Grilled Walleye With Citrus Butter Recipe

Why Walleye + Citrus Butter Is a Summer Power Couple

Walleye is mild, flaky, and basically built for butter

Walleye is a lean, fine-flaked freshwater fish with a subtle, mildly sweet flavortranslation: it’s a blank canvas that actually wants you to paint on it.
That leanness is a gift and a warning: it cooks fast, and it dries out fast if you wander off to “just check one thing” on your phone.

Citrus butter fixes three things at once

• Moisture: Butter coats the flakes and softens the edges.
• Balance: Citrus cuts richness so the dish tastes bright, not heavy.
• Aroma: Zest adds fragrance that makes the whole plate smell like you know what you’re doing.

The goal: grill the fish until it’s just done (think juicy and opaque, not chalky) and let the citrus butter do its melty, glossy magic on top.

Grilled Walleye With Citrus Butter Recipe (Printable-Style)

Step-by-Step: How to Grill Walleye Without Losing Your Mind (or the Fillet)

1) Make the citrus butter

1. In a small bowl, mash the softened butter with lemon zest, orange zest, lemon juice, orange juice, garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper.
   Taste it. If it makes you grin a little, you’re on the right track.
2. Optional (but helpful): scoop onto parchment, roll into a small log, and chill 10 minutes.
   Cold butter is easier to slice and melts more slowly on the fish, which feels fancy.

2) Prep the grill (this is where non-stick dreams are made)

1. Preheat the grill to medium-high (roughly 375–425°F). Create two zones if you can: one hotter side, one cooler side.
2. Clean the grates well, then oil them lightly using a paper towel dipped in high-heat oil (held with tongs).
3. If you’re nervous about sticking, lay a few thin citrus rounds where the fish will go. It acts like a tiny edible “grill mat” and adds aroma.

3) Prep the walleye

1. Pat the fillets dry with paper towels. Moisture is the enemy of browning (and the best friend of sticking).
2. Check for pin bones and remove with tweezers if needed.
3. Brush both sides lightly with oil. Season with salt, pepper, and optional paprika/garlic powder.

4) Grill the fish

Best method for direct grates: Skin-on fillets (skin acts like a protective jacket).

1. Place the fish on the grill skin-side down over medium-high heat.
2. Close the lid and cook 5–7 minutes, depending on thickness. Try not to poke it every 30 secondsfish can sense fear.
3. If the fillet is thick and sturdy, you can flip once and cook 1–2 minutes on the other side.
   If it’s thin, you can often finish it skin-side down the whole time and avoid the flip entirely.
4. Cook until the center reaches 145°F and the flesh turns opaque and flakes easily.
   Pull it just as it hits donecarryover heat will finish the job.

5) Finish with citrus butter

1. Move the fish to the cooler side of the grill (or turn off one burner if using gas).
2. Top each fillet with a slice or spoonful of citrus butter.
3. Close the lid for 30–60 seconds so the butter melts into a glossy sauce.
4. Rest 2 minutes, garnish with herbs, and serve with extra citrus wedges.

Pro Tips for Perfect Grilled Walleye

How to prevent sticking (the #1 grilled fish complaint)

• Hot grill + clean grates: Preheat properly and scrub well before cooking.
• Oil the grates: Use a high-smoke-point oil and a paper towel with tongssimple and effective.
• Don’t flip too early: Fish releases when it’s ready. If it’s “glued,” it needs another minute.
• Use a fish spatula: Thin, flexible, and designed for fragile food. A carving fork can help gently lift from below, too.

Know your “done” signals

• Thermometer: 145°F at the thickest part.
• Look: Opaque flesh, no translucent center.
• Feel: Flakes with gentle pressure, not aggressive shredding.

Butter note: keep it bright, not watery

Citrus zest gives huge flavor without thinning the butter. Citrus juice is powerfuluse it, but don’t drown the party.
If you want more tang, serve extra lemon/orange wedges at the table and let people squeeze to taste.

Variations (Because You Might Be Grilling on a Dock, Not a Food Studio)

1) Foil packet grilled walleye (ultra-forgiving)

If your fillets are thin, delicate, or skinless, foil packets are your best friend. You get gentle steaming plus grill flavorno sticking, no flipping panic.

1. Place fish on a large piece of heavy-duty foil, oil lightly, season, and add a few citrus rounds.
2. Seal tightly. Grill over medium heat 10–15 minutes, depending on thickness.
3. Open carefully (steam is spicy), then top with citrus butter and let it melt.

2) Cast-iron grill pan method (great for apartments)

Heat a grill pan until hot, oil it lightly, and cook fillets as you would on the grill. You’ll still get browning and grill marksplus fewer things falling into the fire.

3) Flavor spins

• Herby Midwest: Dill + chives, plus a pinch of celery salt.
• Spicy-citrus: Add cayenne or chipotle powder to the fish rub.
• Briny-bright: Stir in 1 teaspoon capers (drained, chopped) into the butter.
• Smoky-sweet: Add a tiny drizzle of honey to the butter and use smoked paprika on the fish.

