shopping for walleye and lake perch

Could you recommend some places for fresh walleye and lake perch at reasonable prices? It doesn't have to be cheap, as I would certainly pay more for really fresh fish. But I'm trying to avoid super high end places.

Thank you.

Hagan's has fresh walleye for $13.95 a pound and fresh lake perch for $12.79 a pound.
Hagan's Fish Market
5635 W. Montrose
Chicago, IL 60634
(773) 283-1944

The Fish Keg has fresh walleye for $12.99 a pound but only sells its lake perch fried, no fresh.
The FIsh Keg
2233 Howard St.
Chicago, IL 60645
(773) 262-6603

Just FYI, Hagan's has some kind of fish they call "jumbo smoked fish" for $5.95 a pound that they say taste just like chubs only these are "twice the size so they stay juicy".

And Fish Keg is running a special on fried walleye that is sooooooooo good! $11.95 a pound. Check it out. You'll be eating it in your car. --Joy

Hi,

It is my understanding there is still a shortage of chubs. Less tight than last year, though not the volume of prior years. I'm sure this jumbo smoked fish is in response to this. Did anyone happen to try any?

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

It is my understanding there is still a shortage of chubs. Less tight than last year, though not the volume of prior years. I'm sure this jumbo smoked fish is in response to this. Did anyone happen to try any?

Regards,

Kaufman's has an abundance of chubs (both large and small). There doesn't seem to be any shortage there. As a point of reference, they had none during the great chub shortage of '09.

For these particular lake fish, Meijer is hard to beat. Very fresh, very available and very cheap, at least at the Meijer I frequent in MI. Can't vouch for the Chicago-area stores but would assume similar. I've not found a similar combination of good and reasonably priced in the City but haven't looked too hard either, since I'm in MI often enough to load up.

Thank you for all of the great suggestions. I will check them out. It's a shame that it has become so challenging to buy local fish--and at reasonable prices.

...actually becoming easier as the lakes fisheries recover and people start to focus on/recognize Midwestern produce. Still surprisingly difficultin Chicago to find lake fish that never went away in WI, MN, MI, etc. Another regional grocer that keeps things local-ish and often has good prices on Lake Perch is Strack & Van Til. Maybe a better option for city dwellers as I'm unaware of any Meijers beyond somewhat distant burbs. And I'm sorry I forgot Caputo's. You should check them out.

You can nearly always find lake perch, and often walleye as well, at Ultra Foods--or at least the one I go to on Roosevelt Road in Forest Park. I don't remember the price of the lake perch off hand, but I want to say somewhere in the $6-7 per pound range. They'll even fry it for you on-site, with a choice of seasonings, in good fresh oil. I'm usually getting the smelt that way, but I have had the lake perch as well and they were good, too. I recommend the cajun seasoning, which wouldn't fool a real Cajun for a minute, but adds a nice peppery touch.

stevez wrote:

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

It is my understanding there is still a shortage of chubs. Less tight than last year, though not the volume of prior years. I'm sure this jumbo smoked fish is in response to this. Did anyone happen to try any?

Regards,

Kaufman's has an abundance of chubs (both large and small). There doesn't seem to be any shortage there. As a point of reference, they had none during the great chub shortage of '09.

Hi,

What I heard from another high volume fish vendor: They order 300 pounds and receive 150 pounds. Far better than zero though not always as much as they desire.

Regards,

Through 12/21, Whole Walleye $4.99 Lb. at Shop & Save Market.

http://shopandsavemarket.com/page.php?img=2.jpg

Ron

JeffB wrote:For these particular lake fish, Meijer is hard to beat. Very fresh, very available and very cheap, at least at the Meijer I frequent in MI. Can't vouch for the Chicago-area stores but would assume similar. I've not found a similar combination of good and reasonably priced in the City but haven't looked too hard either, since I'm in MI often enough to load up.

The Meijer stores in Michigan have an excellent selection of fish and employees who know how to treat it. Also, the buyers have a lot of good local sources.

