Telnoye — Russian Stuffed Fish Patties

A traditional Russian dish with an unusual name! Old-fashioned telnoye is a lot like modern zrazy or stuffed fish patties. The only odd thing about it is the name — it's surprisingly simple to make, so give it a try!

Julia

Recipe author

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Fish fillet

450

Onion

Mushrooms (any mushrooms)

180

Eggs

Wheat flour (heaping)

Salt

Ground black pepper

Vegetable oil

Breadcrumbs

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 35 % 9 g

Fats 46 % 12 g

Carbohydrates 19 % 5 g

192 kcal

GI: 33 / 0 / 67

Cooking method

Step 1:

How do you make telnoye? Gather the ingredients you'll need. You can use any fish. For the fillet, I cleaned 3 medium pollock. Ready-made fish fillet works well and saves time.
Step 2:

First, make the mushroom filling. If you're using fresh wild mushrooms, boil them first in salted water. White button mushrooms are the most versatile choice. Lay the washed and trimmed mushrooms on a kitchen towel to draw out excess moisture, and leave them 15–20 minutes so the towel soaks it up. Drying the mushrooms well matters — otherwise they hold onto the moisture and turn watery.
Step 3:

Peel the onion and cut it into small cubes.
Step 4:

Fry the mushrooms and onion in a skillet over medium heat until tender, stirring now and then. Salt the mushrooms as they cook.
Step 5:

Put the fish fillet through a meat grinder. Skip the blender here — it makes the mixture too sticky, which makes the patties awkward to shape.
Step 6:

Beat the egg into the ground fish, then add the flour, salt, and black pepper. Mix everything well.
Step 7:

Shape a portion of the fish mixture into a flat round on the breadcrumbs.
Step 8:

Place about a tablespoon of the filling on one half.
Step 9:

Fold the other half of the fish round over the filling. Pinch the edges to seal and shape the telnoye into a crescent.
Step 10:

Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet. Fry the patties over medium heat until golden brown.
Step 11:

Flip the patties over and fry the other side the same way.
Step 12:

I finished the patties in an oven preheated to 350°F (180°C) for 10–15 minutes. You can skip this step and just fry them a little longer in the pan.
Step 13:

Serve the telnoye hot with any side dish, or with fresh vegetables and herbs. Enjoy!

In old Russia, any dish made from boned fish — that is, from the "body," or telo — was called telnoye.
How do you fillet a whole fish? Remove the tail, head, and fins. Cut along the backbone down to the spine. Turn the fish on its side and slice the flesh off the backbone with a sharp knife, then turn it over and cut the fillet from the other side. Clean out the inside, removing the black membrane — it's bitter and will spoil the flavor. Rinse and be sure to dry it well.
Any oil is only good up to a certain temperature — its smoke point, above which it starts to burn and forms toxic compounds, including carcinogens. For how to judge frying temperature and pick the best oil for frying (and which to avoid altogether), read here.
Important! The wrong pan can ruin even the best recipe. For all the details on choosing the perfect pan for different dishes, read here.