The Tsar of Russian Fish

Sturgeon (in Russian, osetrina) tends to best-known for its unhatched offspring, otherwise known as caviar. But in Russia, where fish has long been a valued part of the diet, the 24 types of sturgeon (some of which can reach 30 feet in length and weigh up to a ton and a half) are themselves a treasured delicacy, if properly prepared.

And proper preparation is everything. In Anton Chekhov’s famous short story, The Lady with a Dog (Dama s sobachkoy), the protagonist, Dmitry, aches to tell someone about a woman whom he is infatuated with:

“One night, exiting the doctor’s club with his partner, a bureaucrat, he could not hold back, and said:

– If only you knew, what a charming woman I met in Yalta!

The bureaucrat sat in his sled and made to drive away, but suddenly twisted himself around and cried out:

– Dmitry Dmitrich!

– What?

– You were right a while ago: the sturgeon was tainted!”

This humorous passage has since passed into Russian cultural parlance. To remark, “a osetrina-to s dushkom” (“the sturgeon was tainted”), is a way to indicate that what you have to say is totally off the subject, but much more important than what is being talked about just now. And few fish native to Russia are as important or favored as sturgeon.

There is some debate why sturgeon has a prime place in the piscatory pantheon of Russia. Perhaps it is because it had to be brought from rivers and regions relatively remote from Moscow or St. Petersburg, which made it very expensive for the elites living in those cities. Or perhaps because of the fish’s huge size, appetite and prolific nature. Or perhaps simply because of its unique taste.

Darra Goldstein, in her cookbook, A Taste of Russia, recounts a story that tells of Tsarina Catherine the Great’s love of sturgeon soup. Apparently Count Potemkin {see RL, May 1998} was hosting the tsarina and desired to make her sturgeon soup at a time of year when sturgeon was absent from Moscow markets ... almost. Relying on the services of a cunning fishmonger, he obtained enough sturgeon for the dish, but at a very steep price: he had to give up a painting which he had recently purchased for 10,000 rubles.

These days, good sturgeon is still an expensive commodity, but if prepared properly, it can itself be a work of art. And what better way to prepare it properly than cook it a la tsar – “po-tsarsky”?

Osetrina Po-Tsarsky

INGREDIENTS

12 oz. Sturgeon

1/4 cup flour

1/4 lb. ushrooms

2 average size potatoes

2 medium size onions

Half a medium size tomato

Half a hard boiled egg

1-2 oz. shrimp or crab

1/2 lb. sour cream

1/8 lb. butter

Grated cheese (gouda or edam).

Cut the filet of sturgeon (deskinned) at a 45 degree angle into two equal portions of roughly six ounces each. Roll each portion in salty wheat flour and then  simmer in butter until it is cooked.

Wash the mushrooms (white champignons will do if wild mushrooms are not available), dry them, and slice each into 5-6 pieces. Sauté the mushrooms in butter until fully cooked. Wash the potatoes and slice into quarter-inch slices. Fry the slices in vegetable oil until fully cooked. Peel the onions and dice. Sauté in butter until golden brown.

Now the cooked ingredients will be placed in a frying pan in layers. First comes the two portions of sturgeon, topped first by the onions, then the mushrooms. Next, layer on round slices of tomatoes and then round slices of hard boiled egg, followed by bits of the crab or shrimp. Then place the slices of potato around the edges.

The Sauce: Prepare a roux by first melting the butter in a frying pan and adding the flour until the mixture has the consistency of softened butter or loose sour cream. Sauté this roux mixture until golden brown.

Thin the sour cream with water (add water equivalent to 30-40% of the sour cream’s volume). Bring this lightened cream to the boiling point, so it is approximately the same temperature as the roux. Mix the hot cream into the roux and continue stirring to make the sauce an even consistency. Add a dollop of butter, salt and pepper to taste. Pour the final sauce over the layered ingredients in the frying pan and grate some cheese on top.

Finally, sprinkle a bit of salt over the meal bake it in the oven at 375o for 10-15 minutes, until there is a red crust on top of the cheese layer. Remove from the oven, garnish with cut parsley or dill and serve immediately.

Recipe courtesy of Lyudmila Voedilova, master-chef at Moscow’s Prague retaurant.