What to Serve With Grilled Walleye and Citrus Butter

Walleye is mild, so it plays well with sides that are savory, crunchy, or lightly sweet. A few winning combinations:

• Classic: Wild rice + grilled asparagus + lemon wedges
• Cookout mode: Corn on the cob + slaw + potato salad
• Light and fresh: Cucumber-dill salad + cherry tomatoes + crusty bread
• Taco night: Warm tortillas + cabbage + leftover citrus butter as a “sauce”

Storage, Leftovers, and Reheating (Without Turning Fish Into Rubber)

Storing

• Refrigerate cooked walleye in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
• Store citrus butter separately if you can (it stays brighter).

Reheating

• Best: Low oven (275–300°F) for 8–12 minutes, covered loosely with foil.
• Fast: Skillet on low heat with a tiny bit of butter or oil, just until warmed.
• Avoid: High microwave power (it can toughen fish fast). If you must, use low power in short bursts.

Leftover ideas

• Flake into a salad with greens, citrus segments, and toasted nuts.
• Make a “fancy grilled fish sandwich” with lettuce and a swipe of citrus butter.
• Turn it into fish tacos with crunchy slaw and extra lime.

FAQ: Grilled Walleye With Citrus Butter

Can I use frozen walleye?

Yesthaw it fully in the fridge, then pat very dry before seasoning. Extra moisture is the biggest reason thawed fish sticks and steams instead of searing.

Do I have to flip the fish?

Not always. If your fillet is skin-on, you can often cook it skin-side down the whole time with the lid closed.
Flipping is optionallike wearing white pants to a barbecue.

What if I can’t find walleye?

This recipe works with other mild white fish like perch, cod, haddock, or even trout. Adjust cook time based on thickness.

Is 145°F really necessary?

For food safety guidance, 145°F is the commonly recommended minimum for fish. Practically, that’s also a good “don’t undercook it” target.
The key is pulling it right at doneovercooking is what dries fish out.

Extra (500+ Words): Real Grilling Experiences With Walleye + Citrus Butter

Let’s talk about the real worldwhere the grill is slightly crooked, the wind has opinions, and someone always asks,
“Is it done yet?” exactly 17 seconds after you put the fish down.

The first time I grilled walleye successfully, the biggest “aha” wasn’t about seasoning or fancy tools. It was about restraint.
Walleye cooks quickly, and because it’s lean, the margin between “perfectly flaky” and “why is my fish squeaking?” is… not huge.
I used to hover like an anxious parent on the first day of kindergarten: lift an edge, peek, poke, flip too early, regret everything.
Once I stopped touching it, the fish actually behaved. It browned lightly, released from the grates, and stayed in one piece.
Turns out, patience is a cooking technique. Who knew?

I also learned that grilling walleye is less about brute heat and more about controlled heat. A two-zone setup is the cheat code.
Start the fillet over medium-high to get that initial set (the fish firms up a bit), then slide it to the cooler side to finish gently.
That cooler zone is also where citrus butter shines. If you plop butter onto fish directly over roaring heat, you risk flare-ups and smoky bitterness.
But on the cooler side, the butter melts slowly, turning into a glossy sauce instead of a campfire incident.

Another lesson: citrus butter is best when it’s built like a good joketight and punchy. Zest does most of the heavy lifting.
I once got carried away and added too much lemon juice to the butter, thinking “more citrus = more better.”
The result was a butter that wanted to separate and slide off the fish like it was late for an appointment.
Now I keep the juice modest and rely on zest for that bright citrus pop, then serve extra wedges at the table.
Everybody wins, and nobody has to pretend the “butter soup” was intentional.

The “sticking” issue deserves its own moment because it’s the main reason people give up on grilling fish.
Here’s what finally made it consistent: preheat longer than feels necessary, clean the grates like you mean it, then oil the grates (not just the fish).
If the grill isn’t hot enough, the fish clings. If the grill is dirty, the fish clings. If you try to flip before it releases, the fish clings.
Basically, fish is like a cat: it will come to you when it’s ready, and not a second sooner.

I’ve also grilled walleye in “lake-day conditions,” where you’re cooking near the water and everything is slightly chaotic:
kids running around, someone opening the cooler every 90 seconds, and a friend insisting they can eyeball doneness without a thermometer.
In those moments, foil packets are your best ally. You can season, seal, and cook without worrying about a delicate fillet breaking apart.
It’s forgiving, reliable, and still tastes fantasticespecially when you open the packet and drop a knob of citrus butter on top.
The butter melts instantly, mixes with the fish juices, and creates a quick sauce that tastes like you planned ahead… even if you absolutely did not.

The final, underrated experience tip: serve it simply and confidently. Walleye doesn’t need a complicated pile of flavors.
A clean grilled fillet, a bright citrus butter, and a couple of sideswild rice, grilled vegetables, or a crisp saladfeels like a restaurant meal.
And if you want to make people absurdly happy, put the extra citrus butter on the table with a spoon and pretend it’s optional.
It won’t be optional for long.