Poached perch fillets

Serve this recipe with tomatoes Fribourg style on the side.

Poached perch fillets recipe

Perch -in French speaking cantons- or egli -in the German ones- is a delicate freshwater fish found in most lakes in Switzerland. Perch is usually cooked simply and served with a variety of herb sauces.

Ingredients

Servings: 4

Procedure

Prepare the poaching liquid

1. Mix water, leek greens, pickling spice, and salt in a medium-sized pan. Bring to a boil, turn heat to low and simmer gently for 30 minutes.

Cook the fish

1. Mix water, leek greens, pickling spice, and salt in a medium-sized pan. Bring to a boil, turn heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Place fish fillets in a large frying pan, top with cooked leek greens, and pour over 1 cup of poaching liquid.. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes.
3. Scrape leek, drain fish, reserving the liquid, and remove fillets to a large serving platter. Keep in a warm oven until ready to serve.

Prepare the sauce

1. Pour the liquid used to cook the fish through a sieve and reserve 1 cup of clear stock.
2. Heat butter in a medium-sized pan until it melts and bubbles. Add the sliced white leek and saute, stirring frequently, until leeks are soft, about 5 minutes.
3. Add flour and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously, until flour turns light brown. Pour in 1 cup of reserved fish stock, stirring vigorously to blend to a smooth consistency. Mix dill weed, and pepper.
4. Simmer for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and blend in sour cream.

Garnish and serve

1. Pour sauce over fish fillets.
2. Garnish with chopped dill leaves, if wished, and -waste not, want not- sprinkle with chopped tomato pieces reserved from the tomato Fribourg style recipe.
3. Serve.

Cooking Tips

• Fish can be fresh or frozen and thawed according to package instructions. If you don't have it, substitute perch with other white fish: use fillets of hake, cod or the kind of white fish available in your area.
• We are olive oil fanatics, however, this would not be the cooking fat of choice in Switzerland. Substitute 2 Tbs butter with 2 Tbs olive oil to reduce saturated fat.

Recipe type

fish and seafood, spring, autumn, main course