Skirting the sandy western shore of Manitoba’s inland sea, the communities around Lake Winnipeg live by the rhythms of the water. Fishing boats still leave harbour at first light, Ukrainian churches and Icelandic flags share the skyline, and roadside signs for fresh pickerel, smoked fish and home baking tempt drivers off Highway 9. For travellers, this stretch of Interlake country is as much a culinary journey as a scenic one, with a small but proud food culture built on the lake’s catch, northern gardens, and immigrant traditions that have taken root for nearly 150 years.
Eating With the Lake: How Local Food Shapes Life on Lake Winnipeg
Lake Winnipeg is one of the largest freshwater lakes in Canada, and for generations it has provided the backbone of the local diet. Commercial and small scale fishers work its waters for walleye, which locals call pickerel, as well as sauger, whitefish, goldeye and other species. In towns such as Gimli, Selkirk and Riverton, the sight of fish trucks at dawn and stacks of weathered fish boxes is still part of the everyday landscape. For visitors, that working relationship with the lake translates directly onto the plate, especially in summer when seasonal restaurants and lakeside patios open their doors.
The west shore of Lake Winnipeg is also known as New Iceland, a region settled by Icelandic immigrants in the 1870s. Their foodways blended with those of nearby Ukrainian, Polish and Métis communities, creating a distinctive regional mix. You see it in menus that pair pickerel cheeks with pierogi, or offer smoked fish alongside rye bread and dill pickles, and in festivals where you can wander from a Viking re enactment to a booth selling vinarterta torte by the slice. That combination of lake focused ingredients and layered cultural influences sets the tone for almost everything you eat here.
Today, many of the most memorable tastes are simple ones. A plate of lightly battered fish eaten in view of the water, a paper tray of fried pickerel cheeks from a roadside shack, or a slice of dense Icelandic cake in a small town café can tell you as much about Lake Winnipeg as any museum exhibit. The region does not trade in polished culinary theatre so much as in honest, satisfying food rooted in place. Planning ahead, asking locals where they eat and being willing to follow hand painted signs down gravel roads will reward you with some very local discoveries.
1. Crispy Lake Winnipeg Pickerel: The Signature Taste of the Interlake
If there is one dish that defines Lake Winnipeg, it is pickerel. Technically a walleye, this mild, flaky fish is the most valuable commercial species in the province and an icon on local menus. Around the lake it appears battered and deep fried, pan fried in butter, grilled over open flame and folded into tacos and sandwiches. Almost every community with a harbour has at least one café or seasonal shack that claims the best pickerel in the region, and endless arguments unfold over which batter, which oil and which side of the lake reigns supreme.
For travellers, the simplest way to enjoy pickerel is as a plate of fish and chips at a lakeside restaurant or takeout window. Expect fillets or smaller pieces dredged in flour or a light batter, fried until just golden and served with coleslaw, lemon and a heap of fries. When the fish is local and fresh, the flavour is delicate and almost sweet. Many places still source directly from nearby fishers, so when you eat beside the harbour you are often tasting a catch that was pulled from the lake the previous day.
Beyond classic fish and chips, look for pickerel prepared more simply, especially at sit down restaurants and lodges north toward Hecla and Riverton. Pan fried fillets in butter with a squeeze of lemon, accompanied by boiled or roasted potatoes and seasonal vegetables, let the mild fish shine. Some kitchens add a Manitoba twist with wild rice pilaf or local vegetables in dill cream. Ask whether the fish is from Lake Winnipeg and how it is prepared; staff are usually happy to explain the details, and you may discover a house specialty you would otherwise miss.
2. Pickerel Cheeks and Fishermen’s Favourites
While fillets take centre stage on most tourist menus, locals know that the true delicacy lies in the cheeks. Pickerel cheeks are small, round nuggets of meat from the head of the fish, and in Manitoba they are cherished for their tenderness and rich flavour. In rural cafés, hotel dining rooms and small pubs around Lake Winnipeg, you will sometimes see them featured as a special, often described modestly as “cheeks” or “pickerel bits.” If you spot them, order without hesitation.
Typically, pickerel cheeks are lightly breaded and fried until crisp on the outside while remaining soft within. They might be served with lemon and tartar sauce, with a simple garlic mayonnaise, or with classic prairie sides such as mashed potatoes, creamed corn and pickled beets. The texture is closer to scallops than to ordinary fish, which may surprise first time tasters. Many regulars around Lake Winnipeg look forward to cheek season and will drive significant distances along the lakeshore for a plate when they appear on a menu.
Beyond cheeks, a number of other fishermen’s favourites are worth seeking out. House made fish cakes using a mix of minced pickerel and other white fish are common in small town diners and community suppers, often pan fried and served with a wedge of lemon. In some Ukrainian influenced kitchens you may find fish baked in sour cream and dill, or folded into cabbage rolls or perogies as a special. Although these dishes are not always advertised to visitors, asking what the kitchen does with offcuts and bycatch can lead to very local tastes that rarely appear in city restaurants.
