Hecht on Badischer Art

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg pike ready to cook (1 pike)
• 1 lemon (juice)
• 1 onion
• 1 tbsp capers
• 1 sardine fillet
• 175 g Sour cream
• 75 g grated cheese (e.g., Gouda, Emmental)
• Salt
• Pepper (freshly ground)
• oil (for the tray)
• 2 shallots
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp flour
• 150 ml fish stock
• 150 ml Heavy Cream
• Lemon juice
• 1 bunch parsley
• Nutmeg (freshly grated)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Wash pike, pat dry, drizzle with lemon juice and let sit for about 15 minutes.

2. 2.

   Then season inside and out with salt and pepper. Place on an oiled baking tray with a rim and pour a little wine over it.

3. 3.

   Peel onion, finely chop. Add capers and sardine fillet and finely mince everything together. Stir into the sour cream. Brush fish with about three‑quarters of the cream and bake in preheated oven at 175 °C fan for about 50–60 minutes. About 20 minutes before finishing, brush remaining cream over fish and sprinkle with cheese. Add more wine if desired.

4. 4.

   For the sauce, peel shallots, finely chop and sauté in hot butter. Dust with flour and deglaze with white wine. Reduce. Add fish stock and cream, simmer gently while stirring until slightly thickened. Finally add chopped parsley and season with salt, nutmeg, pepper and lemon juice.

5. 5.

   Arrange fish on a plate.

6. 6.

   Serve the parsley sauce separately.