Home recipe kuchnia polska

Ryba po grecku

Name: Ryba po grecku
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 80 min
Cuisine: kuchnia polska
Ingredients: 600 g fillets of white fish (cod, pollock, haddock, or whiting, fresh or frozen, with skin or without); 50 g all-purpose flour (for coating); 0.5 pc lemon (juice to drizzle on the fish; not necessary); salt and pepper (to taste); 4 tbsp rapeseed or sunflower oil (for frying, add after each batch); 350 g carrots (3 medium); 150 g parsley root (1–2 pieces); 100 g celeriac; 1 pc large onion (or medium onion and the white part of a small leek); 3 tbsp rapeseed or sunflower oil (for stewing the vegetables); 125 ml water (or vegetable broth); 70 g tomato paste 30% (or half and half with puree for a milder taste); 3 pcs allspice (whole berries); 2 pcs bay leaves; ½ tsp sweet paprika powder; 1 pinch sugar (to taste, not necessary); salt and pepper (to taste); fresh parsley (chopped)

Fried pieces of white fish coated in flour, topped with a thick layer of stewed carrots, parsley root, celery, and onion with tomato paste, served cold or warm. Learn how to fry the fish so it doesn't fall apart or dry out, how to stew the vegetables, how many days the dish lasts in the fridge, and what type of fish, parsley, and tomato paste to look for abroad.

Servings: 4 servings
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Difficulty: Easy

Ryba po grecku na białym talerzu: warzywa w sosie pomidorowym przybrane krążkami pora

The story behind the recipe

Ryba po grecku is fried pieces of fish or fillets with stewed vegetables: grated carrots, parsley root, celery, and onion, with tomato paste, allspice, and bay leaves. This is how it is described by Polish Wikipedia, citing Barbara Bytnerowicz's book "Przekąski zimne i gorące" from 1977. This dish is not known in Greece. According to the linguistic service of the National Center for Culture, the name comes from an old "Greek sauce" that was popular enough to make it into dictionaries: "The Greek sauce consists of vegetables cut into long strips, such as carrots, celery, parsley, and onion, or just carrots and onion, stewed in oil with a small amount of water." The sauce itself does not refer to any specific Greek dish, but rather to our imagination of Greek cuisine. Other authors connect ryba po grecku with the Greek psari plaki or the method of stewing vegetables, so it is unclear where the name originated.

Similar dishes were known in old cookbooks under different names. According to Wikipedia, fish stewed with chopped vegetables and onion was called fish po żydowsku (Jewish fish): this is found in Wincenty Zawadzki's "Kucharce litewskiej" (1904 edition) and Maria Ochorowicz-Monatowa's "Uniwersalnej książce kucharskiej" from 1926. Wikipedia also mentions the Greek fish "burdeto" with vegetables and sweet pepper, eaten on special occasions before Passover. According to the blog Polonist, ryba po grecku became popular in the 1950s when it started appearing in post-war cookbooks, reaching its peak during the PRL (People's Republic of Poland).

Today, it is one of the Christmas Eve dishes. Kwestia Smaku calls it a traditional Polish Christmas dish made for the entire festive and December season, while authors of English-language blogs Polish Your Kitchen and Polonist write that it is served cold on Christmas Eve. It can also be eaten warm as a regular dinner. Ryba po grecku is not on the List of Traditional Products or among names protected in the European Union.

Ingredients

Fish

600 g fillets of white fish (cod, pollock, haddock, or whiting, fresh or frozen, with skin or without)
Abroad: cod, pollock, Alaska pollock, hake; Germany: Kabeljau, Alaska-Seelachs, Seehecht, or Seelachs (coley)
50 g all-purpose flour (for coating)
Abroad: USA and Canada: all-purpose flour; UK: plain flour; Germany: Type 405
0.5 pc lemon (juice to drizzle on the fish; not necessary)
salt and pepper (to taste)
4 tbsp (60 ml) rapeseed or sunflower oil (for frying, add after each batch)

Vegetables

350 g carrots (3 medium)
150 g parsley root (1–2 pieces)
Abroad: Hamburg root parsley or parsley root (Polish stores); Germany: Petersilienwurzel; as a last resort, parsnip
100 g celeriac
Abroad: celeriac; USA: celery root; Germany: Knollensellerie
1 pc large onion (or medium onion and the white part of a small leek)
3 tbsp (45 ml) rapeseed or sunflower oil (for stewing the vegetables)
125 ml water (or vegetable broth)
70 g tomato paste 30% (or half and half with puree for a milder taste)
Abroad: USA: tomato paste (not tomato purée); Germany: Tomatenmark doppelt konzentriert
3 pcs allspice (whole berries)
Abroad: allspice; Germany: Piment
2 pcs bay leaves
½ tsp (2.5 ml) sweet paprika powder
1 pinch sugar (to taste, not necessary)
salt and pepper (to taste)

To serve

fresh parsley (chopped)

