Whenever I go fishing, it’s usually more of a catch-and-release type action. However, at times, everyone wants to eat fish – and there’s no better feeling than cooking a meal out of a fish you caught yourself. But can you eat pike and does pike taste good?
Pike is a great fish to eat and for that reason, I have hand-picked 10 super delicious and healthy pike recipes that you should try the next time you’re thinking about catching a pike for your meal. Just keep in mind, that in order for the pike meat to feel extra good, you should try aiming for a mid-size pike.
Bigger and older pikes might not taste as good, giving that they are trickier to cook. Also, trophy pikes should always be released as they provide us with newborn pikes every year.
Without further ado, here are 10 super simple and healthy pike recipes.
Recipe #1. Grilled Northern Pike
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 pounds of northern pike fillets
- ½ cup salad oil
- 2 tbsp parsley cut up
- ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 dash of bottled hot pepper sauce
- ¼ cup of lemon juice
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
Cut northern pike into 6 pieces. Combine Oil, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, Lemon juice, and salt. Place fillets in a shallow dish, cover with mixture. Marinate at room temperature for one hour, turn once. Drain and set aside marinade.
Place fish in a well-greased broiler basket and sprinkle With salt. Grill over medium-hot coals for 5-8 minutes. Baste with marinade and turn. Grill 5-8 more minutes until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Sprinkle with paprika and enjoy.
Source: http://northerngirl.com/recipes
Recipe #2. Pike Chili
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup red pepper, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup onion, chopped
- 2 14-oz cans crushed tomatoes
- 1 14-oz can kidney beans, drained
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tbsp parsley
- 1 tsp chili powder, or to taste
- ⅛tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 lb northern pike fillets, cut into one-inch cubes
Heat oil in the saucepan and add pepper, garlic, and onion. Sauté until slightly brown. Add all remaining ingredients except fish. Cover and simmer until mixture begins to thicken, stirring occasionally to keep it from sticking to the pan. Add fish and simmer for 10 minutes until fish is fully cooked. Serve with steamed rice and fresh bread.
Source: This recipe was excerpted from contributor Jeff Morrison’s Canadian Fishing Cookbook, published in 2012 by Company’s Coming Publishing Limited.
Recipe #3. Basil Pesto Pike
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 cups basil leaves, packed
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tomatoes, seeded and coarsely diced
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 450 g ziti pasta, cooked (reserve cooking water)
- 4 boneless, skinless pike fillets (6 to 8 ounces each), cut in 2-inch strips across the grain
Basil pesto
Place basil, garlic and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add olive oil in a slow drizzle while the machine is running. Season with salt and black pepper. Add cheese and pulse until thoroughly mixed. Set aside.
Pasta & pike
Toss diced tomatoes in oil and vinegar. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Season tomatoes with salt and black pepper. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Reserve 1/4 cup of pesto to spread on cooked fillets; thin remaining pesto with 1/2 to 1 cup of water used to cook ziti pasta. Toss pasta in thinned pesto. Season fish strips with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in the oven until flesh is just cooked through.
Remove fish from oven and spread 1/2 to 1 tsp pesto on each strip. Place fish on a bed of ziti pasta, top with diced tomatoes and serve with crusty Italian bread.
Tasty toppings
There are several toppings that can enhance the flavor of any fish after it’s been baked. While this recipe features basil pesto, other pestos, such as arugula or sun-dried tomato, also work nicely with fish. As well, salsas made from tomatoes or fresh fruit can add a pleasant acidity to fish. For fish with a strong flavor, use toppings such as olive tapenade or gremolata, which also have a bolder taste.
Source: http://www.outdoorcanada.ca/basil-pesto-pike-2
Recipe #4. Oven-Baked Pike
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pike, about 40-50 cm/ 15-20 inches long
- 3-4 large carrots
- 1 red bell pepper
- 2 medium-large onions
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 medium tomatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- 10 black peppercorns
- 175 ml/ 6.7 fl.oz/ ¾ cup white wine
- 150 ml/ 5 fl.oz/ 2/3 cup fish or chicken stock
- ½ an organic lemon
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- a few thyme sprigs
- salt
- a small bunch of parsley
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ 360 degrees Fahrenheit.
Chop the carrots into rings, the pepper into cubes about the same size and the onions into thin half rings. Slice the garlic cloves thinly and slice the tomatoes and the lemon as well. Give them all to a large and deep baking or casserole dish. Add the bay leaves, peppercorns, and lemon slices
Give the white wine and stock to a small bowl. Add the tomato paste and whisk well until smooth. Pour the liquid into the dish, place the thyme sprigs on top and bake the vegetables for about 30 minutes or until almost done.
In the meantime cut the pike into pieces, about 5 cm/ 2 inches thick. You will need 4 pieces for 4 servings, but if you want you can cook all of the pike pieces at this point or use the leftover pieces for making soup or another dish. Place the fish pieces on top of the vegetables and continue baking for about 20-25 minutes or until the fish is nice and flaky, but not overcooked.
Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve with plain boiled potatoes.
