Braised Bream in Sour Cream, Pan-Cooked

The fastest way to cook bream — thirty minutes from start to plate. The speed doesn't come from rushing, but from two small things in the order of the work.

First: salt and pepper go into the flour, not onto the fish. Mixed into the coating, they land evenly in a single motion — faster than rubbing each piece, and more even than doing it by hand.

Second: the sauce of sour cream and water is mixed before the heat goes on. Sour cream poured onto a hot pan and then thinned with water manages to curdle in the seconds it takes to find a glass.

Want crunch instead of sauce? Go with bream fried in pieces, coated in flour. The same sour-cream sauce also suits a bigger fish: wels catfish braised in sour cream with vegetables.

Caloric content: 130kcal

Notes

• The seasoning is mixed into the flour. One motion instead of rubbing each piece, and the coating comes out even.
• Make the sauce ahead of time. Sour cream thinned in the pan curdles — the water needs to be in it before it touches the heat.
• Ten minutes covered is enough. The bream pieces are thin, and there's no point braising them longer: the flesh starts to fall off the bones and comes apart.
• Set the head and tail aside for fish soup. Bream makes an especially rich broth — that's a second dish from the same fish.
• The crust needs to set on all sides. Only then is the sauce poured in: liquid isn't added to raw fish.

Questions and Answers

How long to braise bream?

Ten minutes covered, after the pieces have crusted on all sides.

Why is the seasoning mixed into the flour?

That way it lands evenly in a single motion. Rubbing each piece takes longer and leaves patches.

Why does the sour cream curdle?

It was poured into the hot pan undiluted. Add the water to the sour cream ahead of time, off the heat.

What should I do with the bream's head?

Make fish soup. The head of a large bream gives a rich broth that's a shame to throw away.

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