Pike-perch on pastis kohlrabi with caviar sour cream and crispy buckwheat
Recipe by Tanja and Oliver Trific
- 75 g buckwheat
- 1. Butter
- Salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons of algae caviar (e.g. from AKI)
- 100 g sour cream
- Salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- Lemon juice to taste
- 400 g Kohlrabi
- 1 bunch of spring onions
- 3 sprigs of dill
- 5 tablespoons rapeseed oil
- 50 g Butter
- 4 EL Pastis
- 2 pike-perch fillets with skin (scaled, approx. 200 g each)
- Flour for dusting
- 1 small piece of organic lime
- 2 sprigs of flat-leaf parsley
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- Heat a heavy pan without fat and roast the buckwheat in it over medium heat, stirring constantly, until crispy (4-7 minutes depending on the heat).
- Add butter and mix well, season with salt, pepper and a tiny amount of nutmeg.
- Allow to cool on a plate and then store in a tightly sealed glass jar. It will keep for about 7 days if stored in a cool, dark place.
- Mix the caviar and sour cream in a bowl and season with salt, pepper and a little lemon juice. Chill.
- Peel the kohlrabi and cut it into sticks about 5 mm thick. Trim the spring onions, halve them crosswise, and cut them into strips. Pluck the dill leaves and chop them finely.
- Preheat the oven to 70°C (160°F). Heat 2 tablespoons of rapeseed oil in a pan and fry the kohlrabi sticks over high heat for 4–5 minutes, stirring constantly, until golden brown. Add the spring onions and fry for another minute. Add 15g of butter and the Pastis to the pan and heat through. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the dill. Keep warm in the oven.
- Make two shallow cuts in the skin side of the pike-perch fillets, then coat them heavily in flour and shake off the excess.
- Add 3 tablespoons of rapeseed oil to a heavy, non-stick frying pan and heat gently. Place the pike-perch fillets skin-side down in the warm oil and fry over medium-high heat until golden brown (about 7 minutes). Once the skin is well browned, add 35g of butter, lime juice, and herbs to the pan, let it foam up, and baste the fillets with the hot butter repeatedly.
- Place the kohlrabi on two plates, lay the pike-perch skin-side up on the vegetables and serve sprinkled with caviar sour cream and some crispy buckwheat.
"This dish is ideal for cooking for two in the evening: creative and ready in a flash," says Hamburg-based chef and food stylist Oliver Trific. His recipe boasts two clever features: crispy buckwheat, which can easily be made in advance; and plant-based seaweed caviar, which isn't as overly fishy as the real varieties made from sturgeon, salmon, and other fish.
Pike-perch is one of the professional's freshwater favorites; its sweet, firm flesh harmonizes well with the earthy flavors of the dish. Alternatively, char or whitefish from Lake Constance would also work. And with all of them, one thing is certain: pay attention to good origin!
1. Precise Cut: Check the skin of the pike-perch for any remaining scales and remove them with a knife if necessary. Then, make two shallow cuts in the skin of each fillet. This keeps the fish flat in the pan and ensures the skin crisps evenly. It goes without saying that the knife must be very sharp.
2. Vive la France: The well-roasted vegetables are deglazed with a splash of Pastis to enhance the anise flavor of the dill. The sugar in the Pastis also adds a pleasant, light sweetness. For those who prefer to cook without alcohol, add about 1 teaspoon of sugar to the pan and caramelize it lightly.
3. Let's get down to brass tacks: It's important that the pike-perch is only fried skin-side down. Spoon the hot butter over the fillet repeatedly in the pan to gently cook the flesh to perfection. The aromatics in the butter add extra flavor. When buying pike-perch, make sure it's not frozen and only thawed.
Wine recommendation from Johannes Schell-Horn and Willi Schlögl from Bar Freundschaft, Berlin
A wonderfully light yet powerful organic rosé. The structure, the gentle berry fruit of the Pinot Noir and Sankt Laurent blend, and the mix of pleasant Palatinate elegance and a skillful touch of acidity create a wonderfully light-footed accompaniment to pike-perch, which also serves as a good counterpoint to pastis-infused kohlrabi. weinladen.com, €13.95.
Oliver's kitchen tip
Seaweed caviar is a real discovery: it livens up sauces and also tastes delicious with dill in whipped butter on fresh bread. Buckwheat crunch is another all-rounder: prepared in advance, it gives salads or even a slice of bread with cream cheese that extra something special.
Tanja's Styling Tip
Colorful tableware instantly makes a set table look much more vibrant and can even evoke certain associations. For example, lime green and red plates represent an Asian look, while speckled ceramics fit the "New Nordic" trend. But there are also foods that don't look so good against colored surfaces, such as meat against yellow.
