglers helping out their Wisconsin neighbors by doing what they love most, - fishing! "And it was so cheap!" she continued. "All it cost me was gas money plus $30 for the cabin rental. Can you believe it, - a weekend of fun for $66!" I was impressed too.

As the physical therapist greeted me, he asked me about the travel guide I was carrying, Wisconsin with Kids, by Kristin Visser and Jerry Minnich. I said I was looking for a vacation destination that would be fun for the kids and easy on the wallet. "Rhinelander, - in the northwoods," he said, emphatically. "It's Wisconsin's best kept secret. It has lakes for fishing and boating; great hiking trails through miles of woods. It's beautiful up there. The resorts are reasonably priced. A cabin on a lake won't set you back much. And if you want all the tourist stuff you can go a few miles down the road to Minocqua. Minocqua gets all the press, but resorts there are pricier. Better to stay in Rhinelander and just day-trip into Minocqua. Check out Rhinelander's Chamber of Commerce, - you'll see."

"Do you vacation up there?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm from Rhinelander." That explains the enthusiasm, I thought. "I grew up there. I'm an outdoors guy. I like to hunt and fish and camp."

"What brings you to Madison?" I asked.

"My wife's job. I could get a job in Rhinelander, no problem. But for now we're here...You've got to visit Rhinelander."

OK, I thought. Yesterday I started investigating Rhinelander. I learned Rhinelander is Hodag country. The Hodag is a large, red-eyed, white-spiked, tusked, and scary, but smiling, green monster that lurks about and of which residents report sightings. An outdoor, life-size hodag statue greets visitors. "You see kids! The monster's not under your bed - it's in Rhinelander!"

This weekend, the Holiday Acres resort in Rhinelander is having its Mother's Day Weekend of Jazz. Unfortunately we won't get up there for that. Nonetheless, Rhinelander stays on the short list of Wisconsin places to see.

But back to fish, - and cooking with walleye. Now, most Wisconsinites just lightly batter fish and quick fry it in a skillet. This ages-old, versatile method has been done on stoves, grills, and camp-fires, and suits this blog because I typically rave about fast, easy-to-cook family fare. For variety's sake however, it's time I reported an extra-fancy, for-entertaining-only, challenging-to-prepare, requiring-special-equipment, but well-worth-all the-effort recipe. It's an appetizer recipe that will be years before I make and looks extraordinarily yummy right now. Someone should make it and invite me over.

Click on 'continue reading...' for the recipe: Walleye and Crayfish Mousseline. It comes from the cookbook, The Northwoods Table: Natural Cuisine Featuring Native Foods.

Walleye and Crayfish Mousseline

28 ounces skinned walleye filet (ocean perch, cod flounder or sole may be substituted)
11 ounces cooked or raw crayfish meat
1/4 cup shelled, roasted pistachios
1 1/2 teaspoons celery salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 Tablespoons sherry
1 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly butter an 11" x 4" pate terrine and the cover, or use a loaf pan. Cut a piece of parchment or waxed paper to line the inside of the cover and butter the paper.

Place walleye filet in food processor bowl fitted with knife blade. Process until coarsely chopped, about 20 seconds. Add crayfish and process for an additional 20 seconds. Add pistachios and process for approximately 10 seconds more until well blended. Add celery salt, white pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, black pepper and sherry. Process for approximately 10 seconds until well blended. With food processor on, slowly add cream and process until the mixture is amalgamated into a smooth paste, approximately 30 seconds.

Spoon mixture into the buttered pate terrine, packing well and smoothing the top with a spoon or spatula. Cover the top with the parchment paper and place the lid on the terrine. Place terrine in a deep baking pan. Fill pan with water to 2/3 the height of the terrine. Bake for 40 minutes or until internal temperature of the mousseline is 180 degrees. Remove terrine from water bath to cooling rack - carefully remove lid and parchment paper. When cool, unmold mousse, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.

For service, slice 1/4" thick with an electric knife. Present 2 to 3 slices per serving on a bed of salad greens with mayonnaise seasoned with cayenne pepper to taste.

Serves 6 to 8 as an hors d'ouvre.

For more fish fun, let me recommend:

Rushing Waters Fisheries Smoked Trout Package