FRESHWATER PIKE WITH HERBY KASZA

The prehistoric looking pike is a popular fish in Poland and even more so in neighbouring Lithuania. Pike fillets still have some bones in them and you need to remove these bones with tweezers. If you steam the pike first – it makes the bones stick out just enough to perform this fiddly procedure. In this recipe, as well as in life, the virtue of patience comes in handy. {Serves 2}

200 g (7 oz) toasted buckwheat groats

2 x 120–140 g (4–5 oz) pike fillets (if unavailable do use gurnard, bluefish or sablefish, but bake for an additional 5-7 minutes)

80 g (3 oz) bacon lardons

1 tablespoon salted butter

handful of fresh parsley, chopped

squeeze of lemon juice

black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/gas 4).

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil (twice the volume of the groats) and add the toasted buckwheat groats. Cover, reduce the heat and cook for about 15 minutes. At the same time put the pike fillets in a steaming basket and place on top of the pan of groats; the fish will absorb the flavour of the groats as it steams. Remove the fish after 5 minutes. Then remove any bones from the pike fillets: run your finger over the fish to feel for any bones, then pull them out delicately but firmly with a pair of tweezers.

Meanwhile, fry the lardons in a dry frying pan (skillet) for about 5 minutes, or until they have released some oil. Set aside.

When the kasza are cooked, drain them and add them to the lardon pan. Stir the butter and parsley into the hot kasza and then transfer to an ovenproof dish. Place the pike on top of the kasza and scatter the fried lardons over the top. Season with pepper and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Squeeze the lemon over the top just before serving.

{Time: 45 minutes}