Equipment
Ingredients
Filling
- 400 g cod fillet, thick center-cut piece, patted completely dry
- 300 g sauerkraut, undrained weight from jar
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 granny smith apple, peeled and grated
- 2 g caraway seeds
- 15 g whole grain mustard
- 15 g unsalted butter
Pastry
- 150 g phyllo dough, thawed
- 80 g unsalted butter, melted
- 30 g panko breadcrumbs
Riesling Sauce
- 1 shallot, minced
- 150 ml dry riesling wine
- 100 ml fish stock
- 100 ml heavy cream
- 40 g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 5 g fresh dill, finely chopped
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 637 kcal
- Protein
- 25 g
- Carbohydrates
- 38 g
- Fat
- 40 g
- Fiber
- 5 g
- Sugar
- 7 g
- Sodium
- 881 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 24 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 12 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 144 mg
- Potassium
- 815 mg
- Calcium
- 103 mg
- Iron
- 3.6 mg
- Magnesium
- 66 mg
- Phosphorus
- 310 mg
- Zinc
- 1.2 mg
- Vitamin A
- 353 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 16 mg
- Vitamin D
- 1.3 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.9 mg
- Vitamin K
- 16 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.5 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 1.0 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.42 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.33 mg
- Niacin
- 4.4 mg
- Folate
- 79 mcg
- Water
- 270 g
- Alcohol
- 4 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat your oven to 200C/400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the sauerkraut in a clean kitchen towel and twist tightly over the sink to squeeze out as much liquid as humanly possible. This is critical to prevent a soggy strudel.
Melt the first 15g of unsalted butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and grated apple, cooking until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the drained sauerkraut, caraway seeds, and whole grain mustard. Cook for another 3 minutes to dry out the mixture, then remove from heat and let cool.
Lay one sheet of phyllo dough on a clean work surface. Keep the remaining sheets covered with a damp towel to prevent drying. Brush the sheet lightly with melted butter and sprinkle a sparse, even layer of panko breadcrumbs over it. Repeat this process until you have a stack of 6 to 8 sheets.
Spread the cooled sauerkraut mixture horizontally over the lower third of the phyllo stack, leaving a 3cm border at the edges. Season the cod fillet aggressively with salt and pepper, then lay the fish directly on top of the sauerkraut bed.
Carefully roll the phyllo dough up and over the cod, tucking in the left and right sides like a burrito to seal the ends. Place the formed strudel seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet and brush the entire exterior generously with the remaining melted butter.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the pastry is deeply golden brown and crisp, and the thickest part of the fish registers an internal temperature of 63C/145F.
While the strudel bakes, combine the minced shallot, Riesling wine, and fish stock in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Simmer vigorously until the liquid is reduced by two-thirds, which should take about 10 minutes.
Lower the heat to medium-low and whisk in the heavy cream, simmering for 2 minutes to thicken slightly. Remove the pan entirely from the heat and vigorously whisk in the cold, cubed butter a few pieces at a time until the sauce is glossy and emulsified. Stir in the chopped dill, and season with salt and white pepper to taste.
Let the baked strudel rest for 5 minutes. Use a sharp serrated knife to cut the strudel into thick slices using a gentle sawing motion. Serve immediately with the warm Riesling sauce poured around the base of the slices.
Chef's Notes
- The panko breadcrumbs hidden between the phyllo layers are a critical structural element. They absorb steam escaping from the filling, ensuring the pastry remains shatteringly crisp rather than turning gummy.
- When selecting your wine, use the same Riesling for the sauce that you plan to serve with the meal. A German Kabinett or Trocken style provides the ideal bracing acidity to cut through the rich cream and butter.
- For perfectly flaked cod, ensure the fillet is uniform in thickness. If one end is much thinner, tuck it under itself to match the thickness of the rest of the piece before rolling.
Storage
Refrigerator: 2 days — Store sauce separately from the strudel if possible to maintain pastry crispness.
Reheating: Reheat the strudel in an oven at 180C/350F for 10-15 minutes until warmed through and crisp. Gently warm the sauce on the stovetop over very low heat, avoiding boiling to prevent breaking.
Troubleshooting
The bottom of the strudel is soggy and lacking crispness
Cause: The sauerkraut retained too much moisture or the cod was wet before being wrapped
Fix: Bake the strudel directly on a wire rack set over the baking sheet for the final 10 minutes to allow air circulation under the base
Prevention: Aggressively wring out the sauerkraut in a cloth before cooking, and pat the cod completely dry with paper towels
The Riesling sauce separates and looks greasy
Cause: The pan was too hot when the cold butter was added, causing the emulsion to break
Fix: Vigorously whisk in a teaspoon of cold heavy cream or cold water off the heat to try and bring the emulsion back together
Prevention: Always completely remove the pan from the heat source before whisking in the cold butter cubes
Phyllo dough cracks and shatters while rolling
Cause: The dough dried out during assembly
Fix: Patch broken areas by brushing a spare piece of phyllo with melted butter and placing it like a bandage over the tear
Prevention: Keep unused phyllo sheets strictly covered with a damp kitchen towel while working
Cultural Context
Strudel is deeply embedded in Central European and German culinary traditions, famous worldwide in its sweet apple iteration. However, savory strudels stuffed with cabbage, root vegetables, or meats have long been a hearty staple in regional homes. By wrapping North Atlantic cod and traditionally prepared sauerkraut in this Austro-German pastry technique and pairing it with a classic French-style beurre blanc mounted with German Riesling, this dish modernizes rustic flavors into refined elegance.
