Pike-perch baked in a roasting bag with lemon and onion

A roasting bag does the same thing for pike-perch as foil, only more reliably. Foil has to be sealed with the seam facing up and kept from tearing on a fin, while a bag holds its own steam and doesn't leak — for a lean fish that dries out after ten minutes of open heat, that's the whole difference.

The onion here sits beside the fish, not underneath it. Underneath, it would turn into a cushion and take all the juice for itself; beside it, it has time to steam in its own juice and stays a separate part of the dish.

For the last five to seven minutes the pike-perch sits with the oven already off. That's not just for show: in a tightly sealed bag the fish keeps cooking on residual steam, and the juice that collected near the bone during baking has time to spread through the flesh.

A roasting bag, foil or an open tray each cook pike-perch differently: the whole fish wrapped in foil with lemon and thyme stays juicier but takes longer, while baking it uncovered with carrot, onion and a cheese crust trades moisture for a browned top.

Caloric content: 90kcal

Notes

• Remove the pits from the lemon. After half an hour at 200 °C they give off a distinct bitterness, and nothing in the fish's belly will mask it.
• Rub salt into both the outside and the inside. A whole fish won't take the salt otherwise — there's no liquid inside the bag to carry it through.
• Don't tie the bag too tight. Air needs to stay inside — the steam inflates it, and a bag tied too tight tears along the seam.
• Don't poke any holes. The advice to "pierce the bag so it doesn't burst" works against this recipe: the moisture the whole method depends on would escape along with the steam.
• There will be no crust in the bag. If you want browning, cut the film open seven minutes before the end — but then the resting time after the oven is no longer needed.
• Cut the bag open away from yourself. The steam inside is hot, and it all comes out at once.

Questions and answers

How long to bake pike-perch in a roasting bag?

30–35 minutes at 200 °C, then 5–7 minutes resting in the closed bag with the oven turned off.

What makes a roasting bag better than foil?

It doesn't leak and doesn't tear on the fins, and it holds steam tighter. For a lean fish that's what matters most: with foil, the juice more often leaks out onto the tray through the seam.

Can you get a crust using a roasting bag?

Only if you cut the film open seven minutes before the end and leave the fish under the top heat. In that case, skip the resting time after the oven — the fish has already lost its steam.

Can foil replace the roasting bag?

Yes, make the seam on top and fold it twice. The difference is that foil is easy to puncture with a fin or tail, and then the juice leaks onto the tray — a bag doesn't have that problem.

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