The Pike-Perch king of "Hungarian ocean".

Fogas or pike-perch is the king of Balaton lake has really king size more than three pounds (1.5 kilograms). Some pike-perches reaches a weight between thirteen and eighteen pounds!





Scientists have argued about the relationship of the Balaton pike-perch to the salmon. Fogas belongs to the salmon family but is of a kind unique to the Balaton, and is not to be found anywhere else. Hungarian chefs have a lot of recipes how to cook this wonderful fish. And the preference for the whole fish pan-broiled.

Whole Broiled Pike-Perch with sour cream sauce.
ingredients:

• 1 pike-perch about 2 kg
• salt
• flour
• 150 g smoked bacon, sliced in strips
• 1 medium size onion finely chopped
  
• 100 g butter
• 200 ml sour cream
• 100 ml heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika ( we are in Hungary!)
• 1 slice of lemon
  

Scale and wash the pike-perch. Cut back the gills, oil and score the fish on both sides to prevent contraction while broiling. Salt the fish, turn it in flour. Melt in a large frying pan butter and broil the pike-perch at a high temperature for about 15 minutes. Remove the fish and keep it warm.

Sauce: Fry in butter onion till transparent. Add the sour and sweet cream, cook a little and add paprika. Combine the flour and remaining butter and add them to the onion cream. Stir constantly till the sauce is thickened. pass the sauce though a sieve. Serve the pike-perch and garnish with the lemon slice and sauce.