Pike-Perch in the Oven with Carrot, Onion and a Cheese Crust
Pike-perch is a lean fish: it has almost no fat, and in the oven it dries out before it browns. This recipe solves that with two layers at once. Underneath — braised carrot and onion that keep releasing moisture upwards. On top — sour cream with grated cheese that works as a lid. The fish between them cooks in steam instead of drying.
The second thing that matters is two temperature stages, not one. First 20 minutes in closed foil at 200 °C, and only then the foil is opened for another 15 minutes at 180 °C. Bake it uncovered from the start and the crust appears long before the thick part near the backbone is heated through.
What to do with a freshly caught fish
There is no reason to freeze pike-perch straight from the water — it holds its shape well anyway. If the fish has been in the freezer, thaw it in the fridge and not in warm water: a sharp change tears the fibres, and the fillet falls apart right in the dish.
Scale it against the grain, and remove the guts and the gills without exception — the gills are what turns a whole baked fish bitter. The head can stay: it keeps the body straight.
How many vegetables
For 500 g of fish you need one onion and one or two carrots — a layer about a finger thick. Less than that and the bed dries out together with the fish; more and the pike-perch starts to stew in vegetable juice and loses its crust. The tomato paste is there for acidity rather than colour, and half a teaspoon of sugar takes the sharp edge off it.
The same method works for pike in the oven and perch — the same lean white flesh and the same demand for moisture.
The same pikeperch behaves differently when it is poached rather than baked — that is what Polish-Style Pikeperch with Egg Sauce does. For a cold appetiser from lean river fish, see Pike in Onion and Carrot Marinade.
Prepare the fish
Scale and gut the pike-perch, remove the gills and rinse it. Rub it with salt, pepper and chopped rosemary — outside and inside the belly.
Fry the carrot and onion
Cut the carrot and onion into small pieces and fry them in oil until soft — not until browned, just soft.
Take the edge off the acidity
Add half a cup of water, a teaspoon of tomato paste, salt, pepper and half a teaspoon of sugar to the vegetables. Simmer for 5–7 minutes.
Assemble in the dish
Line the dish with foil, leaving enough at the edges. Spread the vegetables in an even layer and lay the fish on top.
Cover with sour cream and cheese
Brush the pike-perch with sour cream and sprinkle grated hard cheese over it. This is the lid that keeps the moisture in.
20 minutes in foil at 200 °C
Wrap the foil tightly and put the dish into an oven preheated to 200 °C for 20 minutes.
Another 15 minutes open at 180 °C
Open the foil, lower the temperature to 180 °C and bake for another 15 minutes — this is when the cheese crust appears.
Serve
Let the fish rest in the dish for five minutes so the juices settle, then transfer it to a plate together with the vegetable bed.
Notes
How to tell it is done. The juice near the backbone should run clear and the flesh should separate into flakes. No thermometer needed: overcooked pike-perch crumbles under the fork instead of layering.
What to use instead. Pike, large perch and Volga pikeperch behave the same way. Carp and silver carp are fattier — they need less of a cheese crust and about a quarter more time.
Cheese. Any hard cheese that melts will do; brine cheeses add saltiness you then have to subtract from the salt for the fish.
Spawning season. Pike-perch is not caught all year round: a spawning ban applies in spring, and the dates are set by the regional department of the State Fisheries Agency in its annual order — they differ from region to region.
Recipe and photos — kolizhanka.net.ua
