This pike perch with winter vegetables, wild garlic, crispy kale and mustard seeds tastes like the transition from winter into spring. It is a light and delicious meal that has all the elements of a balanced dish: acidity from the mustard seeds pickled with winter spices, sweetness from the purple haze carrots and Jerusalem artichoke, the mildly spicy flavour of spring’s most beloved green and the softness of the pike perch.
Tales from my new home
I moved to my new home in Vienna a bit more than a month ago and as you can imagine, I haven’t really had too much time. I had to furnish my flat, which has now made me an expert in building IKEA furniture. Because Vienna is a city where bikes are necessary, I even learned how to assemble bikes, having gotten mine shipped from Romania. It took me a couple of weeks to arrange all my spices and a lot of my cookbooks are still in Romania. Of course, I did bring everything I needed to cook, but you know how it is when you move into a new house: you’re lacking plenty of things, you don’t know local markets and in the first couple of weeks, you somehow simply don’t have the time or the energy.
This pike perch with winter vegetables, wild garlic, crispy kale and mustard is the first Ioana-style dish I cooked since moving to Vienna. I picked fresh wild garlic in the Prater and bought all the vegetables at the local Turkish shop.
When I prepared this dish it was still a bit winter, and as I’m writing this I’m sitting on my roof terrace with sun glasses on, thinking that spring has passed by and it’s already almost summer. Sorry for being late with this post!
The recipe
This pike perch with winter vegetables, wild garlic, crispy kale and mustard seeds tastes like the transition from winter into spring. It is a light and delicious meal that has all the elements of a balanced dish: acidity from the mustard seeds pickled with winter spices, sweetness from the purple haze carrots and Jerusalem artichoke, the mildly spicy flavour of spring’s most beloved green and the softness of the pike perch.
Heat the oven at 175ºC
Bring the vinegar, water, sugar, salt and cassia bark to boil. Remove from the heat and add the mustard seeds. Let infuse and soften for at least 10-15 minutes.
Add all the ingredients to a blender and blitz until mixed but not puréed.
Remove the stems from the kale and break it into small pieces. Massage with the oil, salt and chilli flakes. Place on an oven tray lined with baking paper and bake until crispy but still green (6-8 minutes).
Cut the Jerusalem artichokes I equally sized cubes, peel the carrots and cut them in half, drizzle some olive oil and salt, and bake them until tender at 180ºC (for about 20 minutes).
Sauté the shallots and garlic with the butter and canola oil in a large pan, then add the diced parsnip. Season with salt, cover with water and simmer until the parsnip is soft and the water has evaporated. You may have to add water several times to make sure the parsnip will get cooked.
Using a hand blender, purée the parsnip with the cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside until the remaining elements are done.
Pat the fish dry and season it with salt and pepper. If you’ve got more time on your hands, I recommend brining it for 15 minutes in salt water, then patting it dry. This improved its texture and seasons it throughout.
Cook the pike perch last, 5 minutes before serving. Melt the butter on medium heat in a non-stick grill or pan and add the fish skin side down. Cook until the skin is crispy, about 4 minutes. Turn on the other side for half a minute.
Finally, plate your dish and enjoy!
Until next time,
Ioana
