The somewhat bland, slightly sweet fillet of pike perch pairs well with vegetable sides and a range of 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).
Clean the pike perch of its small scales and gut it. The skin becomes tender and flavorful when cooked, so you don’t have to remove it. If you prefer a skinless fillet, cut the skin off with a knife.
In a separate bowl, mix minced lemon zest with the juice of half a lemon, salt, and sour cream.
For the oat crust, combine rolled oats with grated Parmesan, chopped herbs (green onions or parsley), and black pepper.
Place the fish fillet in a greased baking dish, drizzle it with the sour cream sauce, and sprinkle the oat-cheese crumb mixture over the top.
Bake the fish in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) until the crust is golden brown.
When serving, drizzle the fish with the juice from the remaining half of the lemon.
Tip
Scale the whole pike perch, make cuts around the head and along the sides, and carefully peel off the skin with a knife to obtain fillets. For frozen fish, remove the skin when it just begins to soften, without waiting for it to fully thaw. Soak the prepared fillet in milk beforehand to neutralize any fishy taste. Salt the fillet as you mix the sour cream sauce to firm the meat and help prevent it from falling apart during baking or frying.
