I love Hungarian cuisine. I would like to explore it a lot more. Moreover, I think that it is about more than just spicy food and paprika. Hungarian cuisine is full of rich flavours. From my travels to Budapest, I remember several meals, especially Hungarian rich soups. Hungarians are also masters of very lovely desserts.
Of course, the base of the lovely Hungarian cuisine lies in paprika spice, beautiful sausages or “red stews”. Today, I present you Hungarian Stew with Zander Fish.
The stew is usually made from chicken (at least that’s how I remember it from my mom) accompanied with gnocchi called Halušky. I also tried Catfish Stew accompanied with pasta, which is, accordingly to my opinion, the real master of Hungarian cuisine.
My Hungarian Stew with Zander Fish can be served with potato mash or tagliatelle pasta. It is very yummy, even for my boyfriend, who doesn’t like paprika at all. Jó étvágyat!
Shopping list
300g of Zander Filet with skin, cleaned, drained and chopped
2 tablespoons of plain flour
juice from ½ of lemon
2 tablespoons of butter
sea salt and ground black pepper
The Stew:
2 handfuls of a good quality bacon, diced
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 spring onion, finely chopped + to decorate
1 large red sweet paprika, blended
4 medium cherry tomatoes, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, crashed and finely chopped
½ cup of dry white wine
½ litre of vegetable/fish/meat stock
½ cup of double cream
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika powder and cayenne pepper
olive oil and butter
sea salt and ground black pepper
Serve with Tagliatelle Pasta or potato mash (4 portions) and
Finish it with fresh parsley and 1 tablespoon of sour cream or crème fraîche
Instructions
First, prepare the fish. Lightly season the fillets with salt and pepper, sprinkle with lemon juice. Dust with flour.
Heat up 1 tablespoon of butter in a deep non sticking pan or wok and place the fish bits, skin side down, on a high heat.
Braise them for about 2 minutes and turn over for about 1 more minute. Take them out and continue with the rest of them. Place them on a kitchen towel, so the extra fat is absorbed.
Next, place the bacon in. Braise for a bit until it is nicely golden and take it out on a kitchen towel.
Add 1 tablespoon of butter and olive oil into a pan. Slowly stir in the onion, spring onion, paprika and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with smoked paprika and cayenne pepper. Simmer.
Add garlic, just to smell it out and pour in the wine. Reduce.
Pour in the stock and reduce once again. Lower the heat, stir in the bacon and put the lid on. Cook the Hungarian stew on a low heat for at least 20 minutes. Taste and season if needed.
Pour in the double cream and cook for 10 more minutes.
Meanwhile, place the pasta in a large pot filled with salted hot boiling water and cook until al dente on medium heat. Then, take it out and lightly season with sea salt and black pepper. Sprinkle with few drops of olive oil.
Five minutes before serving, stir in the fish bits into the Hungarian stew. Serve with pasta and sprinkle with spring onion. Enjoy with a glass of white wine.
Makes 4 serves.