Pike Perch with Potato Crust and Westphalian Beer Sauce

Ingredients

• 4 pike perch fillets (150-160 g each)
• 100 ml White wine
• 100 g cooked potatoes
• 1 egg yolk
• 25 g butter (melted)
• Salt
• freshly ground pepper
• freshly grated nutmeg
• 4 Carrots
• 10 g butter
• sugar
• 100 ml beer (pale)
• 50 ml dry vermouth
• 1 Shallot
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp peppercorns (crushed)
• 1 garlic clove (peeled)
• 100 ml fish stock
• 200 ml heavy cream
• 10 g butter

Instructions

1. 1.

   Preheat the oven to 200°C.

2. 2.

   Mash the potatoes through a sieve or press, then mix with egg yolk and melted butter. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

3. 3.

   Season the pike perch fillets, place them in a greased baking dish, spread the potato mixture evenly over each fillet, and drizzle with wine. Bake in the hot oven for 20 minutes until golden yellow.

4. 4.

   Peel and slice the carrots thinly. Steam gently in a little water with butter until tender, seasoning with salt and sugar.

5. 5.

   For the sauce, combine beer and vermouth in a pot. Finely chop the shallot, then add it along with thyme sprig, bay leaf, peppercorns, and garlic clove to the pot. Reduce over low heat for about 1/3 of the time. Add fish stock and cream, cooking gently until the sauce becomes silky. Strain through a sieve, season with salt, fold in butter flakes. Plate the pike perch with carrots and sauce immediately and serve hot.