18 Nebraskaland • June 2021
By Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley
BUTTER AND BASIL SAUGER
WITH ORZO SALAD
IN THE FIELD
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
• 4 to 8 sauger/walleye fillets
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked
pepper, to taste
• 5 tablespoons of salted butter,
separated
• 4 slices of lemon
• 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped
basil, separated
• ½ pound of uncooked orzo
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive
oil
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon of dried oregano
• Small handful of cherry/grape
tomatoes, sliced
• 1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan
cheese
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Fahrenheit. Pat fish fillets dry with
paper towels and lay them on a
rimmed cookie sheet lined with a
large sheet of foil — large enough
to fold over and seal into a packet.
Sprinkle salt and pepper on one side
of the fish. Distribute lemon slices, 1
tablespoon of freshly chopped basil
and 4 tablespoons of butter on top.
Fold over the foil to seal and bake for
20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted
water to a boil and cook ½ pound of
orzo according to package directions.
When orzo is al dente, drain it.
3. Immediately transfer hot orzo
to a mixing bowl. Stir in olive oil and
1 tablespoon of butter while it's still
warm.
Next, stir in 1 tablespoon of freshly
chopped basil, lemon juice, tomatoes,
oregano, salt and pepper to taste;
start with ½ teaspoon of salt and
adjust from there. Stir in Parmesan
cheese right before serving.
4. Serve baked fish with warm or
room temperature orzo salad on the
side.
JENNY NGUYEN-WHEATLEY, NEBRASKALAND
