Incredibly crispy coating yields to moist walleye in every bite! Crispy walleye paired with a complementary, lime-juice spiked coleslaw and wrapped up in a warm flour tortilla gets you the perfect tender-crisp Walleye Fish Taco bite.
Cracker-coated, pan-fried walleye fillets was a dish of my youth. Walleye caught fresh from a fishing trip, the prized fillets were dipped in an egg and milk mixture, then dredged in finely crushed Saltine crackers. The freshly cracker-coated fillets were then pan-fried in butter and oil, just a few minutes on each side. The freshly fried walleye were gobbled up as soon as they were removed from the pan, piping hot, as the next batch hit the pan.
Those irresistibly fresh and crispy fillets are the inspiration for this Walleye Fish Taco recipe. It’s paired simply with a lime-juice spiked coleslaw (included below) and drizzled with a Chipotle Lime Sour Cream Sauce (follow the link if you’d like the recipe).
What to Love about Walleye Fish Tacos
Easy preparation! The fish is treated super simply, coated with a cracker crust, and fried in butter and oil.
The flavor and texture! Walleye is a delicate-tasting white fish; in the flavor department, I rank it quite highly because it’s not super fishy tasting (or smelling) and it has a firm texture that can stand up to pan-frying. It’s a light, firm bite, beautifully paired against a crisp cracker exterior.
The resulting crunchy coating is GBD - Golden Brown and Delicious! The cracker-coated walleye is fried to perfection, resulting in a buttery crisp coating that’s not too thick, nor too thin.
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Ingredients - How to Make Walleye Tacos
For the Walleye
- Approximately 1 pound walleye (or 4 good-sized fillets)
- 1 sleeve of Saltine crackers
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons 2% milk
- 2 tablespoons butter, divided
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 8-10 flour tortillas (I used Frescados Taqueria Style Mini Flour Tortillas)
- Salt, to taste
For the Coleslaw
- 8 ounces shredded Coleslaw mix (I used half of a 16-ounce bag of pre-shredded Coleslaw mix)
- 2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon celery salt
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Substitutions
- Walleye - Walleye is native to Minnesota, but if you can’t find it or would prefer to use something else, go with cod or a similar white fish.
- Saltine crackers - I’m partial to Saltine’s here for nostalgia reasons, but other crackers like Ritz or Clubhouse also work great. You could also use breadcrumbs as well. Check out this Air Fryer Walleye recipe; it's a great low-carb walleye recipe, coated with pork rinds.
- Milk - I used 2% in the egg milk mixture, but Skim and 1% work as well. I have not tried this with a non-dairy substitute like almond milk.
Directions - How to Make Walleye Tacos
Make the coleslaw first so it has a chance to sit and chill in the refrigerator.
Make the Coleslaw
Take 8 ounces of pre-shredded Coleslaw (half of a 16-ounce bag) and add to a bowl.
In a separate bowl, add lime juice, celery salt, cumin, and cayenne pepper (optional). Mix to combine.
Drizzle the seasoned lime juice mixture over the coleslaw and mix to combine. Put a lid on it and put it in the refrigerator until after the walleye has been prepared.
Pan Fry the Walleye & Assemble the Tacos!
Add 2 large eggs and 2 tablespoons of milk to a bowl. Whisk to combine. I like to add a couple of dashes of salt. Set aside.
Take a gallon Ziploc bag and add in a sleeve of Saltine crackers. Remove as much air from the bag as you can, then close.
Take a rolling pin (or use a canned good as a rolling pin if you don’t have one). Crush the crackers, rolling back and forth until the crackers have been sufficiently crushed.
Add the crushed crackers to a plate. Now you’re ready to dip and dredge!
Dip a walleye fillet into the egg and milk mixture, coating completely. Let the excess drip off.
Add the fillet to the plate of crushed crackers. Coat completely, pushing down gently to encourage the cracker crumbs to stick. Set the coated fillet on a metal rack (that has a pan or cutting board underneath) and repeat with the remaining 3 walleye fillets.
Bring a large frying pan to medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Cook 2 fillets at once so as not to crowd the pan and ensure you get crispy results. Also, DO NOT put a lid on your pan during cooking.
Fry the fish fillets for 3-4 minutes per side, then flip. You should have a golden brown and crisp-looking fillet. Fry for an additional 3-4 minutes.
Remove and set the fillets on a rack over a pan. Slide into a 250-degree Fahrenheit oven to keep warm.
Wipe the pan out completely with a paper towel. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.
Once melted and hot, add the remaining two walleye fillets.
Fry for 3-4 minutes per side, then flip. You should have a golden brown and crisp-looking fillet. Fry for an additional 3-4 minutes.
Remove the fillets that have been warming in the oven and add the two just-finished fillets to the rack. This rack helps keep the coating nice and crispy.
