Russian Cookbook

1 whole raw salmon, cleaned, head and tail left on, 1 – 1.5 kg
5-10 sprigs of fresh dill
1 onion, sliced of even width 5 mm
1 lemon, sliced
100 gr butter
100 ml dry white wine
Salt and pepper, to taste

Rinse and clean the dill.

Scale the salmon pat dry and generously rub with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Fill salmon with the dill, onion rings and butter. Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F), Gas Mark 3.

Generously line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and brush with butter. Place the salmon on the sheet and cover with white wine. Close the foil tightly and bake in a preheated oven for about 15 – 25 mins.

Arrange on a warm plate, top with baking juice and sprinkle with chopped dill.

Serve with small dill potatoes.

500 g hake fillets
1 cup fish (chicken) stock
1 bay leaf
500 g cooked potatoes, halved
1 red (bell) pepper, seeded and diced
2 spring onions (scallions), sliced
½ cucumber, unpeeled and diced
3-5 large red lettuce leaves

Salt and pepper, to taste

Dressing

½ cup Greek (strained plain) yogurt
2 tablespoons olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons capers

To garnish

2 hard boiled eggs, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Put the hake fillets in a large, shallow pan with the fish stock and bay leaf. Bring to the boil then lower the heat and poach the fish gently for about 10 minutes until it flakes easily. Leave it to cool, then remove the skin and bones, and separate the flesh into large flakes.

Put the baby new potatoes in a bowl with the red pepper, spring onions and cucumber. Gently stir in the flaked hake and season with salt and pepper.

Make the dressing by stirring all the ingredients together in a bowl or jug. Season and spoon or pour over the salad. Toss gently.

Place a lettuce leaf on each plate and spoon the salad over it. Mix the finely chopped hard-boiled eggs for the garnish with the dill. Sprinkle the mixture over each salad.

Note:

You may also use halibut, sole or cod.

700 gr carp, skinned and filleted
3 tablespoons plain flour
1 egg, beaten
2 cups fresh white breadcrumbs
5 tablespoons sunflower oil, for frying
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the sauce:

15 gr fresh horseradish, finely grated
150ml double cream
1 bunch of watercress, finely chopped
3 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
2 eggs, hard-boiled and finely chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cut the fish into strips, about 5 cm (long) by 1 cm (thick). Season the flour with salt and pepper. Dip the strips of fish in the flour, then in the beaten egg , and in the breadcrumbs.

Heat all oil in a frying pan. Fry the fish strips for 3-4 minutes and until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm.

For the sauce, put the horseradish, cream and watercress in a pan. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir in the dill and eggs. Add salt and pepper.

Note:

You may also use cod, gurnard, monkfish, grouper, halibut, haddock, snapper.

500 gr halibut steaks
100 gr onions, thinly sliced
2 bay leaf
1 medium carrot, craped, coarsely chopped
50 gr parsley roots, craped, coarsely chopped
3 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, flesh coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons butter
50 gr fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
6 tablespoons sour cream
1 medium sour pickled gherkin
7-10 olives
1 cup cold water
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 200°F (95°C) . Put the onions, bay leaf, carrots, parsley root, tomatoes and 1 cup of cold water into a large casserole. Bring to the boil over a high heat, stirring constantly, then reduce the heat to moderate, uncover the casserole, and simmer undisturbed for 30 minutes. Pour the entire contents of the casserole into a fine sieve set over a large bowl. Press down on the vegetables with the back of a wooden spoon to extract all their juices before discarding them.

Return the strained stock to the casserole, add the fish, and bring to the boil over a high heat. Immediately reduce the heat to low, cover the casserole, and simmer for about 6 to 8 minutes, until the fish is opaque and firm to the touch. Be careful not to overcook. Transfer the fish to a deep ovenproof serving dish with a fish slice, cover it loosely with foil and keep it warm in the oven while you complete the sauce.

Again bring the stock to the boil over a high heat, and continue to boil briskly, uncovered, until it has been reduced to about ¾ cup. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large frying-pan over a medium heat, and drop in the mushrooms. Reduce the heat to and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring the mushrooms occasionally, until they are soft and most of the juices have evaporated. Stir in the reduced stock and beat in the sour cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, off the heat. Then stir in the gherkins and olives and taste for seasoning.

Pour the sauce over the fish and hot.