Fish pie from Zaonezhye
A recipe for a traditional Karelian dish, rybnik, was sent to NeMoskva by reader Larisa Bagaeva.
"Fish is the second bread for Karelians, and rybnik is both. It's our most traditional dish, which Karelians always took with them on the road. A rybnik is two in one—a dish and a vessel to eat it from." — Larisa notes.
1. Ingredients for preparation: rye flour, kefir or yogurt, fresh salted fish, salt, butter and onion (optional).
2. Pour half a liter of kefir or sour milk (Larisa recommends kefir) into a bowl, add about a tablespoon of salt and begin kneading the dough, gradually adding flour.
3. Larisa notes that the dough should be soft and not stick to your hands, so transfer it to a work surface and continue kneading thoroughly until the desired consistency is reached. Form the dough into a ball, cover with a bowl, and let it rest for 10-15 minutes.
According to Larisa, traditional Zaonezhye fish pie is prepared with perch or vendace, but for this recipe, she used pike, which she salted an hour before cooking and then cut into pieces. She recommends serving smaller fish whole.
4. We begin to form the fish pie, which in Zaonezhye is traditionally shaped like a boat. To do this, use a rolling pin to roll the dough into an oval-shaped flatbread about 1 cm thick.
5. Place the fish pieces on the flatbread. If the fish isn't fatty enough, like pike, add about 50 grams of butter for juiciness. You can also add sliced onion rings if desired.
6. We connect the edges of the fish pie and “close” it in the shape of a boat.
Place the fish pie on a baking sheet sprinkled with flour and place in a preheated oven at 250 degrees for 40-45 minutes.
7. Place the finished fish pie on a wooden board, lightly moisten it with water, cover with a towel and leave for half an hour to soak the fish pie.
8. Larisa points out that the dish must be eaten correctly. To do this, cut off the "lid" of the fish pie.
9. Each person places the fish on their own plate from the bread “soup bowl”, as if from a common dish.
