Plachie de pește
Lent and the feast of the Annunciation, when Orthodox Romanians may eat fish, are the moments for plachie: thick carp steaks laid on a deep bed of slow-cooked onions, covered with tomato and bay, and baked in plenty of oil until the onions turn sweet and jammy. Recipes travel along the Danube from the Delta to Brăila and Galați, and the dish is just as good warm as it is cold the next day. The flavour is mellow and Mediterranean, with the tomato and onion soaking into the rich, mild carp. Serve it with mămăligă or bread to mop up the oil. The usual slip is skimping on the onion stage; they need a good 15 minutes in the pan first, or they stay crunchy under the fish. Chef's tip: lightly score the carp skin and rub it with salt 20 minutes ahead; it firms the flesh and seasons it all the way through.



