The somewhat bland and slightly sweet fillet of pike perch pairs well with vegetable sides and various seasonings. This fish can be baked with vegetables, used to make fish aspic, fried in batter, or ground into mince for patties or pie fillings. Due to their similar characteristics, pike perch can be substituted with sea bass in recipes.
Ingredients: pike perch or sea bass fillet – 1 piece; grated Parmesan cheese – 100 g; sour cream – 100 g; rolled oats – ½ cup; lemon (juice and zest) – 1 piece; green onions – to taste; parsley – to taste; black pepper – to taste; salt – to taste; vegetable oil – 1 tablespoon (for greasing the baking dish).
To prepare the dish, clean the pike perch from its small scales and gut it. The skin of this fish becomes tender and flavorful when cooked, so it’s not necessary to remove it. To obtain a clean fillet, the skin should be cut off with a knife.
In a separate bowl, mix chopped and minced lemon zest with the juice of half a lemon, salt, and sour cream.
For the oat crust, combine rolled oats with grated cheese, chopped , and black pepper.
Place the fish fillet in a greased baking dish, drizzle with the sour cream sauce, and sprinkle with the oat-cheese crumb mixture.
Put the fish in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) and bake until golden brown.
When serving the dish, drizzle it with the juice from the remaining half of the .
Tip
To obtain fillets from a whole pike perch, the fish should be scaled, incised around the head and sides, and the skin carefully peeled off with a knife. For frozen fish, it’s easier to remove the skin when it just begins to soften, without waiting for it to fully thaw. To neutralize the fishy taste, experienced cooks recommend soaking the prepared fillet in milk beforehand. Additionally, soaking the pike perch in salt as part of the sour cream sauce will make the fish meat firm and prevent it from falling apart during baking or frying.