Juicy Pan-Fried Pike

Is fried pike dry? This recipe will keep it juicy! Housewives often avoid frying pike because its meat is considered dry. Pike is often fried in a frying pan and cooked in batter, but it gives a thick crust and not everyone likes it. Try using only an egg and the fish will be transformed and remain juicy.
cook time: 30 min
Ethan Rowley
Juicy Pan-Fried Pike

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

120
Calories
6g
Fat
17g
Protein

Ingredients (4 portions)

Basic:

Salt (Extra, a couple of pinches) to taste
Lemon juice 1 tbsp
Eggs 1 pc
Vegetable oil (for frying, refined) 50 ml
Dry spices (for fish, pinch) to taste
Pike (weight of whole fish) 1 kg

Recipe instructions

Step 1

Step 1
How to fry juicy pike in a frying pan? The main product in this dish is of course the pike itself. Fresh is better, but chilled or even frozen is perfect. I have a frozen one, it needs to be defrosted properly so that the meat retains its juiciness. We put it on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator so that the process proceeds gradually. Don’t forget to wrap it well in a bag so it doesn’t get airy, and you don’t need fishy smells in the refrigerator. I clean at night, so I can cook in the morning.

Step 2

Step 2
Wash the fish well under cool water, scrape the head well with a knife, it makes a wonderful fish soup. Starting from the tail, scrape to remove the scales. The scales are small and there are a lot of them, but the fish is quite easy to clean. To avoid clogging the sink, it is better to clean it in a wide bowl so that the water hides the fish, then the scales will not fly apart. Then carefully drain the water and put the scales in a bag and in the trash. Wash the cleaned pike again.

Step 3

Step 3
Then cut the fish. Make an incision on the belly from the tail to the head, gut it, carefully, trying not to damage the caviar and gall bladder, so that the fish does not taste bitter. Cut off the head, fins and tail. Using a sharp knife, cut along the ridge and remove the fillet on both sides. We don’t remove the skin, it’s thin and clean, we’ll fry with it. We remove the head, fins, tail and ridge and leave it for fish soup. Remove the remaining film from the belly of the fillet, rinse and dry.

Step 4

Step 4
Cut the fillet into portions about 3 cm wide. If the pike is large, it is better to cut the thick back separately to ensure even frying. The back can also be left for cutlets, which is also a very tasty dish.

Step 5

Step 5
Season the prepared fillet with just a little salt and pepper, you can add a pinch of fish spice and, if desired, a tablespoon of lemon juice. The juice makes the pulp more elastic and removes the fishy smell, but everything will be fine without lemon. Pike does not have an unpleasant fishy smell. Mix everything well and leave to marinate for literally 10 — 15 minutes. Place the frying pan on high heat, pour oil into the heated pan so that not only the bottom, but also 1/3 of the fish is hidden.

Step 6

Step 6
While the oil is heating up, break the egg, add a pinch of salt, a little pepper, and whisk well with a whisk or fork.

Step 7

Step 7
When the oil has warmed up to operating temperature /hisses around a wooden stick/, reduce the heat to medium-high. Dip each piece of fillet into the egg on both sides and place in a frying pan. We use only an egg, this is the trick of the recipe, it is the one that envelops the fish, allows the dry pike to retain its juiciness and does not give a thick additional crust like batter.

Step 8

Step 8
Place the pieces of fish skin side down and fry for about 2 minutes until the fish is set and pink islands remain in the middle of the fillet. To place all the fish at once, a frying pan d 26 cm, a frying pan with a thick bottom, was enough for me. Turn the pieces that are browned on the bottom without piercing the fish.

Step 9

Step 9
Pour the remaining egg onto each piece and fry for about 1.5 — 2 minutes until done. The poured egg fills the space between small pieces of fish, allowing the fish to fry well and quickly, brown without drying out the fish.

Step 10

Step 10
Then we simply remove the set egg, take out the deliciously fried pieces of fish and serve hot as a separate dish or with a side dish and vegetables. The fish remains tasty when it cools, and the remaining bones are easily removed.

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