Grass Carp Steak Baked in the Oven with Onion

Grass carp cuts crosswise into thick discs better than any other fish we cover: the carcass is round, there's a single backbone, and the steak holds its shape on the tray without foil. The problem lies elsewhere — its fat lies in stripes, and where there's none, the steak turns dry within half an hour in the oven.

The mayonnaise in the marinade covers exactly that. It's not for flavor — there are only twenty grams of it in the whole dish, and you can't taste it in the finished fish. It works as a fat film that spreads evenly over the cut and keeps it from drying out where the fish's own fat is lacking.

There's almost as much onion in this recipe as fish, and that's not a mistake in proportion. The marinated onion goes under the steaks as a cushion: it lifts them above the tray and steams them from below while the top takes on a golden crust.

One fish, three cuts: grass carp baked in pieces is the fastest of the three, while the whole fish with lemon and ginger skips the knife entirely.

Caloric content: 165kcal

Notes

• Two hours of marinating is the minimum. In half an hour the onion doesn't have time to release its juice, and the cushion under the steaks doesn't form. A night in the fridge gives a better result than any quick version.
• The temperature is deliberately low. A hundred and seventy degrees instead of the usual two hundred. At this temperature the steak cooks through evenly instead of drying out at the edges while the center is still raw.
• Cut the steaks two and a half to three centimeters thick. Thinner ones dry out in twenty minutes, thicker ones don't finish cooking near the backbone in forty.
• Take the onion out of the marinade and put it under the fish. Left on top, it will burn before the steaks are done.
• Mayonnaise can be replaced with sour cream. Fat content from 20% — then the coating works the same way. Low-fat sour cream curdles in the oven and runs off.

Questions and Answers

How long should grass carp steak be marinated?

Two hours in the fridge at minimum, and preferably overnight. There's no quick version here: the onion needs to release its juice.

Why is there mayonnaise in the marinade?

As a source of fat. In grass carp it's distributed in stripes, and the steak dries out in the lean areas — a thin fat film covers that.

At what temperature should it be baked?

170 °C, 30–40 minutes depending on the thickness of the steak. Going higher isn't worth it — the fish will dry out at the edges.

Can mayonnaise be substituted?

Yes, with sour cream from 20% fat or thick natural yogurt. What matters is the fat content, otherwise the coating will curdle.

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