How to bake the old Russian fish pie ‘Nakryopok’ (RECIPE)

Olga Brovkina

Feb 28 2023

How to bake the old Russian fish pie ‘Nakryopok’ (RECIPE) — Legion Media

This old puffy pie, common in the North of Russia, consists of several delicious layers: grits, eggs, and lightly-salted salmon. Traditionally, it’s baked for one’s dearest and most esteemed guests.

For many centuries, pies in Russian cuisine have been a symbol of hospitality, home warmth and celebration. No wonder that the word “pie” in Russian is pirog, which in turn comes from the Russian word for "feast" (pir).

Nakryopok is an amazingly juicy pie, the recipe of which was created long ago by women living in the Pskov and Tver regions. The most coveted nakryopok was baked with rice, because it was expensive in olden times. Only wealthy families could afford such a pie.

As a rule, it was most often baked on major holidays. In general, a pie was a symbol of happiness and prosperity, and its round form symbolized the Sun. Some women would engage in fortune-telling depending on how good the pie turned out. For example, if the pie’s crust and the form came out well, then the year was expected to be full of prosperity and success.

The word for this pie’s name, nakryopok, comes from the Russian verb krepit ("to fasten"), which is associated with the method of its preparation. The pie of course has a filling – rice porridge, or you can use buckwheat or oatmeal. Then there’s a layer of hard-boiled eggs with onions. On top of the filling is a dense layer consisting of slices of lightly-salted salmon, which acts to ‘hold’ the pie together. All this is sealed in yeast dough. Sometimes the top of the pie was decorated with small ornamental dough fish.

According to another version, the pie is called nakryopok because of its satiating and nourishing ingredients. The pie is indeed hearty, which translates into old Russian as the word nakrepisty. So keep in mind that nakryopok probably isn’t a dish for when you’re dieting, but it certainly makes for a delicious and filling meal.

Ingredients for one pie (26 cm in diameter):

Flour – 400 g
Light beer or kefir – 200 g
Butter – 50-60 g
Sour cream 20-30% - 4 tbsps
Yeast – 12 g
Sugar – 1 tbsp
Salt – 0.5 tsp
Lightly salted salmon – 200 g
Eggs – 3 pcs
Rice – 100 g
Onion – 1 pc
Greens to taste
Milk – 100 g for soaking the fish

Preparation:

1. The first step is to soak the fish in milk. If you take an entire fish, it is better to cut it into sufficiently thick slices. Fill the plate of fish with milk and let it soak for at least 12 hours. If the fish is very salty, then for a day. Soaking in milk will give tenderness and juiciness to the future filling.

2. Now, let's make the dough. In a separate bowl, mix kefir (or beer), yeast, sugar and salt. Then put it in a warm place for 20 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, sift the flour, add the sourdough prepared above. Knead well. At the end of the kneading, put soft butter and sour cream; mix again.

4. Leave the dough for an hour in a warm place. Then mix a little bit with a hand and leave again for an hour.

5. In the meantime, let's do the filling. Cook rice and eggs until tender. Peel the eggs from the shell, cut into circles.

6. Finely chop the onion, as well as the greens.

7. Divide the dough into two parts. Roll out most of it onto a baking sheet into a layer. Now, spread the rice on it, and press it a little into the dough.