3. Smoked Goldeye and Lake Winnipeg Smokehouses
While pickerel dominates local fryers and grills, smoked goldeye is the star of the smokehouse. Goldeye is a small, oily fish that takes particularly well to smoking and has long been associated with Manitoba. Traditionally it was smoked over willow and other local woods, and you can still find that old fashioned, deep amber fish in markets and specialty shops in Winnipeg and along the Lake Winnipeg corridor. Around the lake, packaged smoked fillets and whole fish are sold in small groceries, gas stations and waterside shops, making them an easy purchase for picnics or cabin stays.
The flavour of smoked goldeye is assertive but not overpowering: rich, salty and slightly sweet, with a firm, moist texture. It is typically eaten cold or at room temperature, flaked onto crackers with cream cheese or layered on dense rye bread with red onion. Some newer cafés and breweries in the region have begun working it into small plates, pairing it with pickled vegetables, grainy mustard and local rye. Because goldeye has fine bones, many travellers find pre filleted portions easiest to handle, particularly if they are new to eating smoked whole fish.
Alongside goldeye, smokehouses around Lake Winnipeg also prepare whitefish, tullibee and even sauger, each with a slightly different character. Whitefish tends to be milder and flakier, while tullibee often has a more pronounced, almost buttery richness. Wherever you buy, ask staff about storage and serving suggestions. Most smoked fish travels well in a cooler, making it an excellent souvenir to take back to Winnipeg or south to the prairies, provided you keep it chilled and respect any sell by dates on the package.
4. Icelandic Heritage Bites: Vinarterta, Pönnukökur and More
The stretch of shoreline from Winnipeg Beach through Gimli up to Hecla is widely known as New Iceland, reflecting the wave of Icelandic immigration that began in 1875. Food played a visible role in that settlement story and continues to do so today. In Gimli, Icelandic flags line the streets, the New Iceland Heritage Museum shares stories of early settlers, and bakeries and community groups keep traditional recipes alive. For visitors, that heritage is most deliciously experienced through a trio of sweets that appear at festivals, church teas and small cafés.
The most famous of these is vinarterta, a layered torte of thin cookie like cake and prune filling, flavoured with cardamom or vanilla and served in narrow slices. It is dense, not overly sweet, and develops deeper flavour as it rests. At summer events and in some local bakeries you can buy it by the slice or as a small loaf. Families in the region guard their own versions, so you may spot subtle differences in spice, icing and number of layers. Sampling more than one is half the fun, especially during the Icelandic Festival of Manitoba in Gimli each August when baking tables groan with homemade versions.
Another treat to watch for is Icelandic pancakes, or pönnukökur, which are thin, crepe like pancakes often rolled with jam and whipped cream. They appear at community breakfasts, church fundraisers and some café brunch menus. Alongside these you may encounter kleinur, twisted doughnuts scented with cardamom, and rúllupylsa, a spiced lamb roll that sometimes appears on charcuterie boards or at cultural events. None of these foods are mass marketed, so catching them requires careful reading of roadside signs and event posters. Checking what is on at local halls or museums while you are in town can greatly increase your odds of tasting this distinctive strand of Lake Winnipeg food culture.
5. Ukrainian Comforts and Prairie Classics by the Water
New Iceland may define one part of Lake Winnipeg’s story, but Ukrainian and other Eastern European communities have also shaped the region’s food. Across the Interlake you will see church domes on the horizon and hand painted signs advertising perogies, cabbage rolls and borscht for sale. In summer, community halls host suppers that draw visitors from Winnipeg and beyond, serving plates piled with perogies, smokies, coleslaw and fresh bread. Many cafés and roadside diners along the lake quietly weave these dishes into their menus, pairing them with fish or serving them as hearty stand alone meals after a day on the beach.
For travellers, this means that a day at the lake can easily include a lunch of pickerel and fries followed by a supper of perogies in butter and onions. Some menus offer perogies stuffed with cottage cheese and dill or sauerkraut, alongside more familiar potato fillings. Cabbage rolls, often baked in tomato sauce and sometimes filled with rice and ground meat, appear as specials or as part of Sunday dinners in small town hotels. Portions tend to be generous and prices relatively modest compared with larger cities, reflecting the region’s roots in farm and working class cooking.
Beyond Eastern European dishes, a number of other prairie standards are common around Lake Winnipeg. Expect to see thick cut kubasa sausage, homemade burgers, thick soups and stews and, in season, rhubarb crisps and berry pies. Desserts often showcase local fruit such as Saskatoon berries, strawberries and raspberries, which thrive in northern gardens and u pick fields in the broader region. None of this food is elaborate, but it is warming and filling, and it fits the relaxed, practical atmosphere that defines most of the lakefront towns.
