LAKE MICHIGAN LAKE TROUT WITH WANDA'S LAKE SUPERIOR TARTAR SAUCE

The Fish Monger's Wife ready to serve you with fresh fish at the Muskegon Farmer's Market on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Her market blackboard with prices.

In the late 1950's, the St. Lawrence Seaway was opened allowing the Lamprey eels from the Atlantic Ocean into the Great Lakes where they destroyed the fish native to the lakes. Before that tragedy happened, whole baked lake trout or whitefish was often on our dinner table. Fresh out of the lake and into the oven, they needed nothing to enhance their flavor. They were fantastic.

My Mom, before the Lamprey eels, shopped at a meat market, a fruit market and a fish market. All the clerks and owners knew her as she was a good customer but a demanding, in a polite fashion, customer. She would go to the fish market to get fish for dinner because it was one of my Dutch Dad’s favorites.

At the market she was always greeted by name. She would tell them she want a whitefish for dinner. The man behind the counter would say, “Mrs. B, I think you’d like this Lake Trout better. It was his way of telling Mom which fish was the freshest without letting the other customers know.

It is very difficult to find Lake Trout anymore and it is my all time favorite fish. The Fish Monger’s Wife sometimes is able to get them.  She calls me, and she will call you too if you ask her, when she has a supply. Lake Trout has such a wonderful flavor that it really doesn’t need anything more than a sprinkle of salt and a simple, quick sauté/bake.  If you don't live in Western Michigan, this method works very well with Rainbow Trout or other Trout. 

LAKE TROUT

The Lake Trout, scaled and bones removed.

Place a little butter and a little olive oil in an ovenproof skillet.

I need to cut the fillets in half for them to fit in my skillet.

Place skin side down in hot skillet.

Add a sprinkle of salt, I like sea salt.

Fry on skin side until the skin is crispy.

Place skillet in a 350° oven for 5 to 10 minutes depending how thick the fish fillet is.

Fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork.

I probably should have decorated the plate with some herbs, but to me the fish is beautiful as it is.  Crispy skin and rich trout flavor can't be beat.  Enjoy!!

TARTAR SAUCE
If you want a simple tartar sauce to serve with fish, here is my recipe for homemade sauce from when I lived in the 1960’s in Marquette, Michigan on the shores of Lake Superior. If I wanted fish at that time all I had to do is go down to the docks when the fishing boats came in and tell them what I wanted.

WANDA’S LAKE SUPERIOR HOMEMADE TARTAR SAUCE
So quick, so easy, so good.

1/2 c mayonnaise
1 heaping T sweet pickle relish
1 t cider vinegar
1/2 t sugar

Mix the ingredients together, adjust seasoning to taste.

Ingredients: Sugar, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar and sweet pickle relish.

Mix ingredients together.  Adjust to individual taste.

Wanda's Lake Superior Tartar Sauce on salmon sandwich.