Fish with Vegetables (Polish Ryba po Grecku)

This delicious fish with vegetables is a traditional Polish dish typically served on Christmas Eve. ‘Ryba po Grecku’ consists of stewed root vegetables served alongside fried white fish. It’s incredibly simple to prepare and can be enjoyed either hot or cold.

Traditional Polish fish with vegetables is an easy and delicious way to serve fish.  The sweet and tangy vegetable stew requires very few ingredients and little time and can be served with any white fish.  I tend to make it with cod or haddock but tilapia, bass or carp are also very popular choices.

This dish is similar to Greek ‘psari plaki‘, which consists of fried fish with vegetable sauce.  This is why in Poland it’s called ‘Greek style fish‘ (‘ryba po grecku‘).  It’s one of the simplest and quickest to make Polish Christmas dishes and one that is generally loved by everyone at the table.  Whereas Polish porcini dumplings and sauerkraut dumplings are not everyone’s cup of tea fried fish with stewed root vegetables is a less unusual dish and everyone seems to like it.  It’s also one of my favourite Polish Christmas Eve dishes.

The vegetables are briefly stewed with seasoning and a little water, which produces surprisingly delicious results.  This grated vegetable stew takes only about 15-20 minutes to make, which is no doubt one of the reasons it’s so flavoursome.  There are no complicated spices or herbs involved, just a bit of sweet paprika, seasoning, bay, allspice and parsley.

Equipment you’ll need

• Kitchen scale
• Chopping board and knife
• Grater and vegetable peeler
• Medium size pot with lid
• Large pan and spatula

How to make fish with vegetables – ‘ryba po grecku’: step-by-step

1.Start by preparing the vegetable sauce. Chop the onion and coarsely grate the other vegetables.

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2. In a pot heat up 2 tablespoons of the oil, add the bay leaf, allspice and onions and fry gently over a medium heat for 4 minutes until golden.

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3. Add the grated carrots, parsnip, celeriac, parsley, seasoning, paprika and some of the water.  Cook for 5 minutes stirring often.

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4. Add the tomato puree, the rest of the water and continue cooking for 6-8 more minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

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5. Remove from the heat, stir in the butter, adjust the seasoning if needed and set aside.

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6. Season the fish pieces and coat in the flour.

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7. Heat up approx. 3 tablespoons of oil and fry over a fairly high heat for about 2 minutes on each side (or longer if your fish pieces are thicker).

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8. Serve immediately with the vegetable stew. Alternatively chill the fish and stew first, then place the fish in a large shallow dish, cover with the stew and serve.

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Top tips for making Polish Greek style fish

• The fish: Either cod or haddock would work, but you can also use hake, tilapia or bass. Use either fresh or frozen fish, but if you choose to use frozen take it out of the freezer ahead in order to let it thaw.  The best way to do this is by placing the frozen fish in the fridge overnight. Once it’s thawed completely pat it dry to remove excess water.
• Make the sauce ahead: You can make the vegetable stew the day before and once cooled, refrigerate it until you are ready to serve it.
• Consistency of sauce: The vegetable stew is quite thick but you can adjust the amount of water to get the consistency you want.
• Serving suggestions: If you plan to serve this dish hot fry the fish and serve immediately. Alternatively cool the fish and stew first, place the fish in a large shallow dish, cover with the stew and serve (you can also refrigerate it overnight and serve cold the next day).
• Storing: Leftovers can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 3 days.
• Freezing: Freeze individual portions for up to 3 months.

More Polish Christmas Eve dishes

• Polish Dried Fruit Compote Recipe (Christmas)
• Polish Borscht Recipe (Christmas)

as well as

• Polish Potato and Cheese Pierogi (Ruskie) Dumplings
• Polish Kutia Recipe (Wheat Berry Pudding)

You might also like this collection of 13 healthy, easy one pot chicken recipes.

Keep in touch!

How did your fish with vegetables turn out for you?  Did you serve it cold or hot?  Let me know in the comments below, thanks!

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Fish with Vegetables (Polish Ryba po Grecku)

This delicious fish with vegetables is a traditional Polish dish typically served on Christmas Eve. 'Ryba po Grecku' consists of stewed root vegetables served alongside fried white fish. It's incredibly simple to prepare and can be enjoyed either hot or cold.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Polish

Keyword: fish, vegetables

Servings: 6 portions

Calories: 251kcal

Author: Monika Dabrowski

Ingredients

• 600 g cod or haddock, skinless, boneless, cut into large pieces
• 2 medium onions finely chopped
• 400 g carrots 4-5 medium carrots, peeled, coarsely grated (peeled weight)
• 150 g parsnips approx. 2 medium parsnips, peeled, coarsely grated (peeled weight)
• 80 g celeriac peeled, coarsely grated (peeled weight)
• 5 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
• 6 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 large bay leaf
• 2 allspice berries
• 1 tsp paprika
• 3 tbsp olive oil plus more for frying the fish
• 1 tsp coarse sea salt and pepper to taste
• 2/3-1 cup water or more depending on preference
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour for coating the fish

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

• Start by preparing the vegetable sauce. Chop the onion and coarsely grate the other vegetables.  In a pot heat up 3 tablespoons of the oil, add the bay leaf, allspice and onions and fry gently over a medium heat for 4 minutes until golden.
• Add the grated carrots, parsnip, celeriac, parsley, seasoning, paprika and some of the water.  Stir, cover and cook for 5 minutes stirring often. Add the tomato puree, the rest of the water and continue cooking for 6-8 more minutes or until the vegetables are tender.  Remove from the heat, stir in the butter, adjust the seasoning if needed and set aside.
• Season the fish pieces and coat in the flour.  Fry in 3 tablespoons of oil over a fairly high heat for about 2 minutes on each side (or longer if your fish pieces are thicker). Serve immediately with the vegetable stew. Alternatively chill the fish and stew first, then place the fish in a large shallow dish, cover with the stew and serve.

Notes

• The fish: Either cod or haddock would work, but you can also use hake, tilapia or bass. Use either fresh or frozen fish, but if you choose to use frozen take it out of the freezer ahead in order to let it thaw.  The best way to do this is by placing the frozen fish in the fridge overnight. Once it's thawed completely pat it dry to remove excess water.
• Make the sauce ahead: You can make the vegetable stew the day before and once cooled, refrigerate it until you are ready to serve it.
• Consistency of sauce: The vegetable stew is quite thick but you can adjust the amount of water to get the consistency you want. 
• Serving suggestions: If you plan to serve this dish hot fry the fish and serve immediately. Alternatively cool the fish and stew first, place the fish in a large shallow dish, cover with the stew and serve (you can also refrigerate it overnight and serve cold the next day).
• Storing: Leftovers can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 3 days.
• Freezing: Freeze individual portions for up to 3 months.

 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 251kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 652mg | Potassium: 1002mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 11925IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 2mg

Recipe Link Parties

I am bringing this healthy fish with vegetables recipe to #CookBlogShare, which I have the pleasure of hosting this week.  Also sharing with Cook Once Eat Twice and Fiesta Friday.