Submitted by long-time reader John Peterson, Green Bay, Wis.

Like many fishermen, while growing up, our family caught panfish and made them into a meal. Our small panfish catches made even smaller fillets that we called ‘potato chips.’ We did the obligatory fish fry, and all was good. As I got older and raised a family, I learned to cook.

One day I thought of a way to use the small fillets that didn’t involve frying. After some experimenting, my ‘Fish Casserole’ was born. It’s an easy recipe that can be changed up by using, for example, different vegetables or spices. To illustrate just how adaptable this recipe is, I’ve included the basic casserole recipe and one I call ‘Sweet & Savory Fish Casserole.’

Give them a try. It’s a healthy and tasty alternative to the fish fry, and the wife will like it because it won’t smell up the house! I hope you enjoy them as much as my family and I have over the years.

Basic Fish Casserole

1 dozen panfish fillets

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 cup chopped carrots

1/2 cup chopped broccoli

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 can cream of mushroom (or celery) soup

Cooked white rice

Place the vegetables in a pan with enough water to just cover the veggies. Boil until the veggies are soft. Stir in the mushroom soup; bring to a soft boil. Add fish fillets and gently stir for 90 seconds––try not to break up the fillets (the fish fillets will cook quickly). Serve over white rice. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 3 to 4 servings.

Sweet & Savory Fish Casserole

This Asian-inspired recipe is a variation on the basic casserole and offers an interesting mix of sweet and spicy, or as the restaurants would say, “sweet and savory.”

1 dozen panfish fillets

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 green pepper, chopped

1 parsnip, grated or finely chopped

3/4 cup spinach or Swiss chard

6-ounce bottle of clam juice

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon each of the following dried spices:

basil

cardamom (a sweet, Indian spice)

marjoram

curry powder

coriander

Cooked white rice

Place the oil, onion, pepper and parsnip into a shallow pan and sauté until soft. Add the spices and clam juice and bring to a soft boil. Add fish fillets and spinach and gently stir for 90 seconds. Serve over white rice. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 3 to 4 servings.

You’ll find more recipes to prepare using the meat and fish that you’ve harvested yourself in every issue of MidWest Outdoors, available by subscribing on our website.