Welcome to a classic taste of Eastern European home cooking! This Baked Navaga with a vegetable marinade is a beloved dish, known for its delightful balance of sweet and sour flavors. Navaga, or saffron cod, is a mild, flaky white fish that becomes incredibly tender and juicy when baked with this aromatic vegetable topping. It's a wonderfully simple, budget-friendly recipe that transforms humble ingredients into a truly comforting and flavorful meal, perfect for a weeknight family dinner.
Delicious navaga in the oven – marinated fish
Ingredients for Baked Navaga with Marinade
- 500 g navaga fish (saffron cod)
- 130 g leek
- 150 g carrots
- 80 g celery
- 15 g soy sauce
- 20 g wine vinegar
- 25 g granulated sugar
- wheat flour, sea salt, vegetable oil
How to Cook Marinated Navaga Fish
1-2 hours before cooking, take the fish out of the freezer, place it in a bowl of cold water, and rinse well. To clean the navaga (saffron cod, a type of codfish), you don’t need any fancy tools; kitchen shears and a fish scaler are sufficient. So, scale the fish, then make an incision along the belly and remove the innards. If you’re lucky, you might find some roe inside.
Along the spine on the underside, there is a cavity filled with a dark substance; it should be cut open and cleaned out thoroughly. Rinse the cleaned fish well again under running water.
Cleaning and gutting the fish
Now, cut the fish into serving-sized pieces. A medium-sized fish can be cut into 3-4 parts.
Cutting the fish into pieces
Pour a few tablespoons of wheat flour onto a plate, add sea salt to taste, and mix. Dredge the fish pieces and any roe in the flour mixture on all sides.
Dredging the fish in flour
Heat refined vegetable oil for frying in a pan, and quickly pan-fry the fish on both sides until golden brown.
Frying the fish
Peel the carrots and grate them on a coarse vegetable grater or cut into thin strips. Slice the light part of the leek stem into rings. Dice the celery into small cubes. Grease a baking dish with oil and arrange the fried fish pieces in it.
Sauté the sliced leek, grated carrot, and diced celery in vegetable oil until soft. Then, pour in the wine vinegar and soy sauce, add the granulated sugar, and salt to taste. Simmer the seasoned vegetables for another 3-4 minutes.
Grating the carrot
Finely chopping the celery
Sautéing the vegetables
Spoon the vegetables over the navaga pieces and pour the sauce from the pan over them. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake for 8-10 minutes.
Baking the navaga with vegetables in the oven
Take the marinated navaga out of the oven, sprinkle with finely chopped green onions, and serve with mashed potatoes or rice.
The baked navaga with marinade is ready!
And there you have it—a beautiful and aromatic dish of baked navaga, ready to be enjoyed! The combination of the tender fish and the tangy vegetable marinade is simply irresistible. This dish is traditionally served warm with a side of creamy mashed potatoes or simple boiled rice to soak up all the delicious sauce. Feel free to experiment with other vegetables in the marinade, like bell peppers or parsnips, to make it your own. Enjoy this comforting and hearty meal!
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