6. Wild Berries, Jams and Small Town Treats
As summer unfolds along Lake Winnipeg, berry bushes on roadsides and in boreal clearings quietly begin to ripen. For local families, picking wild fruit has long been a seasonal ritual that supplements garden produce and pantry shelves. While you may not notice it at first glance, this foraged abundance filters into the foods visitors encounter, especially in the form of jams, pies and preserves sold at markets and small shops. Look for handwritten labels and local place names on the jars; they are often a good sign that the contents were picked and cooked in nearby kitchens.
Among the most common berries in the broader Interlake region are Saskatoons, sometimes called serviceberries, which make a deep purple jam and a distinctive, almond scented pie. Wild blueberries appear later in the season, especially toward the lake’s northern reaches, and are prized for their intense flavour compared with larger cultivated varieties. Chokecherries and highbush cranberries are used more sparingly because of their tartness, often combined with sweeter fruits in jellies and syrups that pair well with game or roasted meats. Strawberry farms in the wider region also supply fruit for jams and baking sold in lakeside communities.
Many travellers’ first encounter with this side of Lake Winnipeg’s food culture comes through a slice of pie in a diner, a jar of jam in a heritage museum gift shop, or a paper plate of shortcake at a community fundraiser. These small town treats may not carry the headline appeal of pickerel or smoked goldeye, but they capture the quieter side of local food, where home kitchens and church basements play as great a role as restaurants. Buying a jar or two to take home supports local growers and cooks and extends the flavour of your trip long after you leave the lake behind.
The Takeaway
Travel around Lake Winnipeg rewards those who slow down and look past the obvious. The region’s food scene is not built around polished tasting menus or high profile chefs, but around the people who fish the lake, bake for festivals, tend backyard gardens and gather in community halls. The six foods and lakeside specialties described here, from crisp pickerel and smoked goldeye to Icelandic cakes and prairie perogies, are threads in a larger story of migration, adaptation and everyday resourcefulness on the shore of a vast inland sea.
For visitors, embracing that story means choosing local whenever possible. Ask where the fish on the menu comes from, try the unfamiliar item on the specials board, and follow your curiosity into small town bakeries and museum gift shops. Time your visit to coincide with a festival or community supper, and do not be shy about chatting with the volunteers who are often proud to explain the origins of their recipes. In the end, the tastes you discover will be inseparable from the landscapes, docks and main streets where you find them, and you will leave with a clearer sense of how people around Lake Winnipeg eat, work and celebrate in rhythm with the water.
FAQ
Q1. What is the best time of year to try local foods around Lake Winnipeg?
The most abundant choices are available from late spring through early fall, when seasonal restaurants, patios, festivals and community suppers are in full swing.
Q2. Where around Lake Winnipeg can I find fresh pickerel on the menu?
Fresh pickerel is common in towns on the west shore such as Gimli, Winnipeg Beach, Selkirk and up toward Hecla, especially at restaurants close to harbours and marinas.
Q3. Is pickerel the same fish as walleye?
Yes. In Manitoba the fish known locally as pickerel is a walleye, a mild, white fleshed freshwater species that is highly valued by commercial and sport fishers.
Q4. How should first time visitors try smoked goldeye?
Smoked goldeye is usually eaten cold, flaked onto crackers with cream cheese or served on rye bread with onion and pickles. Start with a small portion to appreciate its rich flavour.
Q5. Can I buy local smoked fish and jams to take home from Lake Winnipeg?
Yes. Many small groceries, specialty shops and museum gift stores sell vacuum packed smoked fish and locally made jams that travel well if kept cool.
Q6. Are Icelandic foods like vinarterta available year round?
Availability varies. You are most likely to find vinarterta and other Icelandic baking during summer festivals and special events, though some bakeries and cafés offer them more regularly.
Q7. Do restaurants around Lake Winnipeg cater to dietary restrictions?
Larger and more contemporary venues increasingly accommodate dietary needs, but options can be limited in small towns, so it is wise to call ahead and discuss requirements.
Q8. Is it safe for visitors to eat fish from Lake Winnipeg?
Fish served in reputable restaurants and shops follows provincial guidelines. If you plan to catch and cook your own, check the latest advisories from Manitoba authorities.
Q9. How can I experience Ukrainian and other Eastern European foods near the lake?
Watch for church supper posters, community hall events and menus in small diners that feature perogies, cabbage rolls, borscht and sausage alongside more familiar fare.
Q10. What local food souvenirs best represent the Lake Winnipeg region?
Smoked fish, jars of wild berry jam, Icelandic style baking such as vinarterta and locally made sausages are all representative and practical souvenirs to bring home.