Fish fillet

Name: Fish fillet - Dumitrana I.
Ingredients: 1 pikeperch; 3 large onions; 1 can of chopped tomatoes; 1 red bell pepper; 1 green bell pepper; 1 tomato juice; 100 ml oil; 300 ml water; 2 tablespoons broth; salt and pepper; parsley

Fish - Fish fillet by Dumitrana I. - Recipia

The pike perch plachia is made in two stages: first, the fish is cut into pieces, coated in flour, and fried, then it is left to simmer in a sauce of onions, peppers, and tomatoes. The sauce doesn’t require many ingredients, but the onions must be well sautéed, and the fish is added only after the vegetables and tomatoes have formed a tasty base. Quick info Total time: not specified in the source recipe Preparation time: not specified Cooking time: approximately 10 minutes after adding the fish to the sauce, plus the time needed for frying and simmering the sauce Servings: not specified; depends on the size of the pike perch Difficulty: easy to medium Recipe type: pike perch plachia, prepared in a pan or in a pot on the stove Ingredients 1 pike perch 3 large onions 1 can of chopped tomatoes 1 red pepper 1 green pepper 1 tomato juice, with the quantity not specified in the source recipe 100 ml oil 300 ml water 2 tablespoons of tomato paste Salt Pepper Flour, for coating the fish before frying Fresh parsley, washed and finely chopped Preparation method 1. Clean the pike perch, wash it, and cut it into pieces. Rub the pieces with salt and set them aside for a while to prepare the other ingredients. 2. Dredge each piece of fish in flour, ensuring it is coated on all sides. Shake off the excess flour before placing it in the pan, so the oil doesn’t get overloaded. 3. Heat the oil and fry the pike perch pieces. There’s no need to aim for a very thick crust; it’s enough for the fish to be browned on the outside. After frying, place the pieces on an absorbent paper towel. 4. Clean the onions and wash the peppers. Chop the onion, red pepper, and green pepper finely. 5. Place the onion and peppers in a pot and add a little water, so they sauté well. From the 300 ml of water provided in the ingredients, you can use it gradually as needed, without letting the vegetables stick to the pot. 6. When the vegetables have softened, add the chopped tomatoes, tomato juice, and the two tablespoons of tomato paste. Add water and let everything simmer until a sauce forms. 7. Add the fried fish pieces to the sauce. Adjust the salt and pepper, then let the dish simmer further over medium heat. 8. Wash and finely chop the parsley. Add it at the end, then let the plachia simmer for about 10 more minutes, so the flavors combine and the fish absorbs the sauce’s taste. Why I make the recipe often Pike perch plachia is a practical recipe when I want to cook fish with common ingredients. The sauce is prepared simply, and the onions, peppers, and tomatoes provide enough flavor without needing many spices. The initial frying helps the fish pieces maintain their shape better when added to the sauce. It is also an easy dish to adjust based on how much sauce you prefer. If the sauce is too thin, let it simmer longer before adding the fish. If it becomes too thick, you can add water from the quantity specified in the recipe. Tips The fish should be dried well after washing before being coated in flour. If it remains too wet, the flour may come off more easily during frying. Salt the pike perch before frying, then check the sauce’s taste again after adding the fish. The tomatoes, tomato paste, and tomato juice can have varying levels of salt. Do not add the fish to the sauce from the beginning. In this recipe, the pieces are first fried, then added when the sauce is already formed. The parsley is added towards the end, not at the beginning of simmering. This way, it retains its flavor and freshness better. Substitutions The pike perch is the fish used in the base recipe and should be kept if you want an authentic pike perch plachia. In its absence, the recipe can also be prepared with another fish suitable for frying and simmering in sauce, but the texture and flavor of the dish will change. Canned chopped tomatoes can be used as they are, exactly as specified in the recipe. The tomato juice and paste contribute to the consistency and flavor of the sauce, so it is not advisable to omit one of them without adjusting the liquid quantity. The parsley can be omitted if you don’t have it on hand, but it is added in the original recipe at the end and completes the sauce. Variations For a plachia with more sauce, you can use the water gradually during simmering until you reach the desired consistency. It is important for the sauce to be formed before adding the fish. If you prefer larger pieces, cut the pike perch into suitable sizes from the start. Very small pieces may break more easily when moved from the pan to the sauce. You can let the onions and peppers sauté longer until they become soft before adding the tomatoes. This step does not change the recipe ingredients but helps the sauce base bind better. Serving ideas Plachia is served with the tomato and vegetable sauce over or next to the fish pieces. It can be placed directly on the plate after the 10 minutes from the end, while it is still well heated. It is important to carefully remove the fish from the pot, as after simmering in the sauce it becomes more tender. The remaining sauce can be poured over each serving. Frequently asked questions 1. Can plachia be made without frying the fish? The source recipe requires the pike perch to be coated in flour and fried in hot oil before being added to the sauce. If you skip this step, you are no longer following the original recipe, and the texture of the fish will be different. 2. When is the water added? A little water is first added over the onion and pepper, so the vegetables can sauté. The rest of the water from the 300 ml quantity is used when you add the tomatoes, tomato juice, and paste to form the sauce. 3. How long should the fish stay in the sauce? After you put the pike perch in the sauce, the dish is left to simmer, and the parsley is added at the end. The recipe indicates an additional 10 minutes for the flavors to combine. 4. What do I do if the sauce is too liquid? Let it simmer before adding the fish until it reaches the desired consistency. If the fish is already in the pot, simmer carefully to avoid breaking the pieces when mixing. 5. Why is the fish placed on a paper towel after frying? The absorbent paper towel absorbs the excess oil from the surface of the fried pieces. Thus, the fish does not carry all the oil into the sauce. Nutritional values The values are estimates and cannot be calculated accurately, as the recipe does not specify the weight of the pike perch, the amount of tomato juice, and the number of servings. Additionally, they depend on how much oil remains in the fish after frying. For 100 g of the dish, a rough estimate is: Calories: approximately 150-220 kcal Proteins: approximately 12-18 g Fats: approximately 8-14 g Carbohydrates: approximately 7-12 g The greatest variation comes from the amount of oil absorbed during frying and from the ratio of fish to sauce. The pike perch mainly contributes protein, while the onions, peppers, and tomato products provide carbohydrates and fiber. Storage and reheating Store the plachia covered in the refrigerator after it has cooled. Because it is a dish with fish and sauce, it is better to consume it within a short time, without leaving it at room temperature for long. When reheating, heat the portion over low heat in a pot, so the sauce doesn’t stick, and the fish doesn’t break. If the sauce has thickened too much after cooling, it can be thinned with a little water. Mix as little as possible and lift the pieces carefully.

Fish fillet

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