When I was younger, I worked at a fishing lodge on Pigeon Lake for a summer. This was my first experience with people catching a lot of panfish, a mixture of small fish like bluegill and perch. It took a lot of work cleaning them to get the 1 1/2 pounds called for in this recipe, but it was worthwhile.
Ingredients
- 4 large ears of fresh corn (if unavailable, use 2 1/2 cups of frozen corn)
- 2 tbsp. butter or vegetable oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 4 whole peppercorns
- 8 cups chicken stock or water
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/3 lb. bacon, diced
- 2 white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 lbs. panfish fillets, cut into 2-inch pieces
Instructions
Remove kernels from corn and set aside. Snap cobs in half. Melt butter in a large stockpot over medium-high heat, then add onion, carrot, celery, and peppercorns. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 6 minutes, until onion is translucent. Add cobs, bay leaves and 8 cups of chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 40 minutes. Remove cobs, peppercorns, and bay leaves.
In a large stockpot, over medium heat, cook bacon until almost crispy. Remove and set aside. Add potatoes and reserved corn kernels to the pot, along with generous dashes of salt and pepper, and stir for 5 minutes. Add corn stock. Bring to a boil; simmer for 10 minutes. Add reserved bacon and cream. Stir. Gently add fish fillets, then cover and cook for 3 minutes.
Serves six to eight people.
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