Greek-style fish: a Polish Christmas Eve classic chilled overnight with vegetables

Tip: tap a step to mark it as done.

1. Prepare the fish

   10 min

   Pat the fillets dry with paper towels, remove any remaining bones, and cut into pieces about 5 cm across. Season with salt and pepper and let stand for 10 minutes.

2. Fry the fish

   15 min

   Coat the fish pieces in all-purpose flour and fry in hot oil for 3–4 minutes per side, until golden. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

3. Simmer the vegetables

   20 min

   Peel and coarsely grate the carrots, parsley root, and celery root. Finely chop the onions. Sauté the onions in 3 tbsp oil until softened, then add the grated vegetables, bay leaves, and allspice berries. Pour in 200 ml water, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

4. Season the vegetables

   5 min

   Stir the tomato paste, paprika, and sugar into the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The vegetables should be tender and juicy; add a little water if they are dry. Remove the bay leaves and allspice berries.

5. Let the flavors soak in

   4 hr

   Spread one-third of the warm vegetables in a serving dish, arrange the fish pieces on top, and cover completely with the remaining vegetables. Let cool, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Serve cold with bread.

Tip: Prepare the fish a day ahead for Christmas Eve; it will keep covered in the refrigerator for 2–3 days. Do not grate the vegetables too finely, or they will cook down to a mush.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Šťavnatá ryba po grécky: poľská klasika na Štedrý večer, ktorá cez noc nasiakne zeleninou