Source: https://whereismyspoon.co/oven-baked-pike-with-vegetables-and-white-wine-romanian-recipe
Recipe #5. Baked Stuffed Pike
INGREDIENTS:
- 6-pound pike (or two 3-pound pikes)
- ½ cup butter
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups of breadcrumbs
- ½ cup chopped celery
- ½ cup onion chopped
- ½ cup green pepper chopped
- 1.6.5 oz. can of crab meat
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp. dry mustard
- ½ pound bacon
Clean and scale fish. Melt butter and mix with eggs, bread crumbs, chopped celery, onions, green pepper, crab meat, salt cayenne pepper, and dry mustard. Stuff with the mixture, close gap, and place in greased baking dish. Place bacon strips across the fish. Bake 40 minutes in a 350-degree oven. Fish should flake with a fork.
Source: http://northerngirl.com/recipes
Recipe #6. Goan Fish Curry
INGREDIENTS:
- 300 g Diced White Fish
- Diced Onion, tomato, and cucumber salad
- 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 50 ml Water
To serve
- Plain basmati rice
- Pappadums
- Patak’s Lime Pickle
In a pan, gently fry the whole spices in 1 tbsp of vegetable oil for 20 seconds. Add the Patak’s Spice Paste with 50ml of water and gently fry until the water is almost evaporated. Stir in the sauce and simmer for 3 minutes. Add the fish and cook for a further 10 minutes or until the fish is cooked through. Serve garnished with chopped coriander, on plain basmati rice.
Source: https://www.pataks.co.uk/recipes/goan-fish-curry
Recipe #7. One-pan fabulous fish
INGREDIENTS:
- 300 g white basmati rice
- 6 heaped teaspoons green olive tapenade
- 350 gripe mixed-colour cherry tomatoes
- ½ a bunch of fresh basil, (15g)
- 500 g pike fish fillets
In a large shallow casserole pan on a high heat, mix the rice with 2 heaped teaspoons of tapenade, then pour over 600ml of water. Put the lid on and let it come to the boil while you halve the tomatoes and, in a bowl, mix them with 1 tablespoon each of olive oil and red wine vinegar. Taste, season to perfection with sea salt and black pepper, and tear in most of the basil leaves.
Cut the fish into four equal-sized pieces and place in the pan, pushing them into the rice. Scatter over the dressed tomatoes. Put the lid back on and boil for 10 minutes, or until the rice is cooked through, then remove the lid and cook for a further 2 minutes until all the liquid has evaporated. Spoon the remaining tapenade over the fish, pick over the remaining basil leaves, drizzle lightly with extra virgin olive oil, and dish up.
Source: https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fish-recipes/one-pan-fabulous-fish
Recipe #8. Pike Fingers
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 cups salted pretzels
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 3 tbsp HP sauce
- 3 tbsp beer
- 2 lb skinless pike fillets
- Vegetable oil
Place pretzels in a plastic bag and break into fine crumbs. In a medium-size bowl, beat together eggs, sauce, and beer with a fork. Cut fillets into 1-inch-wide strips and pat dry. Dip strips into egg mixture, then place in bag with pretzel crumbs and shake until fully coated. Place coated strips on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for 20 minutes, allowing to dry. In a 12-inch skillet, heat 1/4-inch oil over medium-high heat. Add fish strips and cook until golden brown (at least 3 minutes), turning once.
Source: http://www.outdoorcanada.ca/pike-fingers
Recipe #9. Perfect Pike Pie
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 rasher of bacon
- a handful of spring onions
- 1 carrot
- a handful of parsley
- 3 large potatoes
- 3 medium-size sweet potatoes
- 500-600 g of pike
- 2 tbsp of flour
- 600 ml of milk
- 2 tsp of English mustard
- 400 g of signage
- 400 g of frozen peas
- water/milk if need
- 125 g of feta cheese
- salt and pepper for seasoning
Be sure to watch the video below to see, how master-chef Jamie Oliver creates a delicious meal out of those ingredients.
Recipe #10. Pike Chowder
This is a simple recipe that you can use on your ice fishing trip. You can prepare most of the ingredients at home and once you’ve caught a pike, you can finish cooking the meal on the ice.
INGREDIENTS:
Prepare At Home
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 parsnips, diced
- 2 potatoes, diced
- 6 strips bacon
While On The Ice
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 1 tin (398 ml) cream of potato soup
- 398 ml water
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 lb pike fillets
Do This At Home
Place diced carrots, celery, onion and parsnips in a travel container. Boil diced potatoes until soft and place in a separate travel container. Cook bacon until crisp, then chop and place in a separate travel container.
Do This On the Ice
Heat a heavy-bottomed pot on the stove or over an open fire. Add oil and sauté carrots, celery, onion, and parsnips until tender. Add potatoes, soup, and water to the pot and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper, and reduce to a simmer. Cut pike into one-inch cubes and add to pot. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Check the seasoning, top with bacon and serve.
Source: http://www.outdoorcanada.ca/Cool-cuisine-for-the-winter-of-2017-Pike-Chowder