Method, step by step

Thaw frozen fillets slowly or under cold running water until they become elastic, and gently squeeze out the water. Rinse fresh ones only. Dry the fish very thoroughly with paper towels, cut into portion-sized pieces, season with salt and pepper, and if you like, drizzle with lemon juice. Set aside on a plate.
Peel the carrots, parsley root, and celeriac. Peel the onion, and if using leek, leave only the white part and rinse it thoroughly.
Grate the carrots, parsley root, and celeriac on a coarse grater. If you prefer longer strips, like in the old Greek sauce, cut them into thin sticks with a knife.
Slice the onion and leek into thin half-rings. In a wide pot or deep skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of oil and sauté the onion with the leek over medium heat for a few minutes until they soften but do not brown.
Add the grated vegetables, allspice, bay leaves, paprika, and a pinch of salt. Pour in water, mix, cover, and stew over low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the vegetables start to stick, add a little more water.
Meanwhile, fry the fish. Coat the pieces in flour, shake off the excess, and place them in the heated oil. Fry in batches over medium heat for 3–4 minutes on each side until the fish is lightly browned. If it starts to burn, reduce the heat. After each batch, wipe the pan of burnt flour and pour in fresh oil.
When the vegetables are soft, add the tomato paste, mix, and stew for a few more minutes uncovered. Season with salt, pepper, and if the sauce is too sour, a pinch of sugar. Remove the bay leaves and allspice.
In a glass or ceramic dish, layer some of the hot vegetables, place the fried fish in one layer on top, and cover with the remaining vegetables so that the fish is completely hidden.
If serving warm, you can do so immediately, sprinkled with parsley. For Christmas Eve, cool it down, cover, and place in the fridge for at least overnight to let the flavors meld. Serve cold with parsley and fresh bread.

Tips

Dry fish. The fish was fried too long or over too high heat. Ania Gotuje fries pieces for 3–4 minutes on each side over medium heat, just until lightly browned, because the fish will soak up the sauce from the vegetables. Kwestia Smaku points out that the vegetables initially look too juicy, but this is exactly why the fish is not dry.

Fish falls apart or splatters. It was wet. Thaw frozen fillets slowly until they become elastic, gently squeeze out the water with your hands, and dry them very thoroughly with paper towels. Cod is delicate, so turn it carefully with a wide spatula.

Burnt flour. After each batch, wipe the pan with a paper towel and pour in fresh oil; otherwise, burnt flour will stick to the next pieces and give a bitter taste.

Too sour or too strong. Ania Gotuje advises using only tomato puree or a half-and-half mix of concentrate and puree for a milder taste. The wroclaw.pl website suggests adding a teaspoon of sugar to the vegetables; you can also sprinkle a pinch and taste.

Stewed or boiled vegetables. Most often, vegetables are stewed in oil with a small amount of water, as in the old Greek sauce. Kwestia Smaku does it differently: they boil grated vegetables for 15–20 minutes in 3 cups of boiling salted water (for 6 servings), and the onion and leek are glazed separately and added to the vegetables along with the broth. Vegetables can also be cut into thin strips instead of grated.

Allspice and bay leaves. Remove them before serving so no one encounters them.

What to serve with. On Christmas Eve, serve cold with fresh bread and butter, as advised by Polonist. For a warm dinner, serve with potatoes or rice; Ania Gotuje writes that it is most often served without additions. Before serving, sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Storage. The dish is best the next day when the flavors meld and the juices from the vegetables thicken. Kwestia Smaku makes it 2–3 days before the holidays and keeps it in the fridge in a glass or ceramic dish or in a closed container. Ania Gotuje keeps it in the fridge for up to 4 days, covered and not in a plastic bowl. Uncovered, it dries out and imparts its smell to other products in the fridge.

Freezing and reheating. Ania Gotuje writes that the layer of stewed vegetables can be frozen. Polonist advises freezing only leftovers in a closed container and eating them within 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then serve cold or reheat for about 10 minutes in the oven at 160°C (325°F) or 3–4 minutes in the microwave.

Variations. Ania Gotuje sometimes fries the fish in batter or pancake batter instead of just flour. Polonist makes a richer version with canned tomatoes, dry white wine, pepper, cinnamon, and ginger. Kwestia Smaku also has a version with ginger and curry.

Nutritional value. Ania Gotuje states that per 100 g of the dish, there are about 100 kcal, 9 g of protein, 4 g of fat, and 7 g of carbohydrates.

Abroad. Fish: in Polish recipes, it is cod, pollock, haddock, or whiting. In English, look for "cod," "pollock," or "hake"; Polonist also allows "blue grenadier," and some use pangasius. In Germany, cod is Kabeljau, haddock is Seehecht, and pollock is "Alaska-Seelachs," meaning Alaska pollock. Note: "Seelachs" alone in Germany is the trade name for coley (Köhler), also a good white fish. Parsley root: in English, "Hamburg root parsley" or "parsley root" (not very popular in the UK and USA, so look for it in Polish stores). In Germany, it is easy: Petersilienwurzel or Wurzelpetersilie. As a last resort, substitute with parsnip, but the taste will be different. Celeriac is "celeriac" or "celery root" in the USA; in Germany, it is Knollensellerie. Concentrate: Polish usually has 30%. In the USA, buy "tomato paste," not "tomato purée," as purée is thinner. In Germany, regular Tomatenmark (einfach konzentriert) is weaker than Polish, so take "doppelt konzentriert" and try adding a tablespoon more if needed.

Photos

Owalny półmisek ryby po grecku pod warstwą warzyw w sosie pomidorowym, z plasterkami pora

Kawałki ryby pod startymi warzywami z natką na półmisku, na stole wigilijnym z gałązkami świerku i cytryną

Bulwa selera korzeniowego trzymana w dłoni

Christmas Eve Fish Polish cuisine Substitutes abroad

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