Perch Baked Moscow-Style
“Moscow-style” in Soviet restaurant manuals meant one specific construction: a fried protein under sour cream sauce with mushrooms, onion, and a slice of hard-boiled egg, sealed with grated cheese. Perch suits the format because its firm flesh holds together, and the cheese crust makes up for how lean river fish tends to be. Note that the quantities read like a canteen spec sheet — 150 g of fish, about 5 oz, is a single serving, so multiply straight across for the number of people at the table.
Fish and potatoes are fried separately and only to halfway. That isn’t fussiness: a seared surface has already given up some water, so the sauce doesn’t thin out in the oven and the cheese has time to brown in the few minutes the fish needs to finish. A thin film of sauce poured into the pan before the fish keeps the bottom from catching.
Swaps that hold up
- Cod, haddock, or any firm white fish in place of perch, same quantities.
- Cremini instead of porcini: quieter aroma, arguably better texture.
- Thicken the sauce to the consistency of pourable cream; anything looser slides off the fish and pools underneath.
Part of Eastern European cuisine — 68 more recipes in the section.
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Ingredients
Instructions
Dredge the cut fish in flour and fry it in oil; separately fry the potato slices.
Pour a little sour cream sauce into a pan, set the fried fish in it, and arrange the fried potatoes around it.
Top the fish with the porcini mushrooms, onion, and a slice of hard-boiled egg.
Pour the sour cream sauce over everything, sprinkle with grated cheese, drizzle with butter, and bake until golden.
Before serving, sprinkle with fresh herbs.
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