How to make
The pike fish should be cleaned from the scales, the abdominal cavity should be cut with a longitudinal incision and the entrails should be removed. We don't throw the caviar away, which turned out to be a bonus - you can bake it.
Decide for yourself whether to cut off the tail and fins, but I cook the dish in a ''natural'' style and keep the natural attributes.
Rinse the pike thoroughly inside and out in cold water. Please note that there will be a lot of slime on the surface, it is convenient to dry it, by wiping with a paper towel.
After finishing the most time-consuming and unpleasant process, salt the product firmly on all sides - do not forget about the pike caviar, season it as well.
Cover with a mixture of spicy mustard and mayonnaise - spread thickly, all over.
Change the proportions of only two components of the simplest sauce according to your own preferences - instead of spicy mustard, get mild and instead of mayonnaise, use sour cream.
Knowing that lunch and dinner are scheduled for a certain time, taking into account one and a half to two hours of roasting in the oven, put the prepared fish on the refrigerator shelf - marinating will not hurt.
Continue to cook and immediately proceed to cutting vegetables.
The carrot and onion stuffing is prepared. First remove the top layer and cut the peeled onion into thin rings. There must be plenty of garnish and for two kilos, although cleaned, the pike will need one large onion, carrot, or two or three small ones.
I think there is enough salt in the fish, so I leave the carrot and onion mixture unseasoned. I mix and stuff the fish tightly from tail to head. If you like softer and fattier vegetables, first fry them in vegetable oil in the usual way.
Vegetable mixture with sweet purple onions, garlic and potatoes (4-5 pcs., about half a red chili pepper (chili). The list is small, expand, experiment. We do not remove the skins from the garlic cloves to make them more appetizing.
Divide the onion into large rings and also slice the potatoes. Cut the chili into rings or add half. The garnish will become colorful and light.
First we put the stuffed pike (due to the large size, I had to bend the fish slightly), fill the free space with various pieces of vegetables - try to place it evenly, without piling up anything. Cover with foil.
Sprinkle with olive oil, sunflower or another oil - soak everything, so that each product gets a drop of fat. Sprinkle the vegetables for garnish with salt, dried basil, spicy bay leaves, sprinkle black pepper on the pike for a crunchy texture.
Cover the top with a sheet of baking paper or foil, without sealing - leave it loose. For about 1.5 hours, roast the whole pike and along with the vegetables at a temperature of 340°F (170°C).
Preheat the oven to maximum, then reduce the temperature. For the last 15-20 minutes, roast a little, by removing the foil.
The roasted fish is stewed, until it becomes tender, exchanges flavors with the garnish and a mouth-watering sauce forms underneath.
The whole roasted pike for a holiday is ready.
