Viennese Baked Fish With Sour Cream

As an inland country, Austria’s primary sources of fish are the Danube River, mountain lakes, and streams, from which are taken a good supply of three favorite kinds – trout, carp, and pike. The latter, called Hecht, is very often baked and flavored with sour cream.

I recall eating a dish similar to this one in a small restaurant on a mountainside overlooking Innsbruck, the capital of the Tyrol, and considered by many people to be one of the world’s most beautiful cities. The view was exhilarating and the fare inviting.

Leave the fish whole or cut it into serving pieces. Place in a buttered shallow baking dish. Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the onions and saute until tender. Add the sour cream, capers, salt, pepper, and dill and mix well.

Spoon over the dish. Top with the lemon slices and sprinkle with paprika. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (350F) for about 20 minutes, or until the fish is fork tender. Baste occasionally while cooking.

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds pike or whitefish, cleaned and washed.

3 tablespoons butter or margarine.

2 medium onions, sliced.

2 cups sour cream at room temperature.

2 tablespoons drained capers.

Salt, and pepper to taste.

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or parsley.

1 lemon, sliced.

Paprika.