Fish with rice is almost a universal meal across the world. Eastern Europe is no exception. Macedonian Fish with Rice (Македонски риба со ориз) is also known as pot rice, or baked rice. You can make it with any meat, but most commonly it's made with chicken or fish.
It's an easy One Pot Wonder, often seasoned with Vegeta seasoning. Vegeta's a seasoning salt created in Croatia in 1959, and is commonly used in Eastern European cooking. It was first sold in Yugoslavia, then slowly across the the Soviet Union states. Now it's sold all over the world, including Australia. Vegeta provides an easy flavour base for this dish, along side the fish and rice.
I almost feel like Vegeta is a secret ingredient used in Eastern European cooking. When someone tells you to season it, they don't mean salt and pepper. They all use Vegeta! I almost always use Vegeta instead of salt when I'm making soup stock, it just adds better flavour. You could also add tomatoes and paprika to the Macedonian Fish with Rice for extra flavour, but that's optional.
The thing about Eastern Europeans, is that we love heat, in the form of saunas, or natural hot springs, or anything hot. Most of the Russians in Australia that I know, have visited a town in central New South Wales Australia, called Moree. And most of them did family trips to Moree as children.
Moree has natural artesian hot springs baths, which are filled with Eastern Europeans, who come there for the medicinal hot waters. Seriously, so many Eastern Europeans in Moree, I think they keep the hot springs in business, and have for decades!
This Macedonian Fish with Rice is a recipe that I came across ages ago, from a woman name Vera, who lives near Wollongong (yes, that's a name of city here in Australia). She was vacationing in Moree. Vera and her friends are all retired, so they don't want to spend hours in the kitchen, they just want delicious, easy, real food, (so they can get back to the hot springs).
I'm sorry I dont have more photos, but Macedonian Fish with Rice is a very rustic and easy meal to make. Carp was her fish of choice, which is a common fish in Macedonia. She told me that you can use any fish, but always use a fish with the bones still inside it, as bones provide more flavour to the meal. I must admit my heart sank a bit, as I absolutely hate bones in my fish! However, the Macedonian Fish with Rice was amazing, and the bones were easy to pull out.
Macedonian Fish with Rice (Македонски риба со ориз). Rustic, real, simple. An easy meal to make, when we are short on time in our busy lives. Maybe it's only me that feels too busy, unless anyone else has spare time to share? Thought not. Enjoy. Bon Appetit! Приятного аппетита!
Ingredients
- 500 g/1lb fish fillet pieces
- 1 onion choppped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Vegeta or to taste
- 1 to mato chopped optional
- 1 cup rice washed
- 3 cups water
- small bunch parsley finely chopped
Instructions
- In a large frying pan, add oil and fry the onion and garlic and cook until translucent. Add the Vegeta and optional tomato and stir through. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the washed rice and fry together with the onions for a 2 minutes.Add 3 cups of water to the rice onion mixture and mix. Place the rice mixture in a baking pan/tray. Taste for flavour and saltiness and adjust Vegeta if necessary.
- It's best to salt the fish overnight in the fridge, or at least a few hours before using. Place the fish fillet pieces on top of the rice mixture and bake for 30 minutes at 200°C/400°F or until rice and fish are cooked.
- Garnish with parsley.
Notes
PetersFoodAdventures.com
Joseph
very good rice and catfish steaks were juicy and flavorful used a ton of Vegeta. well a lot , thank you ,,been cooking for 72 years , always considered " nothing ventured nothing gained "
joseph
Hmmm ,interesting recipe , been using Vegeta on occasion, thawing some Blue catfish steaks was gonna cajun season and grill 4 but now grilling two and will make your recipe tomorrow will post how it turned out.!! thank you
Katherine Radakovich
Peter I haven't tried your recipe yet. But I had to write because I am smiling ear to ear and chuckling at this blog on fish and Vegeta. I came across your blog while deciding what to do with a tin of lumpfish roe. I had to chuckle at your Vegeta story. I live in the US, born in Detroit area. I have a similar family immigration story with my relatives being from Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia. My grandfather, long passed now and I miss him dearly, was born in Serbia in 1912. Vegeta is used very commonly in Serbian cooking. It may have been commercialized in 1959 but was used much longer. I recall asking him what his mother used to cook. He tended to describe things in short phrases and hand motions - he spoke mostly Serbian and I speak mostly English. I recall him saying... Onion, vegeta (hand motion throwing into pot), rice, vegeta, meat, vegeta and so on. Every other ingredient...Vegeta.
Vegeta is just MSG. It is used all over Europe very commonly and apparently has been in use for a very very long time!
I'm looking forward to trying some of your recipes! Thank you for sharing. I love finding new well constructed, genuine blogs.
Peter Kolesnichenko
Thanks Katherine! Your comment made me smile! What a great story. I always have Vegeta on hand 🤣 So glad you discovered my recipes, hope you love them as much as we do!
Lynne Hoareau
I love fish in all forms - the more rustic the better 🙂 (It is all about time haha) The vegeta salt sounds interesting, so must do some research on that. ...Pinning this 🙂
PetersFoodAdventures
Thanks Lynne! Usually simple done well is best. I was surprised how quick this was made, we were just talking and before I knew it, it was all done and ready to eat! Thanks for the pin too 🙂
Rotwein
Looks tasty!! Yes , bones become stock add good flavour!
Mmmmm... very curious about Vegeta.... . Found on Amazon JP with 4 star (out of 5) reviews! Must be good....
PetersFoodAdventures
Thanks - yes, Vegeta is a tasty stock with vegetables in it, thus the name... Hope you can find it locally! 🙂