Zander and Rice Casserole

Name: Zander and Rice Casserole: Baked Fish with Rice in the Oven
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: Rice 1 cup (180 g); Water for cooking the rice a lot; White fish fillet 4; Dill 3-5 sprigs; Cream Up to 1 cup (200 ml); Hard cheese 50 g; Butter 1 tsp; Salt, black pepper or a mix of peppers, dried aromatic herbs, coriander to taste

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60 mins

Few of us are strangers to casseroles from childhood. Back in the happy chaos of nursery school and other children’s institutions, dishes like cottage cheese casserole, and the masterpiece of that cuisine, egg noodle casserole, were regulars on the menu. Although, as people in the know say, casseroles were usually made from products whose shelf life was already nearing its end.

As a rule, or rather in theory, casseroles are made from ingredients closer to a purée, that is, finely chopped ones: cottage cheese, vegetables, ground meat. In practice, though, people bake almost anything. In home cooking hardly anyone follows the rules strictly. Most often they bake pieces of fish, boiled grains, even mushrooms, and of course vermicelli. I remember how, long ago, store-bought vermicelli from a cardboard pack with a painted egg yolk turned, with baking, from completely tasteless (even unpleasant) food into a very tasty dish. Especially with raspberry jam poured over the top.

For a casserole, besides the main ingredient, a binder is also important. Usually you pick a binder that goes with the main ingredient. For example, egg goes with cottage cheese, béchamel sauce goes with pasta, and so on. Besides that, once everything is laid in the baking dish, casseroles are brushed with various sauces, a mixture of butter and eggs, or sprinkled with cheese or breadcrumbs. Baking creates a crust that is very tasty on its own and also gives the finished dish an appealing look.

Even without realizing it, we cook many dishes using gratinating. Remember the dish everyone loves: French-style meat. Strictly speaking, this dish is not French, as people tend to think. Thinly pounded meat sprinkled with spices, onion rings, sometimes potatoes and carrots, grated hard cheese and a layer of the ubiquitous mayonnaise. The whole point of the dish is that baked cheese crust. Or chicken with pineapple under cheese , my favorite dish, or Bulgarian moussaka, the classic recipe.

. I also really like casseroles made from grains, for example a fish casserole. Sometimes on vacation, studying restaurant menus, I come across truly amazing dishes in the casserole category. I take the idea itself into account, without trying to copy the dish. Once I tried an exceptionally tasty dish, a casserole with rice and white fish. On the menu, by the way, it was listed as a fish casserole, which is interesting in itself.

This casserole, rice and fish baked in the oven, is the recipe I decided to write down: a dish with a delicate and unusual taste.

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Zander Satsivi: Fish in Walnut Sauce

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Ingredients

4 servings

Rice 1 cup (180 g)
Water for cooking the rice a lot
White fish fillet 4
Dill 3-5 sprigs
Cream Up to 1 cup (200 ml)
Hard cheese 50 g
Butter 1 tsp
Salt, black pepper or a mix of peppers, dried aromatic herbs, coriander to taste

Step-by-step recipe

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How to prepare the rice and fish

The fish casserole is made from boiled rice and zander fillet. Choose a rice that doesn’t overcook easily, otherwise you’ll get porridge. Basmati (an exceptionally aromatic rice) or parboiled rice (usually sold as steamed) are ideal.
The casserole is tastiest with zander fillet. Ordinary river zander is a common and affordable fish. That said, other fish will work for fish with rice in the oven, for example sea bass or sea bream fillet.
Boil the rice. Rinse the rice thoroughly under running water to wash off the rice flour left from polishing the grains, then boil it until done in plenty of water. You don’t need to salt the water, since salt will get into the dish during further cooking. Drain the boiled rice in a colander and let the water run off.
Fillet the fish. Thaw the fish, preferably not the fast way but simply by moving the fish from the freezer to the refrigerator the evening before. That way the fish won’t leak, and it will be thawed by the time you cook. With sharp scissors cut off the fins and gut the fish, and cut off the head too. Cut the fillets off the fish together with the skin. Then use a sharp knife to cut the fillet off the skin. It isn’t difficult. Remove all the bones extremely carefully, especially the small bones left near the fins.
Prepare the spice mix. A casserole is an aromatic dish, so I recommend a fresh mix: combine equal parts of salt, mixed peppercorns, coriander seeds and a blend of dried aromatic herbs (basil, oregano, dill, savory, etc.). Grind everything to a powder in a mortar.
Cut the prepared fillet into small pieces, 2-3 cm. Lay the fish pieces on a plate in a single layer and sprinkle with the spice mix to taste.
Mix the rice with the dill. Pull all the leaves off the dill sprigs, discarding the tough parts. Finely chop the dill (leave a little for serving) and add it to the boiled rice. Sprinkle the rice and dill with the same spice mix you made for the fish. Stir.

How to assemble the casserole

The fish casserole is baked in a wide, shallow ovenproof dish. Heatproof glass or ceramic is ideal. It’s better not to use a metal dish, as the casserole may burn or stick.
Grease the bottom and sides of the dish with butter (1 tsp). Spread a third of the rice and dill mixture in the prepared dish. Level it with a spoon or spatula. Lay all the fish pieces over the layer of rice.
Spread all the remaining rice over the fish and press it down lightly. Try to level the surface of the rice.
Pour in the cream. When we make fish in cream in the oven, we usually argue about how much cream to add. I like the casserole to be “dry,” like a classic casserole, so it can be cut into portions with a knife. For this amount of fish and rice, 0.5 cup of cream (100 ml) is enough. But if you prefer a softer dish and cook it in individual portions, you can double the cream. It’s up to your taste.
Fish and cream, despite certain national prejudices, go together exceptionally well. The famous Greek fish soup kakavia, a fish soup with cream. I’ve always been interested in milk-based fish soups. Probably after I tried clam chowder, the New England version of a creamy clam soup. It was a revolution for my mind and habits.
Immediately sprinkle the surface of the casserole with grated cheese. Strictly speaking, any hard cheese will do. But I recommend Parmesan, Emmental, or (I’m not sure of the name) the cheese with huge holes and a slightly sweetish taste: Radamer, a Swiss type.

How to bake

Put the dish, uncovered, into an oven preheated to 220-230°C and bake for 40 minutes, until golden brown. If you think the crust should be browner, you can increase the time or put the finished dish under the grill. A slight increase in time won’t affect doneness.

Serving

Cut the finished fish casserole into portions and put them on plates. Sprinkle with finely chopped dill.
If you decided to make a slightly runnier version, it’s better to put the casserole into a small soup plate or serve it in the same dish it was cooked in.

Calories and macros

390 kcal

Serving ≈ 290 g

Protein34 g36% of kcal
Fat11 g25% of kcal
Carbs37 g39% of kcal

100 g137 kcalProtein 11.9 gFat 3.7 gCarbs 12.9 g

Calculated from the recipe ingredients, excluding salt and spices. Data: USDA and Matvaretabellen.

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