An Eelpout Festival in Walker, Minnesota

For three days in February, fishermen come from hundreds of miles away to Walker, Minnesota, to ice fish for one of the ugliest-bottom-dwelling fish, the eelpout

Walker, Minnesota has a population which tips just slightly over 1,000. And while it was inhabited for thousands of years by indigenous peoples, it is now largely a melting pot of European cultures, from Finland, to Norway and Germany. It is located on the southwest corner of Leech Lake, the third largest lake in Minnesota, which hosts the annual International Eelpout Festival. For three days in February, the population of Walker grows by ten-fold. Fishermen come from hundreds of miles away to ice fish for one of the ugliest-bottom-dwelling fish, the eelpout, a freshwater cod.

Lidia and her grandson Miles have caught an eelpout, and stay true to tradition by kissing their catch.

The eelpout is the unsung hero-fish of all of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes. Also known as burbot or freshwater cod, it is under-appreciated for cooking.

With enthusiasm, Lidia immerses herself in the festival. She brings her grandson Miles along, since he loves to fish. They travel by snowmobile to meet Jason Rylander, an expert eelpout fisherman. His ice house sits on top of 30 inches of frozen water. Lidia and Miles drop a fishing line hoping to catch an eelpout.

Then, out on the ice they build a small fire, fry up the eelpout nuggets and eat them warm, under gently falling snow.

To learn more about the town and its traditions, Lidia visits local chef Maxwell Mraz, a friend of Jason’s. He’s well-versed in cooking eelpout, and shows Lidia how to prepare salted eelpout cakes. To go with that, they make lefse, something Max learned from his Scandinavian grandmother. It’s a flatbread made with potatoes, and it looks a little like a crepe.

Italians often cook up a whipped salt cod (Baccalà Mantecato) on Christmas Eve, and Lidia still makes it every holiday in honor of her father, who loved the dish.

Lidia cooks lefse and eelpout fritters with Chef Maxwell Mraz