On Friday night, we attempted to recreate a classic Wisconsin fish fry from home. Minneapolis is a strange strange land and, like our forbearers who settled in America from distant places and brought with them the foodways of their home, it brings one great comfort to eat the foods of the motherland. (I jest… they’re not very different of course, and most Americans probably believe Minneapolis is a city in Wisconsin, or vice versa, or don’t know the two exist at all. And furthermore, Minnesota is known for a damn fine fish fry in its own right.) But a Wisconsin fish fry has some unique attributes that set it apart. For me it signifies so much… a great start to a weekend -- a crowded bar, a reasonable and tasty meal, good conversation and energy. But more than that, it is a meal that is so grounded in the place where I am… it is really “home” in the best sense of the word.
To begin, a cocktail. The classic cocktail to drink before a Wisconsin fish fry has to be an Old Fashioned. I think this is pretty much a regional drink – although I know it has been around forever and is served all over the country. For you time travelers and Bravo fans, I hear it is the cocktail of choice for Don Draper of Mad Men. This drink is a standard order in Wisconsin bars, certainly in Sheboygan County. I think the typical preparation is brandy, but it is also prepared with whiskey or bourbon. In our house we go whiskey, Kessler’s of course (my dad tells me my grandfathers would be proud – both loyal to Kessler’s themselves). In our house, it’s also prepared with 1-2 people under the age of four grabbing at your pants leg and demanding something usually unreasonable, but this is not typical of most Wisconsin taverns. Then for your mixer you can choose from either sweet, sour, or press. Sweet is mixed with a sprite/7-up soda, and sour is with sour mix, something like Squirt. Press is a mix of the two sodas. Tom and I prefer a Whiskey Old Fashioned Sweet. Tonight’s fish fry featured old fashioneds made from scratch… although I have always been guilty of making them with bottled mix in the past. This, I recently learned, is,a la My Cousin Vinny, sort of like a southerner making instant grits. Thank you, Mandi, for the old fashioned recipe (which I am sorry I had to slightly modify based on ingredients in my fridge):
For each drink…
In the bottom of a tub, muddle:
1 tsp sugar
1 maraschino cherry (I confess I did not have)
1 orange slice (dangit I don’t have this either, so I’ll use lemon)
3-4 shakes of bitters (ok, at least I have this)
Then add:
Da booze. (one or two shots)
Mix again, then add ice; then add your mixer(s), about 4-6 oz depending on how aggressive you want to be. Garnish with… cherry, or orange, or olives, or pickled mushrooms.
I have to say – they were damned good and I don’t know that we really missed the cherry. It was sweet enough and had good color.
Next, appetizers. For this we turned to a Benson family favorite, Grandma Dip. The origins of grandma dip are from Tom’s Grandma B, who apparently acquired this recipe from her Elkhart Lake bridge group. Other people in Elkhart also call it Grandma dip, or I think Bridge dip, depending on who your grandma is. In Tom's family, it is typically eaten while the group huddles in the kitchen around the bowl it was actually made in – since it didn’t last long enough to make it out of the kitchen or into any sort of serving bowl. Someone usually ends up cleaning the sides of the bowl with a chip or their finger, if there aren’t any chips left.
Grandma Dip
one package cream cheese, softened (8 oz)
one beef boullion cube, dissolved in as little water as possible
1-2 tsp. grated onion
worcestershire sauce, 4-5 shakes
potato chips or cut veggies for serving
Bring cream cheese to room temperature for best mixing. Add boullion to cream cheese until mixture stirs easily and is soft - you may not need to add all the liquid. Add grated onion and worcestershire sauce and taste. Adjust seasonings by adding more onion, worcestershire or boullion as necessary.
And now, onto the main event. A Wisconsin fish fry is always served with certain accompaniments: a potato – fries, baked, broasted, or potato pancakes (in Milwaukee potato pancakes are usually offered, but they are not standard in other parts of the state), coleslaw, bread (usually dark rye or a soft roll), and often applesauce.
As for the fish, typical options are usually cod, haddock, perch, bluegill, or walleye. You can usually have it battered and deep fried or breaded/seasoned and pan fried. I think restaurants usually also offer it baked or broiled but I honestly never pay much attention to that. Tonight we had walleye, coated in a flour based seasoning and pan fried, with potato pancakes, applesauce, and coleslaw. I elected not to make my own coating, but instead bought a store bought seasoning/coating.
Pan-fried Walleye (serves 2)
2 walleye fillets, washed under cold water and patted dry
1 egg, beaten and mixed with ½ c. water
½ c. store bought fish coating, or ½ c. flour seasoned to your liking with: salt, pepper, paprika, parsley, onion powder and/or garlic powder
Olive oil and butter for frying
Dip fish fillets in egg wash, and then roll/coat in fish seasoning. Allow to sit for 10-15 minutes to allow for coating to adhere to fish.
Four enough vegetable oil into a heavy skilled to cover ¼ of fillet while frying and heat oil and butter to medium heat (350-360 degrees). Fry until golden brown – about 3-5 inutes each side. Turn fish only once. Drain on paper towel before serving.
Potato Pancakes
3 Yukon Gold potatoes, shredded/grated and salted to drain
½ medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 egg, beaten
1 T milk
3-4 T milk
Black pepper to taste
Salt to taste (watch out to not over salt because you will have salted the potatoes to dry them out)
Olive oil and butter for frying
Mix all ingredients above from potatoes to salt until well incorporated. Heat butter and oil together in a frying pan over medium heat until just smoking. Add batter to pan to fry three to four cakes at a time (about 2-3 inches around). Cook 3-4 minutes a side and transfer to cookie sheet to keep warm in the oven while you cook the second batch. Made about 7-8 potato pancakes, probably enough for 4 servings.
Coleslaw
10 oz package shredded coleslaw mix
½ c. mayo
1 T greek yogurt
1 T dijon mustard
2 T white wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
½ ground black pepper
Mix all ingredients and chill for at least one hour before serving.
Tartar sauce
¼ c. mayo
Juice of one half lemon
2 small dill pickles, finely chopped
1 tsp chopped dill
1 T pickle juice
Mix all ingredients and chill for at least ½ hour before serving.
This meal was a real pleasure -- and really not hard to make when you take a few shortcuts for convenience. We especially loved the potato pancakes, they were crispy without being too greasy and had a nice density to them. It was fun to make and a joy to eat, which is what cooking is really supposed to be all about.
