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Ribnik
Carp baked in bread with rice
Рибник: Bulgarian St Nicholas' Day carp baked in bread with rice and walnuts
St Nicholas (Nikulden), on 6 December, is the patron of fishermen and sailors in Bulgaria, and every family that day eats carp, and many make ribnik: a whole carp (or carp fillets) stuffed with rice, onion, walnuts and raisins, wrapped in bread dough and baked so the dough soaks up the juices. The bread and the fish are blessed and shared with neighbours. This version uses carp fillets, which avoids the bones. Chef's tip: lay the fish skin-side down on the dough and seal the seams well, so the juices stay inside.
- Total time
- 110 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb strong white flour
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 ¼ cups lukewarm water
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
For the filling
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 3 ½ oz short-grain rice
- ¾ cup hot water
- 2 ⅛ oz walnutschopped
- 1 ⅜ oz raisins
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp dried savory
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 ¾ lb carp fillets, skin on
- 1 eggbeaten
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb strong white flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast and 1 ½ tsp salt, add 1 ¼ cups lukewarm water and 2 tbsp sunflower oil and knead for 8 minutes. Cover and leave for 1 hour, until doubled.
8 minStep 2: Fry 1 onion in 3 tbsp sunflower oil for 6 minutes, add 3 ½ oz short-grain rice for 2 minutes, then ¾ cup hot water. Simmer until absorbed, about 10 minutes. Stir in 2 ⅛ oz walnuts, 1 ⅜ oz raisins, 1 tsp sweet paprika, 1 tsp dried savory, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper. Cool.
18 minStep 3: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan). Roll two-thirds of the dough into an oval larger than the fish, on a lined tray.
Step 4: Lay half of 1 ¾ lb carp fillets, skin on skin-side down in the middle, spread the rice filling on top, then cover with the rest of the fillets skin-side up. Roll out the remaining dough, lay over and seal the edges well. Shape a tail and fins and mark scales with scissors.
15 minStep 5: Brush with 1 egg and bake for 50–60 minutes, until golden brown and a thermometer through the crust into the fish reads 145°F, with flesh that is opaque and flaking. A common mistake is a thin top crust, which tears and lets the fish dry out.
55 minStep 6: Rest for 10 minutes, then cut into slices with bread, fish and filling in each.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 62 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ribnik take?
- About 110 minutes in total: 50 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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