Many underestimate the pike, considering its taste is fresh and not elegant enough, and the meat is dry and harsh. But this is completely wrong: if you choose the “right” recipe and approach it with a soul, then the result will exceed expectations, and the river queen will become your favorite fish. You will learn about how to cook pike in foil deliciously from this material.
Useful Tips
Before you cook pike in foil in the oven, you need to carefully prepare the fish. To do this, clean the scales with a special device or knife. If the fish is large, then make incisions near the head, and separate it from the carcass, removing the entrails along with it. Be sure to cut the fins and tail, and from these parts and the head you can weld a stunning ear. So do not throw them away.
Small carcasses can be baked with the head, but you need to remove the gills and entrails. To do this, carefully cut the abdomen and take out all the excess. Remember to rinse the carcass thoroughly.
Pike is a river fish, it always smells of mud, and the larger the specimen, the stronger the “aroma”. Milk will help to get rid of it: soak the purified fish in it for several hours.
Note that you can bake pike in foil only if it is fresh. If you use frozen fish, the dish will turn out to be too dry and tasteless, it is better to make cutlets from it or cook the ear.
Whole baked fish
Pike in foil prepared according to this recipe is tender and juicy. There are few calories in the dish, so it is suitable for those who are on a diet. To prepare flavored fish, stock up on the following foods:
- pike carcass weighing 1-1.5 kg;
- a quarter of lemon;
- 100 g onions;
- 40 g butter;
- 100 ml of mayonnaise;
- 10 g seasoning for fish.
The original recipe for this pike in the foil uses mayonnaise, but if you prefer healthy food, replace the fatty ingredient with homemade sour cream. The taste of this is not much affected.
Cooking diet fish
Cooking this tasty and healthy dish will not cause much trouble even to an inexperienced hostess. The main thing is to adhere to the following algorithm of actions:
- Dry the peeled and washed carcass with a paper towel.
- Coat the pike with seasonings and mayonnaise and leave to soak in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours.
- Spread a piece of foil on a baking sheet, leaving free edges. Lubricate the surface with vegetable oil and spread the fish. If necessary, bend the carcass.
- Cut a lemon into 1–2 mm thick slices, put into the abdomen.
- Cut the chilled butter into thin slices and place next to the lemon slices.
- Wrap the foil in several layers, bake the carcass for 30 minutes at 200 ° C. After the set time, unfold the pike and cook it for another 10 minutes to form a delicious crust.
Put the finished pike on a large plate and sprinkle with fresh herbs. Serve with baked potatoes and light salads.
Pike on a vegetable pillow
Do not know how to surprise guests or please loved ones? Then pike in foil on a vegetable pillow will be the best choice for you. This recipe is quite simple, while the delicacy turns out to be juicy and aromatic, and even finicky gourmets like its exquisite taste. So, to create a culinary masterpiece, stock up on such ingredients:
- pike weighing 0.8-1.2 kg;
- 100 g carrots;
- 200 g of onions;
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- 200 ml of sour cream;
- half a lemon;
- 3 g black pepper;
- 3 g of coriander;
- 20 g of fresh parsley and basil;
- salt.
If you want to decorate the dish for the festive table, then stock up on cherry tomatoes, boiled eggs, olives.
Create a culinary masterpiece
How to cook pike in foil on a vegetable pillow:
- Gutted fish, cleaned from scales, rinse thoroughly and dry with paper towels.
- Squeeze the juice of a lemon and dip a pike on it from all sides. Put the carcass in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to soak.
- Mix sour cream with salt, pepper and coriander. Half the mixture obtained, coat the carcass, then put it back in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes.
- While the fish is pickling, grate the carrots on a Korean grater, and chop the onions in half rings. Put half the vegetables on the foil.
- Mix the remaining sour cream sauce with chopped herbs, and stuff with this mass of fish abdomen. Put the carcass on the vegetables and sprinkle it with unused onions and carrots on top.
