One objection that is occasionally raised against freshwater fish is that marine fish are more aromatic. Of course that’s too general. But if there is a bit of truth to this prejudice, it is also because sea fish have to protect their cells from the high salt content of their environment and to compensate, for example, store various amino acids, which in turn influence the taste. Glycine, for example, brings sweetness, while the glutamic acid in tuna or anchovies is more hearty. But you shouldn’t overrate such “taste rules”.
Austrian top chef Lukas Nagl points out how different even fish of the same species can taste, and that the differences between individual wild-caught specimens are often greater than between species, depending on where the fish lived and what they ate or when were caught. Another, only supposed paradox is: The clearer, cleaner and less nutrient-rich a lake or river is, the more aromatic the meat of its fish. Why? Because they grow more slowly than their peers in nutrient-rich waters.
Apart from that, fillets – especially freshwater fish with rather soft, tender flesh – can be given a flavor boost by soaking them in brine for 10 (up to a maximum of 60) minutes, ideally with a three percent concentration. Afterwards, Lukas Nagel advises, you should carefully pat them dry. For his brine recipe, you dissolve 30 g of salt and 10 g of sugar per liter in warm water and let it cool down before inserting the fillets. There is hardly a better seasoning trick.
Lukas Nagl is the current Austrian Chef of the Year (Gault & Millau), comes from Lake Attersee and works as a chef in the hotel restaurant “Bootshaus” on Lake Traunsee. So he knows a lot about mountain lakes. And there are few chefs who understand as much about freshwater fish as he does. You can read about it in his cookbook “Der Fischer und der Koch” (Servus-Verlag), which was published at the end of March and which – one has to say so exuberantly – turned out remarkably well. Unfortunately, it is still a rarity that top chefs not only succeed in presenting their skills, but also in making them really accessible to others. Nagl, however, quite naturally makes the link between everyday cooking and utility (his “quick dishes”, for example, are really fast!). He offers fishing knowledge, product information and serious sustainability tips (How does fish skin get deliciously crispy?), and he takes international inspiration for his recipes in a relaxed way.
The season for the Renke is just beginning
A great merit of his book is the reduction of the fear of the unknown, which the subject of fish preparation has never really lost. And as much as blue trout and fried whitefish with a mountain panorama have their justification, it is nice to read how confidently someone solves the Alpine lake fish cuisine from its regional cramps without losing their down-to-earth attitude. Well, not all readers will flambé a pike-perch head Japanese after reading it (not difficult at all!), but we now dare to try the fish Bolognese as well as the carp tartare or the crayfish hollandaise. And we’ll almost certainly make Asian fish balls from the next trout – with coriander seed, ginger, turmeric and spring onions.
For this column, however, whitefish is the topic, because of its tender, slightly nutty meat it is perhaps the most popular lake fish, whose season is just beginning after a long closed and spawning season. The vendace is a salmon fish known by various names (also reinanke, whitefish, houting or vendace), some of its species are even found in the North and Baltic Seas. Nagl, however, serves renken fillet in a surprisingly sophisticated way and at the same time impressively simple – as saltimbocca in orange butter. The recipe is a reminder that Italian chefs also use ham successfully in sea fish cuisine as a flavor booster, for example as a thick coating for monkfish. And that fish fillets were not always served with lemon wedges, but used to be seasoned with sweet and bitter Seville oranges, which works extremely well.
You only need a few ingredients for whitefish saltimbocca (4 people): 4 whitefish fillets, halved (trout or char also work well), 8 thin slices of streaky bacon, 8 sage leaves, the zest and juice of an organic orange and a little salt. For each portion, place two slices of bacon side by side on a worktop, place a sage leaf on top, and place half of the fillet, skin-side down, on top. Season the fillet with salt and some orange zest, cover with the second half (meat side to meat side), finish with another sage leaf and then roll in the bacon. This is a bit of handicraft work, you may fix the bacon like a roulade – with ribbon or a toothpick.
Fry each packet of fish on all sides in a hot pan in olive oil, then add 100 g butter and a bit of thyme (preferably fresh) and a dash of garlic oil (you can also fry a clove beforehand); melted butter to brown slightly and then allow to cool briefly, deglaze with the squeezed orange juice and mix, season to taste and serve as a sauce. Fish saltimbocca goes well with rice, but also with polenta or mashed potatoes.
This is what you need for whitefish saltimbocca in orange vinaigrette
– 4 whitefish fillets, each halved (alternatively trout or char)
– 8 slices lean or streaky bacon
– 8 sage leaves
– Zest and juice of an untreated orange
– 100 grams of butter
– 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme (dried thyme also works, but is more intense and less fragrant)
– Olive oil, salt, garlic oil (or 1 clove of garlic)