The Results of the Great Walleye and Wild Rice Egg Roll Experiment: A Musical and Culinary Journey Through My Day

First, the recipe as originally posted, with results to follow.

Because music is playing, I think it's important to offer a walleye and wild rice soundtrack of songs that have been stuck in my head all day.  So here's a song to get started:

Very good fish poaching music, because who doesn't love walleye?  And 'looks like I made it!' is in fact exactly what I said--or rather sang at the top of my lungs--when the egg rolls were complete!

4 walleye fillets
2 c. light chicken bouillon
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 c. butter (1/2 stick)
3 tbsp. chopped onion
3 c. cooked wild rice, about 2/3 c. uncooked
1/3 c. chopped fresh dill

1. Poach the fillets in chicken broth and lemon juice, until the sides of fillets flake easily.
2. Remove the walleye to a platter and keep warm. Save the fish broth!
3. Saute the onion in melted butter and wild rice briefly, just enough to soften the onion and heat the rice. 
4. Add 1/4 cup of the fish-chicken broth and dill weed to your wild rice.

No doubt the first song is done by now, so here's another for the rest of the ingredients:

1. Mix all ingredients together
2. Spray a pan and line up the egg roll wrappers (just like the Captain and his children--no need for a whistle, however)
3. Brush egg white on top of the wrappers and fill with the mixture.
4. Roll the wrappings, tuck in the corners
5. Brush more egg white on top of each roll.
6. Cook for 15 minutes at 425 degrees, turning once.  They should be slightly brown.
7. Eat with a sumptuous smile, rolling of eyes, and cries of delight over how delicious they are.

Time for another song before I tell what I actually did with this recipe-conglomerate and how it turned out.  There's a backstory to this song--but be warned, it's a rather upsetting story.  I got home from all my errands to a child in my house (not mine!  This would never happen to one of MY children!) who had never heard Sweet Caroline!  I took immediate action to rectify this negligence on the part of whoever raised this feral child!  I played Sweet Caroline 23 times in a row, and sang it at the top of my lungs while dancing around the kitchen with yesterday's egg rolls smothered in sweet and sour sauce.

He claimed he doesn't like Sweet Caroline, but I know it was a lie, because he was laughing and not objecting to the doors being bolted until he knew the whole song by heart--especially BAH BAH BAH!!! and that part everyone whistles.

Even better, although none of my own feral children will try my walleye and wild rice egg rolls, this child did, thus endearing himself to me forever.  Even moreso because he asked for more!  Please, Sir, he said, I want some more!  I was so happy I didn't even object to being called Sir or ask how he happens to know lines from Oliver when he doesn't know Sweet Caroline.

Oh, but the recipe.  Well, it's really not a very exciting story after all that.  I substituted white wine for the chicken broth because...white wine.  Why have chicken broth when you can have wine?  It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Plus, my kitchen is a bit of a...work zone, with cabinets being refaced.  As a result, my spices, my dishes, my utensils, in fact everything that ever existed in the kitchen, is spread out among several rooms.  So either I didn't have dill, or couldn't find it.  Being a graduate of the Cooking with Shawn School of Culinary Creativity, I simply substituted something green: Italian seasoning.

Oh, boy, just thinking about it requires another song!  I took pity on this poor child begging for an end to Sweet Caroline--after all, he liked my egg rolls!!!!  But if you haven't heard Sweet Caroline, chances are high you've also missed out on another great American classic, so I turned on Piano Man which my feral children also belted out at the tops of their non-egg roll-eating lungs.

So the results of my slight alterations:

I think there's a reason to go with chicken broth.  I think it would have added some seasoning.  I found the egg rolls just a little bit on the bland side, although I liked them (and so does this neighbor kid, and that is going in the reviews--he just asked for two more!)

I have to admit, though, that as I ate my second one, I rather appreciated the 'mildness' of it, and the fact that I could really taste some things I might otherwise have buried under seasonings and flavors.

When I got ahold of some sweet and sour sauce, they were even better.

I will no doubt try this again, and the next time, keep the chicken broth and try dill, and compare.

Billy Joel, naturally, had to lead to another great:

And thus ends today's remarkable culinary tale.  The music, however, continues, as I head out to teach lessons tonight, knowing that tomorrow shall be another grand adventure!