What do northern pike taste like?

Northern pike have a reputation for being less tasty than other popular freshwater fish like walleye and crappie. However, northern pike do have a unique flavor that many anglers enjoy if the fish is handled and cooked properly. Here’s a quick look at what to expect when eating northern pike.

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Quick Facts on Northern Pike Taste

Northern pike fall somewhere between the mild, flaky texture of walleye and the firmer texture of fish like catfish or trout. Their flavor is often described as:

Mildly sweet

Moist and tender if cooked properly
Somewhat mushy or dry if overcooked
Free of “fishy” taste if very fresh

Younger, smaller northern pike tend to taste sweeter and less muscular than larger, older fish. Regardless of size, making sure the fish is handled correctly after catching and preparing it thoroughly goes a long way toward optimizing flavor.

Why Northern Pike Get a Bad Reputation for Taste

Several factors contribute to northern pike having a reputation as poor table fare:

They have a softer flesh and oilier meat compared to walleye and other types of fish.

Their eggs and bloodline can give the fillets a strong, fishy flavor if they aren’t removed properly.
Pike have a lot of small, fine bones that must be meticulously removed to avoid a poor mouthfeel when eating.
They spoil quicker than firmer-fleshed fish and must be kept very cold.

Overcooking or sautéing instead of frying makes the flesh dry and mushy.

While more work than preparing some other fish, taking steps to overcome these issues allows the sweet, moist flavor of pike to shine through.

Tips for Optimizing Northern Pike Taste

Here are some tips for making sure your northern pike fillets, steaks, and nuggets deliver great flavor:

Keep the fish alive on a stringer in the water until you’re ready to clean it.
Use a sharp fillet knife and fillet quickly, removing all bones.
Cut out the bloodline and any dark red meat.

Soak fillets briefly in cold saltwater or baking soda solution to draw out blood.
Pat fillets very dry before breading or cooking.
Fry, grill, or bake instead of steaming or sautéing.

Don’t overcook – pike should flake but remain moist.
Consider marinades, spice rubs, and lemon juice to add more flavor.

Best Cooking Methods for Northern Pike

Frying and grilling are two of the best cooking methods to keep northern pike fillets and steaks moist while adding flavor. Popular preparations include:

Beer-battered fish fry with chips
Blackened grilled fillets
Smoked pike dip or spread

Grilled Cajun pike steaks
Lemon pepper baked pike
Pike fish cakes or patties

Pike quesadillas
Fried pike nuggets

Pike also works well in chowders, fish boils, and other soups where the meat naturally flakes off in chunks after cooking.

What Does Northern Pike Taste Like Compared to Other Fish?

Here’s how northern pike stacks up to the flavor of some other popular freshwater and seafood choices:

Fish	Texture	Flavor
Walleye	Flaky, firm	Mild, sweet
Crappie	Delicate, flaky	Mild, slightly nutty
Catfish	Firm, dense	Mildly sweet
Trout	Medium dense	Mild, slightly nutty
Northern Pike	Moist, tender flakes	Mildly sweet
Cod	Flaky, firm	Mild, delicate
Tilapia	Flaky, delicate	Mild, slightly earthy
Salmon	Varies by type	Rich, fatty

As you can see, northern pike falls somewhere in the middle on the flavor spectrum – not as delicate and flaky as crappie or tilapia, but sweeter and more tender than catfish or trout when cooked properly.

Tips for Selecting and Handling Northern Pike for Best Flavor

To get the best tasting northern pike fillets, focus on these tips when catching and preparing the fish:

Catch younger pike under 5 lbs for more tender, sweet fillets.
Use a net or cradle vs. puncturing with a gaff hook if keeping fish alive.
Keep pike alive and cold in a livewell or on a stringer until cleaning.

Use a sharp knife and fillet quickly after killing the fish.
Cut slits along the spine to expose bloodline and facilitate removal.
Remove all dark red meat, skin, and black membrane from fillets.

Cut Y-bones out one by one if not butterflying fillets.
Soak fillets briefly in saltwater or baking soda solution.
Pat fillets very dry before cooking.

Keep cleaned fillets chilled near freezing until cooking.

Putting in the knife work up front makes a big difference in yielding flavorful, boneless pike fillets ready for delicious recipes.

Simple Recipes and Meal Ideas for Northern Pike

Here are a few easy northern pike recipes that highlight its great eating qualities:

Beer-Battered Pike

Whisk together 1 cup flour, 1 tsp. salt, 1⁄4 tsp. pepper, 1 egg, and 12 oz. beer until smooth.
Dip pike fillets in batter, let excess drip off.
Fry fillets in 350°F vegetable oil 4-5 minutes until golden brown.

Serve with fries or chips, lemon wedges, and tartar sauce.

Blackened Pike

Coat pike fillets with Cajun spice blend like Paul Prudhomme’s Blackened Redfish Magic.
Sear fillets over high heat 2 minutes per side in a hot cast iron skillet.

Serve on a bed of dirty rice or sauteed spinach.

Pike Cakes

Combine 1 lb. shredded cooked pike, 1 egg, 1⁄4 cup breadcrumbs, 2 tbsp. mayonnaise, salt, and pepper.
Form into patties and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Pan fry cakes 4-5 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through.
Serve on buns with lettuce, tomato, and tartar sauce for sandwiches.

The boneless, mild flavor of pike takes well to frying, blackening, baking, grilling, and more. Try it on tacos, in fish sandwiches, or as the star ingredient in fish and chips for a nice change of pace.

Tips for Cooking Northern Pike Successfully

Follow these tips to avoid overcooking pike and bring out the best in its flavor and texture:

Pat fillets very dry – Moisture prevents breading from crisping and inhibits browning.
Bread loosely – Packing on the flour, panko, or cornmeal makes fillets soggy.

Fry at 350-375°F – This crisp-fries the batter and cooks fillets through without drying them out.
Cook fillets 3-5 minutes per side – Thinner sections cook faster than thicker parts.
Bake at 425°F or grill over medium high heat – Helps keep moisture in while still getting color.

Top with sauces and salsa – Adds moisture back to drier preparation methods like grilling.

Paying attention to temperature and cook times lets pike’s mild sweetness shine through while keeping the flesh moist and not chewy.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Cooking Northern Pike

It’s easy to go from tasty, flaky pike fillets to dry, rubbery ones with a few minor mistakes. Here are some pitfalls to watch out for:

Overhandling raw fillets – Excess pressing, poking, and prodding breaks the fillets down.
Not drying sufficiently – Wet fillets steam instead of frying or grilling properly.
Using dull knives – A dull blade mashes flesh instead of cutting cleanly.

Breading too early – Batter or breading gets soggy if it sits too long on raw fillets.
Frying at too low of temperature – Doesn’t crisp the batter and overcooks the fish.
Cooking too long – Pike goes from flaky to chewy and dry quickly past 5 minutes per side.

Letting sit after cooking – Pike continues to cook off heat and dries out.

Following best practices for handling raw pike and monitoring cooking temperatures and times helps get the texture just right while maintaining moisture and flavor.

Conclusion

While not as renowned as walleye or crappie, northern pike can make for delicious eating when handled correctly both before and during cooking. Pike have a sweeter flavor and nice moist texture when the dark red meat is removed and fillets are fried, grilled, or baked without overcooking. Frying or blackening smaller “eater” pike helps bring out the best in their flavor. With the proper prep and cooking methods, northern pike fillets can hold their own at the dinner table.