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Pike in sour cream in the oven

Baked Pike in Sour Cream

A quick way to make pike baked in sour cream with onions! This one's for anyone who loves fish and fast recipes. It's perfect for a weeknight, when you get home after a long day and have no time left for elaborate cooking.

Pirko Rita

Recipe author

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Pike

900

Sour cream (10%)

350

Onion

250

Salt

Ground black pepper

Vegetable oil (to taste)

Greenery

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 60 % 12 g

Fats 30 % 6 g

Carbohydrates 10 % 2 g

115 kcal

GI: 100 / 0 / 0

Cooking method

Cooking time: 50 min

Step 1:

Gather all the ingredients for the fish in sour cream. Start by scaling the pike and cleaning out the insides through a slit in the belly. Snip off the fins with kitchen scissors.
Step 2:

Rinse the cleaned fish under cold running water, then pat it dry with paper towels. Cut it into serving pieces and rub each one all over with salt and ground black pepper. Let the fish sit for 20 minutes to take on the seasoning.
Step 3:

Peel the onion and cut it into half-moons. Sauté in a skillet until lightly golden.
Step 4:

In a separate skillet, sear the fish pieces on both sides. Once they're browned, add the sautéed onion to the pan.
Step 5:

Spoon the sour cream over the fish so the pieces are fully coated. Bring the sour cream to a simmer, then take the pan off the heat, transfer the fish to a baking dish, and bake at 350°F (180°C) for 10–15 minutes. Alternatively, turn the heat to low, cover the skillet, and let the fish braise for 15 minutes.
Step 6:

Scatter fresh chopped herbs over the finished fish in sour cream and onions.

Pike is a distinctive fish, so a few pointers help: fresh pike is hard to scale, so pour boiling water over the fish first to loosen the scales; pike, especially from a large fish, is very lean and can turn out dry, so it's best served with sauces, gravies, and vegetables; don't toss the head, tail, fins, or skin left after cleaning — they can be simmered into a base for sauce or a fish stock for soup made from a nicer fish.
Spices that pair well with pike include garlic with basil; garlic, honey, and mustard; basil and rosemary; fennel; bay and black pepper; and bay leaf with green onion.
All in all, the sour-cream-and-onion sauce came out delicious, though pike really is a fish of its own — it has a distinctive taste and plenty of bones. Next time I'll use this same recipe with a milder white fish instead.