By Nik, founder of 東歐嚴選｜kefir.link and former chef · Updated 2 November 2026
Tilapia and thick slices of potato bake side by side in one dish, under a milk kefir sauce scented with ginger, garlic, turmeric and mint. Russian home cooks bake fish in kefir in many versions, and this one makes a whole dinner, with the potatoes as the side. The kefir does two jobs: it marinates the fish for half an hour, then goes into the oven as the sauce.
Why Thursday was fish day
In 1932 the Soviet Union introduced a fish day in public canteens to ease a meat shortage and support its fisheries. In 1976 Thursday became the official fish day, and ocean fish such as hake and pollock went on mass sale. Hake is still the fish in many Russian versions of this bake. Any fish without many bones works, served hot under fresh herbs. In Taiwan, the farmed tilapia sold in supermarkets as Taiwan sea bream is the easy choice.
A gentle marinade and a head start for the potatoes
Kefir works here as both marinade and baking liquid. Its lactic acid is gentler than vinegar or lemon juice, and delicate fish is best kept in it for under an hour. Raw potatoes cook far more slowly than fish fillets, so they are boiled almost tender first and then finish with the fish instead of staying hard in the middle.
Salmon parcels, soy sauce and curry
Salmon or trout works well with kefir, ginger, lemon, hard cheese and onion softened until translucent. Seal it in foil or a roasting bag, then spoon the sauce over at the table. For a festive dinner, marinate salmon in kefir with a splash of soy sauce and top it with onion, tomato and grated cheese before baking. For a lighter, spicier dish, coat firm white fish with just a little kefir, curry powder and herbs, bake it uncovered at 200°C for about 25 minutes and serve a green salad on the side.
Russian-style kefir fish and potato bake
Ingredients
- 500 g tilapia fillets Thaw frozen fillets in the refrigerator before starting.
- 700 g potatoes Peel.
- 400 g plain milk kefir Use unsweetened kefir.
- 20 g fresh ginger Peel and finely grate.
- 3 garlic cloves Peel and crush.
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- fresh mint About 10 leaves, chopped; keep a few whole leaves for serving.
- salt Season the sauce to taste before adding the raw fish.
- ground black pepper To taste.
You will need
- Oven
- Ovenproof baking dish, about 23 × 33 cm
- Saucepan
- Mixing bowl
- Knife and chopping board
- Fine grater
- Food thermometer
Instructions
- Cut the fish into pieces about 4–5 cm across.
- Mix the kefir, ginger, garlic, turmeric, mint, salt and pepper in a bowl. Taste and adjust the seasoning before adding the raw fish.
- Coat the fish with the sauce, cover the bowl and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- While the fish marinates, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
- While the fish marinates, put the peeled potatoes in a saucepan and add enough salted water to cover. Boil until almost tender.
- Drain the potatoes and, on a clean board that has not touched raw fish, cut into slices 1–1.5 cm thick.
- Arrange the fish and potato slices alternately in the baking dish.
- Pour all the marinade over the fish and potatoes.
- Bake uncovered for 20–30 minutes, checking from 20 minutes. The potatoes should be tender. Use a food thermometer to check that the fish and sauce at the centre of the bake reach 74°C (165°F); continue baking if needed.
- Scatter the reserved mint leaves over the bake and serve hot.
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