If you are a fish lover and want to spice up your dinner routine, you’ve landed in the right spot! Today, we’re diving into a deliciously hearty dish: German Fish Goulash. This vibrant recipe blends fresh fish with a medley of spices and vegetables, creating a comforting meal that’s healthy and easy to make.
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A Perfect Dish for Any Occasion
Creamy dishes, such as German Fish Goulash, are both simple and elegant. It is quick and easy to prepare, ideal for a weekday dinner. The rich, creamy sauce paired with green vegetables adds a special touch, allowing you to serve this dish for festive occasions as well.
Ingredients That Make It Special
Fresh Fish Options
Cod – cod’s delicate meat goes perfectly with green vegetables and creamy sauce.
Salmon – to enhance the flavour, you can partly replace cod with salmon.
Packed with Green Vegetables
Leek – leek is one of my favourite vegetables that pairs perfectly with fish, so if you can, don’t skip it. In Germay we have access to fresh leek or year long, so I use the fresh one.
Green Beans – use fresh or frozen.
Peas – use fresh or frozen.
If you don’t like any of those vegetables, you can also add sliced carrots or kohlrabi sticks. They both go well with fish and creamy sauce.
Creating the Creamy Crème Fraîche Sauce
Creme Fraiche – creme fraiche gives the fish ragout a gentle, tart taste. You can replace it with 20% fat sour creme.
Fish Fond – use fish fond or vegetable broth if you don’t have access to fond.
Wine – use white wine.
Herbs and Spices — I like to keep it simple, so my fish ragout contains only salt, pepper, and mustard. To enhance the dish’s flavour, add dill, parsley, or chives.
Step-by-Step Guide to Making Fish Goulash
- Prepare the vegetables: cut the leek into one-centimetre-wide slices.
- Prepare the fish: wash, tap dry and cut the fish. Check with your fingers if there are no fish bones!
- Simmer the vegetables with wine and fish stew.
- Make a sauce by adding creme fraiche, mustard and spices.
- Stir in the fish pieces and let it cook for 7 minutes.
Tips for Perfecting Your Dish
If you want the cod pieces to remain intact, stir the goulash gently after adding the fish. But don’t worry—the fish ragout will still be delicious when your fish pieces fall apart.
If you want your green beans to be vibrant green, cook them separately and rinse them with cold water. Add them to the sauce right before serving.
Side Dishes to Complement Your Meal
Various dishes go exceptionally well with Germa Fish Goulash. My favourites are rice and boiled potatoes, but feel free to serve it with noodles or Spätzle if you like. I will encourage you to make a side salad to add more vegetables. Eating fresh on the side is always good, mainly when serving cream sauces.
Other German Fish Dishes
If you love cooking with fish, there are some of my favourite German Fish Dishes that you could try:
- German Forelle Müllerin – oven-baked trout with butter and almonds
- German Fish Stew – creamy fish stew packed with healthy vegetables
Tools that might come in handy
Storage & Reheating
Store fish goulash in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.
Freeze German fish ragout for up to 3 months.
Defrosting fish overnight in the refrigerator is a safe and recommended method for thawing frozen fish. Then, reheat the fish goulash slowly in a pan or pot.
German Fish Goulash - Creamy Fish Stew Recipe
- 2 leeks
- 200 gram green beans I use frozen
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 100 mililiters white wine
- 400 mililiters fish fond
- 250 gram creme fraiche or sour cream with over 10% of fat
- 1 tablesoon flour
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 1 tablespoon sugar or more
- 100 gram green peas I use frozen
- 500 gram fresh cod or salmon
- Peel the leek and remove the green parts. Cut it into rings that are one centimetre wide. Wash the rings and tap them dry.
- Wash the rest of the vegetables. Remove the tip of the green beans' stem end. You can keep the tail if you like.
- Preheat the pan to medium heat and melt the butter in it.
- Add the leek and fry for 3 minutes. Add the wine and let it evaporate.
- Add green beans and fish fond. Cover the pan with the lid and simmer for 10 minutes. The vegetables should be tender after this.
- In the meantime, wash, tap dry and cut the fish into bite-sized pieces.
- Season the fish with a little bit of salt and pepper.
- In a small bowl, combine the creme fraiche and flour.
- As soon as the leek and green beans are tender, add the creme fraiche-flour mixture. Bring it to a boil. Add green peas, mustard, salt, pepper and sugar. Try the sauce and see if you like it. Correct the seasoning if needed.
- Bring the sauce to a boil and add the fish. Make sure that the fish pieces are covered with the sauce. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 6-7 minutes. Be gentle when stirring, as the dish pieces may fall apart.
- If you want the cod pieces to remain intact, add the fish at the end and from that time on, stir the goulash gently
- If you want your green beans to be vibrant green, cook them separately and rinse them with cold water
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