Koran fish Casserole (speckled trout) cooked with onions and walnuts is native to the lakeside area of Pogradec. It is a special dish commonly found in Pogradeci families during the most important events of their lives. Given that Koran fish is found only in the Pogradec Lake, this cooking is more widespread in the lakeside area. It consists of Koran fish cooked in a clay pot accompanied by onions and lake water (the most traditional way of cooking).

The recipe for 4-5 servings:

2 Koran fish 300-400 gr.

4-5 red onions.

3-4 tablespoons of olive oil

4-5 cloves of garlic.

2-3 tablespoons of crushed walnuts.

Lemon juice, white wine, salt, black pepper, and white vinegar.

Making Koran casserole with walnuts

Onions and Koran fish are the main ingredients of this dish. Usually in Pogradec, Lini’s red onion is used for this casserole. As a first step, chop the onion not too finely, as it will sweat under the oven temperature and turns translucent. Next, peel a tomato and cut it into slices or small cubes. Start to sauté the onion in olive oil until it softens. Add the tomato mass and keep sautéing the mixture. Add spices, bay leaves, black pepper, salt, and garlic, stir the mixture with a wooden spoon and add some water. Once the mixture has become somewhat homogeneous, pour it into the pan and drop the previously cleaned fish on top. Pour the sauce consisting of white wine, lemon, vinegar, and olive oil over the fish. Put the pan in the oven for about 90 minutes at 1800 C, so that the sauce with onion will become a slurry.

Before serving, add a handful of crushed walnuts.