Recipe Details

Lightly floured and garnished with iced celery leaves, there's not better catch for your seafood menu than this pan roasted pickerel recipe from Culinary Instructor in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Kyle Grove.  From the golden skin of the fish to the Yukon gold potatoes, this maple bacon seasoned selection is sure to shine.

For the Turmeric Potatoes:

  1. Peel Yukon potatoes and dice into small, even pieces.
  2. Place in a pot of cold, salted water with the turmeric, with just enough water to cover the potatoes by 1".
  3. Simmer for 10 minutes until slightly softened, then strain.

For the Barley Risotto:

  1. Boil barley in salted, boiling water for 10 minutes.
  2. In a separate pan, cook shallots and garlic in olive oil until soft and translucent.
  3. Add clams and white wine and reduce until almost dry and the clams have all opened.
  4. Remove the clams and set aside.
  5. Add cooked barley and chicken stock (1 cup) to the pan and turn heat to a low simmer.
  6. Once the stock has reduced y half, add torn kale leaes and maple bacon seasoning.
  7. While stirring, add more stock (1 cup).
  8. Reduce the stock again by half, then add the cooked turmeric potatoes and add more stock (1 cup).
  9. Once the stock has reduced by half, add mascarpone cheese and stir the risotto over medium heat until the cheese has melted and the kale has softened.
  10. Add celery (1 cup) and season.
  11. Adjust consistency of the risotto with the remaining stock.

For the Pan Roasted Pickerel:

  1. In a hot frying pan, add canola oil (4 Tablespoons) and heat until the oil starts to ripple.
  2. Lightly flour the skin of the pickerel and place transfer into the pan, skin side down.
  3. Now use a fish spatula to press the fish down for about 3 minutes, or until the fish stops curling up in the pan.
  4. Once the skin side is golden brown, flip the fish fillet over and cook the other side for 2 minutes.

For the Assembly:

  1. Remove the fish from the pan and place onto the risotto.
  2. Garnish with celery leaves that have been held in ice water for ten minutes or more.


Lightly score the skin fro edge to edge.  Pat the fish dry before dredging in flour and then fry skin side down to ensure a crispy golden brown skin and prevent curling.

If you can not find Clubhouse Maple Bacon Seasoning in your market (Canada), try substituting equal parts of Grill Mate's Smokehouse Maple Seasoning (US).