Assemble your fish tacos! I like to tear the fillets into chunks with my hands, but you could also cut the walleye fillets into bite-sized pieces.
Add walleye pieces to a tortilla, top with Coleslaw and drizzle on a sauce of your choosing (like this smoky, creamy Chipotle Lime Sour Cream Sauce.
PLEASE READ! This Walleye Fish Taco recipe is MILD. Because walleye is a delicate-tasting white fish, the cracker coating and accompanying coleslaw were designed to be lighter on flavor. Without a sauce, this recipe could be construed as kind of bland. I insist you pair it with a Creamy Salsa Sauce, Chipotle Lime Sour Cream Sauce, or Roasted Green Tomato Salsa. Or at a minimum, add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce or salsa.
Top Tips
Don't crowd the pan. Cook 2 walleye fillets at once so as not to crowd the pan. Also, DO NOT put a lid on your pan during cooking. You don’t want to trap the moisture in, which will ruin the crispy coating.
Jazz up the coleslaw. DO NOT be afraid to jazz up the coleslaw. Add fresh jalapeno or serrano peppers, maybe some red onion, why not some hot sauce or red pepper flakes. Or add some fresh herbs like oregano or cilantro to the mix.
Recipe FAQs
Walleye (also known as pickerel in Canada land) is a white fish that is native to Minnesota and is described as a "quite palatable freshwater fish" by Wikipedia. Which happens to be an agreeable description to this Midwesterner. Walleye has a very mild, agreeable flavor and shines in the texture department because it is firm and flaky, able to withstand pan frying and deep frying.
If you can't find walleye or would prefer to use another type of fish, one of your best options is cod. It's widely available, is firm and has a mild flavor like walleye, and can withstand pan frying.
You can go with the obvious chips and pico de gallo, but if you want to mix it up, whip up some Elote Pickles or Citrus Jalapeno Salsa.
Walleye Fish Tacos
Ingredients
The Coleslaw
- 8 ounces shredded Coleslaw mix I used half of a 16-ounce bag of pre-shredded Coleslaw mix
- 2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon celery salt
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
The Walleye
- Approximately 1 pound walleye or 4 good-sized fillets
- 1 sleeve of Saltine crackers
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons 2% milk
- 2 tablespoons butter divided
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
- 8-10 flour tortillas I used Frescados Taqueria Style Mini Flour Tortillas
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Make the Coleslaw
- Make the coleslaw first so it has a chance to sit and chill in the refrigerator.
- Take 8 ounces of pre-shredded Coleslaw (half of a 16-ounce bag) and add to a bowl.
- In a separate bowl, add lime juice, celery salt, cumin, and cayenne pepper (optional). Mix to combine.
- Drizzle the seasoned lime juice mixture over the coleslaw and mix to combine. Put a lid on it and put it in the refrigerator until after the walleye has been prepared.
Make the Walleye & Assemble the Tacos
- Add 2 large eggs and 2 tablespoons of milk to a bowl. Whisk to combine. I like to add a couple of dashes of salt. Set aside.
- Take a gallon Ziploc bag and add in a sleeve of Saltine crackers. Remove as much air from the bag as you can, then close.
- Take a rolling pin (or use a canned good as a rolling pin if you don’t have one). Crush the crackers, rolling back and forth until the crackers have been sufficiently crushed.
- Add the crushed crackers to a plate. Now you’re ready to dip and dredge!
- Dip a walleye fillet into the egg and milk mixture, coating completely. Let the excess drip off.
- Add the fillet to the plate of crushed crackers. Coat completely, pushing down gently to encourage the cracker crumbs to stick. Set the coated fillet on a metal rack (that has a pan or cutting board underneath) and repeat with the remaining 3 walleye fillets.
- Bring a large frying pan to medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Cook 2 fillets at once so as not to crowd the pan and ensure you get crispy results. Also, DO NOT put a lid on your pan during cooking.
- Fry the fish fillets for 3-4 minutes per side, then flip. You should have a golden brown and crisp-looking fillet. Fry for an additional 3-4 minutes.
- Remove and set the fillets on a rack over a pan. Slide into a 250-degree Fahrenheit oven to keep warm.
- Wipe the pan out completely with a paper towel. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.
- Once melted and hot, add the remaining two walleye fillets.
- Fry for 3-4 minutes per side, then flip. You should have a golden brown and crisp-looking fillet. Fry for an additional 3-4 minutes.
- Remove the fillets that have been warming in the oven and add the two just-finished fillets to the rack. This rack helps keep the coating nice and crispy.
- Assemble your fish tacos! I like to tear the fillets into chunks with my hands, but you could also cut the walleye fillets into bite-sized pieces.
Chevy
Great recipe! I added a little taco spice to the cracker mix.
Christina Koncker
GREAT idea! I'm trying that next time I make walleye tacos.