Boneless Crucian Carp Baked in Sour Cream

Two heat sources do different jobs here. The pan gives the crust and fries the small bones through — it's the pan that's responsible for the "boneless" in the title. The oven only finishes the fish under sour cream and makes it tender; it no longer touches the bones.

The slashes need to be deep. The source recipe advises shallow ones, which directly contradicts the point: a shallow slash through the skin doesn't reach the bones the whole thing is done for. The knife has to go down to the backbone.

The sour cream is spread on the fish after frying, in the baking dish. Poured on before the pan, it will simply burn in the oil, leaving the crucian carp with neither crust nor sauce.

This one uses both the pan and the oven. Short on time? Boneless crucian carp fried in a pan stays there start to finish, while crucian carp with sour cream, baked in foil skips the pan and goes straight into the oven.

Caloric content: 135kcal

Notes

• Make the slashes down to the backbone. The source says "shallow" — the recipe doesn't work with those. The depth of the slash is the entire technique here.
• The bones don't disappear. They get fried through and stop being noticeable. The source's claim that frying "removes the little bones" is an overstatement.
• Fifteen minutes in the oven is enough. The fish is already done after the pan; in the oven it just soaks up the sour cream.
• Add the lemon juice before coating in flour. After the flour, it will just wash it off the skin.
• Spread the sour cream in the baking dish. In the pan it will burn, and nothing will be left of the sauce.

Questions and Answers

Why does the recipe use two heat sources?

The pan is responsible for the crust and for frying the bones through, the oven for tenderness under the sour cream. Neither alone gives you both results.

How deep should the slashes be?

Down to the backbone. Shallow slashes through the skin don't cut through the small bones, and the point of the recipe is lost.

How long should it stay in the oven?

Fifteen minutes at 180 °C. The fish is already done; this isn't cooking through but soaking.

Will there really be no bones?

The small ones stop being noticeable, the large rib bones remain. That's the honest limit of the technique.

Recipe and step-by-step photos — kolizhanka.net.ua.