Pelletier's fish boil in Door County

A proverbial feast for the senses

I've heard about Door County fish boils for years but never had the chance to try one until recently. While camping in Peninsula State Park, we took time away from nature to venture to Fish Creek and Pelletier's for a fish boil. None of us really knew what to expect, aside from the obvious boiled fish. But it was so much more than that!

The man who owns Pelletier's (and looks like Brett Favre) boils seven giant vats of fresh fish every single day, and he's been doing it for (I think he said) about 30 years. The water is seasoned with pounds (yep, pounds) of salt, then in go the fish. The filets hang out in the boiling water for a solid chunk of time, with the man in charge setting wood in and around the fire to adjust the cooking temperature; there's a real science to it. When the fish is good and cooked, Favre throws some sort of lighter fluid on the fire which ignites in a burst of flame and heat and forces the fish to boil over. Voila! Fish boil.

The eating was delicious. After the fish boiled over, they took it away and plated it with red potatoes, a small pearl onion, cole slaw, lemon, and pools of melted butter. The fish still had its skin and bones, which was a bit of a new adventure for some of us — picking out them bones is hard! But so worth it. There was also white and rye bread with butter at each table, and for dessert: Door County cherry pie. Needless to say, it was all amazing and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I'd say we should bring the fish boil concept to Milwaukee, but it turns out it really is a practice that's native to Door County — I think we should let them keep their awesome tradition. Looks like we'll just have to drive three hours north more often!