- Wrap the foil and bake the dish at 200 ° for approximately 40-50 minutes.
Put the finished fish on a large plate, and pour the baked vegetables on the sides. Decorate the dish as desired and serve with potatoes or buckwheat.
Stuffed pike in foil in the oven
The recipe for this dish will appeal to busy housewives, because it takes a little time to prepare. In addition, as a result, you get not only juicy and healthy fish, but also a fragrant side dish. To cook pike, stock up on the following ingredients:
- pike weighing 1.5-2 kg;
- 2 handfuls of long-grain rice;
- 2 large and 2 small onions;
- 1 carrot;
- 1 egg
- 4 tbsp. l homemade sour cream;
- 3 tsp mustard;
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- 0.5 lemons;
- salt, dry marjoram, basil, black pepper.
If you want to make the fish juicier, then use mayonnaise instead of sour cream. But keep in mind that in this case, the dish will turn out to be more high-calorie.
How to cook fish
In this recipe, the pike in the foil is baked with the head, so when preparing the carcass, do not remove this part, otherwise the filling will fall out of the fish. To make the dish juicy and aromatic, clearly adhere to the following instructions:
- On all sides of the cleaned and washed carcass, coat the inside with salt and seasoning and chopped garlic. Put marinating for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
- While the fish is soaking, boil the rice in salted water and rinse.
- Cut large onions into cubes, fry until transparent in a couple of spoons of vegetable oil. Add the grated carrots and simmer the vegetables until tender. Do not forget to salt and pepper the frying.
- Add ready-made vegetables and chopped egg to rice. Stuff the minced meat well.
- Put the foil in two layers on a baking sheet. Small onions cut into half rings and spread on the surface.
- Stuff the carcass with rice-vegetable mixture, sew the abdomen so that the filling does not fall out. Put the fish on the onion.
- Mix sour cream with mustard, generously grease the river predator with the sauce. Put the sliced lemon on top.
- Wrap the foil and pinch the edges. Bake for approximately 90 minutes at 190 ° C. If the fish is small, then an hour is enough.
Carefully remove the finished dish from the foil and place it on a plate. Before serving, do not forget to cut and remove the threads, decorate with branches of greenery.
Appetizing river predator with mushrooms
In this recipe, pike is baked in pieces, but from this the dish turns out to be no less juicy and fragrant. To cook it, stock up on the following foods:
- 1-2 large fish;
- 300 g of fresh champignons;
- 50 g butter;
- 250 g of oily, preferably homemade sour cream;
- 1-2 bulbs;
- half a lemon;
- salt, favorite spices and herbs.
Anyone can cook this dish - the process is simple and does not cause difficulties. The main thing is to follow the step-by-step instructions on how to bake pike in the oven in foil:
- Clean the fish from scales, cut out the fins and head, remove the insides. Rinse the carcass well, be sure to dry it with napkins, and then cut into portions.
- Rub the prepared fish generously on all sides with your favorite seasonings and salt. Squeeze the juice of a lemon and sprinkle slices on it. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- While the pike is pickled, chop the onions with thin half rings, and the mushrooms with plates.
- Heat the pan and melt half the oil in it. Fry onion and mushrooms in it for 10 minutes on medium flame. Do not forget to stir constantly, so as not to burn, salt and pepper.
- Place the foil in two layers on a baking sheet. Place the pieces of fish on it, and on top of them put the remaining butter, diced.
- Fill the fish with mushroom mass, pour sour cream.
- Wrap the foil and bake the dish at 200 ° C for at least half an hour.
Put the finished river predator on portioned plates, sprinkle with fresh chopped herbs on top. Garnish for this dish will be mashed potatoes, boiled rice and fresh vegetable salads.
Reviews about the pike baked in foil are only positive. In particular, the hostesses note that the fish cooked according to these recipes is tender and juicy. In addition, the dish is fragrant, hearty, and, importantly, healthy. After all, it contains only natural products. Be sure to add these recipes to your collection, they will not disappoint you.