So Bob and I were shopping at one of the fishmongers at Vancouver's fabulous Granville Island market. They had the most beautiful brill sole. While waiting my turn I noticed the ragged little filets of something else in front of me. The sign said "Pickerel! Fresh! From Winnipeg!!" So I wondered aloud to Bob, "What's Pickerel?"
Which was heard by a woman walking behind me. She wasn't there to buy fish, she was just using the lane to get deeper inside the market, but when she heard me she went nuts. "Pickerel! OMG PICKEREL! I grew up on it in Winnipeg! It's the best fish in the whole world!!!!!" So she got in line to buy some, and I bought some too and cooked it for dinner last night.
And now I know why she went nuts. If I lived closer to Granville Island I'd go back today and buy it again. It's just about the best fish I've ever had. A member of the pike family, it's non-fishy, non-oily, and closer to dry than moist--think halibut vs. cod. If it has a downside it's that the filets are so small, about 5 or 6 to a pound. Two each on a plate that only included some roasted green beans was a perfect serving. I soaked in milk for ten minutes before running through the flour-egg-bread crumb routine in which the fresh breadcrumb mixture included fine corn meal, herbs d' Provence and a little ground Parmesan cheese which doesn't add cheese flavor so much as it makes a more durable coating that picks up a nice toasted flavor when it browns. Win-win. I baked them on an oiled non-stick cookie sheet for 14 minutes at 400 or so degrees.
