Sheet Pan Walleye and Summer Vegetables
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 it’s 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!
- Prep Time30 min
- Cook Time30 min
- Total Time1 hr
- Yield2-4 servings depending on the amount of walleye fillets
Ingredients
Pesto
- 1 big bunch beet, turnip, radish, chard, or wild greens (or a mix), well washed
- 1 cup (250ml) walnuts or pecans
- 1 cup (250ml) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
- 3/4 cup (178ml) olive oil
- 1/2 cup (125ml) vegetable oil
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon (3g) kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon (1g) black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon (2g) white sugar
- 1/8 cup (35ml) cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup (70ml) golden raisins
- 1 jalapeño pepper (optional)
Sheet Pan
- 2-4 walleye fillets (depending on amount 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
- 1/2 red onion, cut into large bite-sized pieces
- 1/8 cup (35ml) olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) butter
- 1/2 cup (125ml) breadcrumbs
- 1 garlic clove, minced
Preparation
Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C, gas mark 8).
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.
Pat the fish dry with paper towels. Generously smear pesto over the surface of the fillets.
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.
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 of the way through and flakes easily in the thickest part.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small skillet. Add the garlic and breadcrumbs and cook over medium heat until golden and crispy. Set aside.
Remove the sheet tray from the oven when the fish is cooked through.
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!