In Chicagoland, not so much. I think that a lot of it is the lack of training and knowledge of the staff. One of the stores (which will remain unnamed) continuously confuses Dungeness crabs with blue crabs.

Joy wrote:Hagan's has fresh walleye for $13.95 a pound and fresh lake perch for $12.79 a pound.
Hagan's Fish Market
5635 W. Montrose
Chicago, IL 60634
(773) 283-1944

The Fish Keg has fresh walleye for $12.99 a pound but only sells its lake perch fried, no fresh.
The FIsh Keg
2233 Howard St.
Chicago, IL 60645
(773) 262-6603
--Joy

Hagen's has always been my go to place for walleye, my favorite fresh water fish. $13.95 isn't bad. I asked them once where they get the walleye from and they just smiled.

One of the few cultural advantages to Minnesota, you can always get walleye.

Hi,

For Culinary Historians meeting tomorrow, I was asked to smoke some local fish. I was considering walleye, lake trout or whitefish.

Lake trout was something that needed ordering, though Hagen's advised they usually have it on hand in winter.

To orient myself, I made some phone calls to learn ordering and pricing:

Burhops:
- walleye: $19.95
- lake trout: $10.95

Captain Porkys
- walleye: $12.99
- white fish: $9.99

Costco
- walleye: $9.99

Garden Fresh
- walleye: $12.99
- white fish: $11.99

Hagens:
- walleye: $12.99
- white fish: $7.99

Mariano's
- walleye: $16.00 (not in stock when I called)

Sunset foods:
- walleye: $16.98
- white fish: $10.98

I was glad I let my fingers do the walking, when I happened to see walleye at Costco for $9.99. I was sure I could not do any better without more effort.

Regards,

I was at Sunset this morning and they had yellow lake perch for sale. I didn't notice the price. Also, you should consider checking Boston Seafood. I'm sure they have both perch and walleye in stock.

stevez wrote:I was at Sunset this morning and they had yellow lake perch for sale. I didn't notice the price. Also, you should consider checking Boston Seafood. I'm sure they have both perch and walleye in stock.

HI,

It is also a matter to time and travel. I was about to buy at Sunset, when I stopped by Costco to pick up something. I was very glad I did.

Regards,

I have never encountered smoked walleye nor lake perch.
I believe it's because they are not oily fish.
White fish smokes very nicely as does salmon.-Dick

budrichard wrote:I have never encountered smoked walleye nor lake perch.
I believe it's because they are not oily fish.
White fish smokes very nicely as does salmon.-Dick

Yep, I read where walleye is not typically smoked. Well, it was last night after a 30-minute brine. I will let you know the outcome.

Hi,

I brined the walleye for 30 minutes, then let it airdry for another 30-45 minutes while I fired up my smoker. Just before cooking, I smeared olive oil on the skin and flesh. About halfway through the cook, I applied a little more olive oil. I don't think I really needed to, because the fish was cooking nicely. After just over 90 minutes, I pulled the walleye.

I served it cold today with a Catalonian parsley sauce, which tasted great perhaps was not necessary. The walleye exceeded the dim expectations I read online. I prepared everyone for low expectations, because walleye was not considered a fish to smoke. I am delighted to report everyone really enjoyed this fish. They made an even higher endorsement by coming back for seconds.

Maybe it was dumb luck or the rumors of walleyes unsuitability for smoking is exaggerated.

Regards,

Glad to learn the smoked walleye turned out well.
After some thought, the problem may well be time before service.
An oily fish should not dry out as much as a non-oily fish?-Dick

HI,

I think brining the fish was a key factor. What it did not have in fat, the extra water probably helped weather the smoking process. When I checked it at an hour, it was really very moist.

Just over 90 minute smoke was enough, anything more and it could have gone to overcooked.

Regards,

I would think the reason why smoking walleye is discouraged is because it's considered too good a fish to use for smoking. All fish tastes good when smoked, so it's a good idea to use fish that's cheap and doesn't taste that great unsmoked. Lake trout fits this description perfectly. Other local fish that are better smoked than not, are largemouth & smallmouth bass, northern pike. Probably even carp.