Wels Catfish Braised in Sour Cream with Vegetables

Name: Wels Catfish Braised in Sour Cream with Vegetables
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 3 servings
Ingredients: Wels catfish fillet – 500 g. Tomatoes – 250 g. Sweet pepper – 200 g. Onion – 200 g. Sour cream 15% – 150 ml. Garlic – 3 cloves. Neutral oil – 30 ml. Table salt – to taste. Freshly ground black pepper – to taste. Flour – 30 g. Ground paprika – 1 tbsp. Caraway seeds – 0.5 tsp. Sugar – 1-2 pinches. Water – 150 ml.

Published: 05.09.2026

Updated: 05.09.2026

🤤 Здорові рецепти щодня

Cooking time 65 minutes Portions 3 servings

This is already almost a paprikash: onion with paprika, tomatoes, sweet pepper, caraway — and catfish, which in this company behaves more like meat than fish. The firm, boneless fillet holds up to half an hour of braising without falling apart.

You can't just pour the sour cream in as is. The sauce is acidic from the tomatoes, and plain sour cream separates into water and flakes within a minute in it. A spoon of flour stirred into the sour cream before it goes in prevents that: the starch binds the liquid, and the sauce stays smooth.

The pinch of sugar at the end isn't for sweetness. Ripe tomatoes can be very acidic, and the sugar here does the same job it does in tomato sauce: it doesn't add flavor, it removes sharpness.

The same sour-cream sauce works on a boneless-friendly fish too — braised bream in sour cream, pan-cooked. Want the catfish dry and firm instead? Try wels catfish steak pan-fried in soy marinade, no sour cream at all.

Caloric content: 170kcal

Ingredients

Wels catfish fillet – 500 g.
Tomatoes – 250 g.
Sweet pepper – 200 g.
Onion – 200 g.
Sour cream 15% – 150 ml.
Garlic – 3 cloves.
Neutral oil – 30 ml.
Table salt – to taste.
Freshly ground black pepper – to taste.
Flour – 30 g.
Ground paprika – 1 tbsp.
Caraway seeds – 0.5 tsp.
Sugar – 1-2 pinches.
Water – 150 ml.

Prepare the fish

Gut a whole carcass and cut it into portion-sized pieces; ready-made fillet just needs to be thawed in the fridge.

Prepare the vegetables

Wash and peel all the vegetables, and measure out the flour and spices.

Fry the onion

Dice the onion and fry it in oil for five to six minutes.

Add the paprika

Sprinkle ground paprika over the onion, stir, and hold for another minute over low heat.

Add the tomatoes

Dice the ripe tomatoes, add them to the pan, and fry for a couple of minutes.

Add the pepper

Remove the seeds from the sweet pepper, cut into pieces, and add to the sauté.

Season and simmer the vegetables

Chop the garlic and add it along with salt, caraway, and pepper. Pour in 100 ml of hot water, bring to a boil, and hold for another five to seven minutes.

Season the fish

Rub the catfish pieces with salt and ground pepper.

Braise the fish

Add the catfish to the pan with the vegetables, cover with a lid, and braise for 20–30 minutes, carefully turning the pieces.

Prepare the sauce

Mix the sour cream with flour and 50 ml of water, then salt and season.

Pour in the sauce

Pour the sour cream mixture into the pan, taste, and add a pinch of sugar if needed.

Finish

Simmer over low heat for another four to five minutes.

Serve

Serve the catfish as a stand-alone dish or with a side of your choice.

Notes

Stir the flour into the sour cream ahead of time. Sprinkled into the pan separately, it will clump, and those clumps won't dissolve afterward.
Add the paprika to hot oil for a minute. Ground paprika releases its color and aroma only in fat. Dropped into water, it stays just a red powder.
Don't stir the fish with a spatula. Turn the pieces one at a time. Stirred fish falls apart into fibers, and instead of pieces you get mince in sauce.
Add sugar to taste, not by the list. Tomatoes vary. Taste the sauce and add a pinch if the sharpness comes through.
The sour cream goes in during the last five minutes. It's not worth boiling it longer even with flour: the flavor turns cooked-down.

Questions and Answers

How long should catfish be braised?

Twenty to thirty minutes covered over low heat, then another four to five minutes once the sour cream sauce is in.

Why is there flour in the sour cream?

So it doesn't curdle in the acidic tomato sauce. The starch binds the liquid and keeps the sauce smooth.

Can steaks be used instead of fillet?

Yes, steaks hold their shape even better. Increase the braising time by five to seven minutes.

Why did the sauce turn out sour?

Because of the tomatoes. Balance it with a pinch of sugar added at the end, not with more sour cream.

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