Baked Stuffed Walleye with Shrimp and Cheddar

Ingredients

¼ cup canola oil
1½ sticks (12 tablespoons) Cabot Salted Butter, softened, divided
1½ cups fresh bread crumbs
½ pound cooked shrimp, finely minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon celery salt
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
1 whole (3 to 4-pound) walleye, cleaned with head and tail left on
4 ounces Cabot Garlic & Dill Cheddar, Cabot Sharp Cheddar or Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar, grated (about 1 cup)

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 375°F.

COMBINE oil and 4 tablespoons of butter in small saucepan; melt over medium heat. Brush 1 tablespoon of oil-butter mixture over bottom of baking dish large enough to hold fish (cut fish in half if necessary). Reserve remaining oil-butter mixture.

MELT 4 more tablespoons butter over medium heat in large skillet; when hot but not smoking, add breadcrumbs and cook for several minutes, stirring constantly, until golden brown. Transfer crumbs to large bowl.

ADD shrimp, parsley, salt, pepper, basil and celery salt and stir until you have a thick smooth paste.

CUT last 4 tablespoons of butter into ¼ inch dice and mix into breadcrumb mixture along with egg yolk.

WASH fish under cold water and pat dry inside and out with paper towels. Loosely fill cavity of fish with shrimp mixture. Close opening with toothpicks or wooden skewers.

PLACE fish in prepared baking dish, brushing top with 1 or 2 more tablespoons of oil-butter mixture. Bake uncovered in middle of oven for 30 minutes, basting every 10 minutes with some of remaining oil-butter mixture.

REMOVE fish from oven after 30 minutes and turn off oven. Remove toothpicks or skewers.

OPEN fish carefully and spread cheddar evenly over stuffing. Press fish closed and return to turned-off oven for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Recipe courtesy of Jimmy Kennedy.