Fish Zrazy with Green Peas

Name: Fish Zrazy with Green Peas
Ingredients: 500 g white fish fillet (net weight); 50 g white loaf bread; 50 ml milk; 1 egg; salt; pepper; breadcrumbs (or an additional ≈50 g white loaf bread); vegetable oil for frying; 150 g frozen green peas; 50 g onion; salt

These are wonderfully tender and flavorful fish zrazy with a bright green filling that can brighten even the gloomiest of days. Any white fish fillet works great here — pike perch, cod, pollock, hake, pike, etc. (I used hake fillet). If you're working with frozen fish like I did, buy a little extra. I started with a 750 g package of fish fillet, which yielded exactly 500 g. Frozen green peas are the best choice for the filling — you'll find them in the freezer aisle alongside other frozen vegetable mixes. They have a fresher, more pleasant flavor than canned peas. If you can't find them, you can use broccoli or frozen green beans instead and it'll still be delicious. This recipe made 10 medium-sized zrazy for me.

Ingredients:

500 g white fish fillet (net weight)
50 g white loaf bread
50 ml milk
1 egg
salt
pepper
breadcrumbs (or an additional ≈50 g white loaf bread)
vegetable oil for frying
Filling:
150 g frozen green peas
50 g onion
salt

How to cook fish zrazy with green peas

Make the filling. Peel the onion and finely chop it. Heat vegetable oil in a skillet, add the onion, and cook until translucent.

Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan and add salt. Add the frozen green peas (do not thaw beforehand), bring back to a boil, and cook for 3 minutes.

Drain the peas in a colander and rinse with cold water. This stops the cooking process and helps the peas keep their bright green color. Add the sautéed onion to the peas.

Blend with an immersion blender until smooth.

Trim the crusts off the bread, break it into pieces, and soak in milk.

Fully thaw the fish fillet and pat it dry thoroughly on both sides with paper towels. It's important to dry the fish well so the mixture isn't watery and holds its shape during frying. Process the fillet in a food processor until completely smooth (if you don't have one, run it through a meat grinder twice).

Add the soaked and lightly squeezed bread, egg, salt, and pepper, then blend again.

Place about one-tenth of the fish mixture in the palm of your hand and flatten it into a patty. Place a teaspoon of filling in the center.

Carefully fold the edges over and shape into an oblong patty.

Coat in breadcrumbs. I used homemade breadcrumbs from dried loaf bread (trim the crusts and grate the bread on a fine grater), but store-bought breadcrumbs work just as well.