Midwestern Regional Cookery: Fish

All along the Mississippi River fried catfish is an especially popular dish. In the northern half of the Midwest, the site not only of the five Great Lakes but also countless smaller lakes, rivers, and streams, fish takes center stage. Fish was a crucial resource for both the original Native population and the settlers who intruded on them. Commercial fishing is an important part of the regional and local economies of Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Ohio, and sport fishing is one of the most popular pastimes. Ice fishing and smelting are major seasonal activities with important social and culinary dimensions. Fish is an important part of the daily diet as well as the centerpiece of special events, including Lenten fish fries and Christmastime lutefisk dinners, held as church fundraisers, and festivals celebrating fish sandwiches, catfish, trout, smelt, carp, and eelpout.