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“The flavours of the Monarchy, reimagined at Gundel.”
The Kárpáti pike perch fillet is a special dish in Hungarian cuisine that dates back to the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. During this period, Hungarian cuisine became increasingly open to international influences, particularly French culinary traditions, while retaining its own distinct character.
An early version of this dish already appeared on János Gundel’s menu under the name “Lake Balaton pike-perch à la Archduke István,” which clearly shows that the dish was already part of refined hospitality even back then.
The Kárpáti pike-perch fillet as we know it today was perfected by Károly Gundel. The ragout, enriched with mushrooms and shrimp, along with the butter sauce, combines French culinary techniques with Hungarian ingredients. This combination perfectly reflects Károly Gundel’s efforts to modernize Hungarian cuisine and elevate it to an international level.
At Gundel, we continue this tradition to this day: we offer a dish that evokes both the elegance of the Monarchy and the sophistication of modern gastronomy.
A classic that lives on at Gundel.
An elegant fish dish with mushrooms and shrimp.
During the Monarchy.
A fusion of French and Hungarian cuisine.
Károly Gundel.
At Gundel.
We fry the fillets on the skin until crispy. The base of the sauce is made from fish meat and bones and is rich in flavour. It is whipped with lots of butter, and the rich-flavoured sauce, served in a separate small copper dish, is topped with prawns, sautéed shimeji mushrooms, fresh dill, dill oil and shallot onion. In keeping with tradition, parsley potatoes sautéed in butter are the side dish. Dill and parsley greens are added to the crunchy, succulent fish as a refreshing accompaniment.
The history of the Kárpáti pike-perch dish most likely dates back to the era of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. This is suggested by the fact that on János Gundel’s 1876 menu, it was still listed as “Balaton pike-perch à la Archduke István.” Its main flavours were similar to today’s recipe, but it was Károly Gundel who thoroughly refined the Kárpáti ragout.
We definitely wanted to include a fish dish from Gundel's gastronomic heritage, because in Hungarian gastronomy, freshwater fish are not as popular as their marine counterparts. And yet, pike perch is the best-tasting Hungarian river fish. It's a shame to make fish soup from the pike perch, because it tastes fantastic when fried. Frying is delicate and timing is very important to keep it crumbly. However, the dish is a great pleasure for the consumer, both in terms of smell and taste.
The shimeji mushroom has not long since gained a place in Hungarian cuisine. The buttery, nutty flavour that results from the light roasting is a perfect match for the thick buttery sauce. Its natural, high umami content makes any dish tastier.
