Grilled Traeger Walleye with Lemon Cream Sauce is one of the best fish dishes I’ve ever tasted. If you love seafood, this simple wood-fired preparation combined with a bright, silky lemon cream sauce will quickly become a favorite. If fresh walleye isn’t available, any mild white fish works beautifully—think cod, halibut, rockfish, crappie, or perch.
Traeger Walleye With Lemon Cream Sauce
Walleye has a delicate, slightly sweet flavor and a flaky texture that pairs perfectly with a buttery lemon cream. This method highlights the fish without overpowering it—wood smoke from a pellet grill adds a subtle background note while the lemon cream brings richness and brightness. The sauce is versatile and will elevate virtually any mild white fish.
You can prepare this dish for lake-caught favorites like walleye, crappie, or perch, or for sea-caught filets such as cod, rockfish, or halibut. The recipe is forgiving: choose your preferred white fish, follow the method, and enjoy a restaurant-quality meal at home.
Why You’ll Love This Dish
- Quick Cook Time – From start to finish in under 30 minutes, ideal for weeknights or a relaxed weekend dinner.
- Bright and Rich Sauce – Lemon, butter, garlic, and cream create a sauce that’s both comforting and lively.
- Perfectly Grilled on the Traeger – The wood-fired flavor from a pellet grill complements the mild, flaky fish without overwhelming it.
- One-Pan Simplicity – Fish and sauce cook together in a single ovenproof dish for easy prep and cleanup.
More Easy Traeger Recipes here!
Recipe Shopping List
You likely have many of these pantry items already. For exact quantities, refer to the ingredient list in the recipe card below.
- Walleye fillets (or substitute any mild white fish), fresh and patted dry.
- Salt & pepper for basic seasoning.
- Heavy cream to make the sauce smooth and stable.
- Salted butter for a rich, silky finish.
- Lemon juice and slices to brighten the sauce.
- Fresh garlic for aroma and depth.
- Scallion whites or chives for a mild onion note.
- Leeks thinly sliced for subtle sweetness.
- Italian parsley to finish the dish.
How To Make This Recipe
Below is a clear overview of the steps. When cooking, follow the full ingredient amounts and times in the recipe card section further down for best results.
- Preheat the grill: Start your Traeger on the smoke setting with the lid open for about 5 minutes, then set the temperature to 400°F (200°C) and close the lid to finish preheating. This typically takes 10–15 minutes.
- Prepare the fish: Pat the fillets completely dry with paper towels. Season the fish with half the salt and all the pepper, then arrange the fillets in a greased 9×9 ovenproof baking dish.
- Make the sauce: In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the remaining salt, heavy cream, butter, lemon juice, minced garlic, scallion whites, and sliced leeks. Microwave on high for about 1 minute—just long enough to melt the butter—then stir until smooth.
- Assemble: Pour the warm cream mixture evenly over the fillets. Top each piece with a lemon slice or two.
- Grill: Place the baking dish on the preheated Traeger and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork and reaches an opaque, flaky texture.
- Finish and serve: Remove the dish from the grill, sprinkle chopped Italian parsley over the fish, and spoon sauce onto each serving. Serve immediately with your choice of sides.
Recipe Tips
Grilling delicate whitefish is easier when you follow a few simple tips. These techniques reduce sticking and help the fish stay tender and moist.
- If your fillets have skin, you can place them directly on the grill grate skin-side down. Skinless fillets are more fragile—cook them in a baking dish or on a sheet of non-stick foil to prevent tearing.
- To prevent sticking when cooking on a grate, use a high-quality non-stick spray or brush the grill with oil before placing the fish down.
- Whitefish has a mild flavor that benefits from a gentle smoke. Cook at higher temperatures on a wood pellet grill to impart a light smoky finish without overpowering the fish.
- This recipe is designed to be cooked in a 9×9 ovenproof dish, which makes it easy to transfer to and from the grill.
- If you don’t have a pellet grill, the same method works well in a conventional oven set to 400°F (200°C). The flavors will be essentially the same without the smoky note.
Can I substitute heavy cream?
Use heavy cream.
Heavy cream is recommended because it provides the sauce’s silky texture and resists separating under heat. Lower-fat dairy such as half-and-half or milk is more likely to break or curdle when heated. For best results, follow the recipe and use heavy cream.
Have a Cocktail with dinner!
More Fish Recipes
- Lingcod and Shrimp Ceviche
- Grilled Black Cod
- Panko Fried Sole
- Sous Vide Lemon Garlic Lingcod Cheeks
- Smoked Tuna Loin
- Traeger Grilled Albacore Tuna
Traeger Walleye with Lemon Cream Sauce
Flaky walleye grilled on a Traeger and finished with an easy lemon cream sauce—bright, rich, and simple to prepare.
Ingredients
- 4 — 4-ounce walleye fillets, skinless
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup salted butter
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1–2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon sliced scallion whites or chives
- 1 tablespoon thinly sliced leeks
- 1 teaspoon chopped Italian parsley
- 1 lemon, sliced
Instructions
- Start your pellet grill on the smoke setting with the lid open for 5 minutes, then set to 400°F and close the lid to preheat. Use this time to prepare the fish and sauce.
- Pat fillets completely dry with paper towels.
- Season the fillets with half the salt and all the pepper. Lay them in a greased 9×9 ovenproof baking dish.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, cream, butter, lemon juice, garlic, scallions, and leeks. Microwave for about 1 minute to melt the butter, then stir until well combined.
- Pour the sauce over the fillets and top each with lemon slices.
- Place the baking dish on the preheated grill and cook for 20 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
- Remove from the grill, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and spoon sauce onto each serving. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Information (per serving)
Calories: 347 | Total Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 189mg | Sodium: 703mg | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 29g