Rybnik (Russian Open-Faced Fish Pie)

About This Recipe

Rybnik is a homely Russian fish pie made in a skillet rather than a deep dish — a shortcrust pastry base holds flaked white fish mixed with sautéed onion, dill and a little sour cream, topped with a lattice or partial pastry lid that lets steam escape as it bakes. It's simpler than the elaborate coulibiac fish pies of festive Russian cooking, closer to what a home cook makes on a weeknight with pantry staples. The fish is cooked briefly first so it doesn't release excess liquid into the pastry during baking, then folded with onion cooked until sweet and a spoon of sour cream for richness. The pastry needs a vented top, whether lattice strips or a few slashed cuts, so the filling's steam has somewhere to go rather than turning the crust soggy. This is unpretentious Russian home baking — a filling, savory pie that turns a couple of fish fillets into a full dinner, best served warm with the crust still crisp at the edges.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 500 gwhite fish fillets(cod or haddock, cut into chunks)
• 3 tbspoil
• 1onion(diced)
• 1 sheetshortcrust or puff pastry(store-bought, thawed if frozen, enough for base and top)
• 1egg(beaten, for wash)
• 0.25 cupsour cream
• 1 tspfine sea salt
• 0.5 tspblack pepper
• 3 tbspchopped dill

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the filling

   Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onion until soft and golden, about 7 minutes. Add fish chunks and cook gently 3-4 minutes until just opaque, being careful not to overcook. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

2. 2

   Season the filling

   Fold sour cream, salt, pepper and dill into the fish mixture, breaking the fish into large flakes as you go.

3. 3

   Line the pan

   Roll out the base pastry and line an oven-safe skillet or pie dish, letting excess hang over the edge.

4. 4

   Fill and top

   Spoon the fish filling into the pastry base. Cover with the remaining pastry, crimping the edges to seal, and cut a few vents or a lattice pattern in the top.

   Venting the top is essential — trapped steam will make the crust soggy instead of crisp.

5. 5

   Bake

   Brush the top with beaten egg and bake at 200°C for 30-35 minutes until deeply golden.

6. 6

   Rest and serve

   Let the pie rest 10 minutes before slicing so the filling sets slightly and doesn't spill out.

Variations

• •

  Add cooked rice or hard-boiled egg slices to the filling for a heartier coulibiac-style version.

• •

  Use salmon instead of white fish for a richer, more colorful filling.

• •

  Make individual hand pies using the same filling for portioned servings.

Storage

Refrigerate leftover pie up to 3 days; reheat slices in a 180°C oven for 10-12 minutes to re-crisp the pastry rather than using a microwave.

Frequently Asked Questions