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Sheet pan Pesto Walleye
Servings: 2-4
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
For the Pesto
- 1 big bunch beet, turnip, radish, chard, or wild greens (or a mix), well-washed
- 1 cup walnuts or pecans
- 1 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
- ¾ cup olive oil
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 4 cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon white sugar
- ⅛ cup cider vinegar
- ¼ cup golden raisins
- 1 jalapeño pepper (optional)
For the Fish and Veggies
- 2-4 walleye fillets (depending on the number of diners)
- 1 eggplant, cubed
- 1 small green zucchini (or any summer squash), cubed
- 1 small yellow zucchini, cubed
- 2 bell peppers (or 4 different coloured halves), cut into large bite-sized pieces
- ½ red onion, cut into large bite-sized pieces
- ⅛ cup (35ml) olive oil
- Salt and pepper
For the Breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) butter
- ½ cup (125ml) breadcrumbs
- 1 garlic clove, minced
This recipe is great for using up lots of end-of-summer produce. I made the pesto in the recipe out of a combination of beet and turnip leaves, but you could use radish leaves, Swiss chard, spinach, or any fresh greens.
If you’d like to make this recipe easier, you could also use store-bought basil pesto; just use a small amount when spooning it onto the plates before serving.
Walleye works great here with its mild flavour, but any fish fillets would work, even salmon.
Try to use as many different colours as possible in the vegetable mixture. A mix of multicoloured summer squash, eggplants, and peppers makes the end product look spectacular!
Directions
Step 1
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Step 2
Put all of the pesto ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until very smooth. Give it a taste. If the greens you used were particularly bitter, you may need to add some more sugar to balance the bitterness out.
This will make more pesto than you need. Keep whatever is left in the fridge for 1 week, or freeze it for up to 6 months.
Step 3
Pat the fish dry with paper towels. Generously smear pesto over the surface of the fillets.
Step 4
Transfer the cut veggies to a lined sheet pan and toss in the oil. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Put the vegetables in the oven for 15 minutes.
Step 5
After 15 minutes, flip the vegetables, then lay the walleye fillets on top. Put back into the oven and cook for another 15 minutes, or until the fish is cooked all the way through and flakes easily when pierced with a fork in the thickest section.
Step 6
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small skillet. Add the garlic and breadcrumbs and cook over medium heat until golden and crispy. Set aside.
Step 7
Remove the sheet tray from the oven when the fish is cooked through.
Step 8
To serve, spoon some of the reserved pesto onto each plate. Divide the vegetables evenly between the plates, spooning them onto the pesto. Sprinkle with the toasted breadcrumbs. Now lay the fish over the vegetables and sprinkle some more breadcrumbs on top.
Enjoy!