“What’s for Lunch?” Healthy Recipe Series #12 - Baked Northern Pike

I wanted to write up an article about soup this Wednesday so I could enter @twinislandflames’ first Soup Challenge, but something came up… a tip up to be exact!

My parents recently moved to a small plot of land on water so as you can see, my father is out ice fishing this winter! He loves being able to set up his gear and then wait inside until that little flag flies! At first I thought it was kind of cheating since it ruins the “ice fishing experience” but with negative temperatures and a warm house not 100 yards away, I knew I would have done the same!

Well as luck would have it, he reeled in a few nice Northern Pikes! So for dinner last night, I was able to swipe a piece of baked Pike with onion and smoked gouda!

Ingredients:
-Fresh Northern Pike
-1 onion, sliced into rings
-1 cup smoked gouda cheese
-Butter or oil
-Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Clean and debone the pike (Youtube is always a great resource)
3. Slice the onion into rings and lay half of them on the bottom of a glass baking dish with small pads of butter or a drizzle of oil
4. Lay fish fillets on top, top with the other half of the sliced onion, sprinkle smoked gouda cheese, salt, and pepper over top.
5. Bake for 20 minutes!

The smoked gouda cheese is what MADE this dish. We all agreed that it wouldn’t taste the same without it. I’m serious, do NOT skip or change the cheese. I know I’m from Wisconsin so I am biased, but it was the best part of the meal!