Breakfast for the Water Spirit (Fish with Vegetables in Cream)
The name is folklore: the Vodyanyi is the water spirit who rules rivers and ponds in Slavic tales, so his breakfast is naturally fish. The dish itself is grounded enough — white fillet with potato, green beans, bell pepper, carrot and corn, baked under a blanket of thick cream. The order of operations is what makes it work: the vegetables are sauteed alone for 5 minutes, and only then do the tomatoes join for another 5. That drives water out of the carrot and pepper while stopping the tomatoes from collapsing before the dish ever reaches the oven.
Small things that decide it
- Use a firm, lean fillet — pollock, cod, haddock or pike-perch. Something delicate like mackerel shreds into fibers over 30 minutes under cream.
- Cut the potato smaller than the fish. Potato needs longer, so at equal size the fish is done while the potato still crunches.
If your cream is thin, use smetana instead: the region’s thick cultured sour cream, around 20% fat, which will not split in the oven — full-fat sour cream or creme fraiche is the everyday stand-in, and the 200 g called for is a scant cup. Frozen green beans go in unthawed, just allow a few extra minutes. And check the fillet for pin bones before you cube it, because under the cream you will never spot them.
Part of Ukrainian cuisine — 464 more recipes in the section.
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Ingredients
Instructions
Slice the carrot into rounds, dice the bell pepper, and finely chop the green onion.
Saute the vegetables in oil, stirring, for 5 minutes, then add the tomatoes cut into wedges and cook for another 5 minutes.
Cut the fish fillet and potatoes into cubes, combine them with the green beans, corn, and sauteed vegetables, then season with salt and pepper.
Stir everything together, transfer to an oiled baking dish, pour the cream over the top, and braise in the oven for about 30 minutes.
Sprinkle with herbs when serving.
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