Name: Bełżec Pierogi with Carp Filling
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 145 min
Yield: about 48 pierogi, 6 servings
Cuisine: Polish
Ingredients: 650 g raw carp fillets, skin-on, pin bones may be present; 250 g peeled raw potato; 2 L water for boiling the potato; 120 g onion, finely diced; 15 ml neutral oil for the filling onion; 50 g beaten egg without shell, about 1 large egg; 8 g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped; 7 g fine salt; 1 g ground black pepper; 500 g plain wheat flour; 50 g beaten egg without shell, about 1 large egg; 250 ml hot water, about 85 °C; 180 g onion, thinly sliced; 20 ml neutral oil; 4 L water for boiling the pierogi; 24 g fine salt; most remains in the pot

A wide view of „Bełżec Pierogi with Carp Filling“ arranged on a table for serving.

Yield about 48 pierogi, 6 servings

Serving 8 pierogi with one-sixth of the golden-onion topping

Prep time 60 minutes

Cook time 50 minutes

Ingredients ↓

At a glance

Bełżec Pierogi with Carp Filling

Pierogi z farszem z karpia are small Polish half-moon dumplings from Bełżec in the Lublin region. Their wheat wrappers are pale and soft, with a fluted edge; the compact carp filling looks grey when cut. The Polish Ministry of Agriculture registered the dish on its Traditional Products List on 1 April 2020.

Carp from the village’s fish farms is central to this Bełżec preparation. Bake the fillets, remove the skin and bones, chop the fish, then mix it with fried onion, cooked potato, egg and herbs. Wrap the filling in thin wheat dough, boil the pierogi and serve with golden-fried onion.

These small pierogi are about 5 cm long, soft and delicate, with a compact carp filling. This home version makes about 48 pieces, or eight per serving, with wheat-flour dough, egg and hot water. Parsley adds a fresh herbal note; potato belongs in the carp filling, not the dough.

Handle raw carp separately from ready-to-eat foods, and wash your hands, tools and work surface after contact. Bake the fish until its thickest part reaches 63 °C, then inspect carefully for bones. Since the filling contains raw egg, check a test pieróg after boiling: the centre should reach 71 °C and the wrapper should be cooked through. Refrigerate cooked leftovers within 2 hours and reheat them throughout to 74 °C.

Tips for success

Pat the carp dry before baking so it cooks evenly; check the thickest section with a clean thermometer.
After cooking, lift off the skin and feel through the carp flakes carefully for pin bones.
Drain the boiled potato well and let it cool; excess moisture can loosen the filling.
Let the cooked onion, fish and potato cool before mixing in the raw egg.
Keep unused dough covered while shaping so it does not dry out; use a light touch when rolling to about 1 mm.
Wipe any filling from the rim before folding and crimping; a clean edge seals more reliably.

Ingredients

Carp filling

650 g raw carp fillets, skin-on, pin bones may be present
250 g peeled raw potato
2 L water for boiling the potato
120 g onion, finely diced
15 ml neutral oil for the filling onion
50 g beaten egg without shell, about 1 large egg
8 g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
7 g fine salt
1 g ground black pepper

Hot-water dough

500 g plain wheat flour
50 g beaten egg without shell, about 1 large egg
250 ml hot water, about 85 °C

Golden-onion topping

180 g onion, thinly sliced
20 ml neutral oil

For boiling

4 L water for boiling the pierogi
24 g fine salt; most remains in the pot

Method

Directions

Bake the carp and cook the potato.Heat the oven to 180 °C. Put the carp fillets on the lined tray and bake for about 15 minutes, until the thickest section reaches at least 63 °C and the flesh flakes. At the same time, simmer the peeled potato in water in the saucepan until a knife passes through easily, about 15 minutes. Drain it and let both ingredients cool promptly.
Debone and flake the fish.Remove the carp skin and any pin bones. Check the fish carefully with your fingers, then flake it finely into a bowl. Mash the cooled potato separately with a fork.
Mix the filling.Heat 15 ml oil in the frying pan. Add the diced 120 g onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 6–8 minutes; do not brown it deeply. Cool the onion. Combine it with the carp, mashed potato, 50 g beaten egg, parsley, 7 g salt and pepper. Mix to an even, compact filling and refrigerate it while you make the dough if it is still warm.
Make and rest the dough.Put the flour in a large bowl. Stir in 50 g beaten egg, then gradually pour in the 85 °C water while mixing with a spoon. When cool enough to handle, knead gently until smooth and soft, but not sticky or stiff. Cover and rest for 20 minutes.
Fill and shape the pierogi.Roll the dough to about 1 mm thick on a clean work surface. Cut 7 cm rounds, gathering and rerolling scraps once. Put about 19 g filling in the centre of each round, keeping the edge clean. Fold into a half-moon, press the edges firmly and flute them. Keep shaped pierogi covered; make about 48.
Boil in batches.Bring 4 L water and 24 g salt to a steady boil in the 8 L pot. Add 10–12 pierogi at a time and stir gently once so they do not stick. When they float, boil for about 2–3 minutes more. Test one: the wrapper must be cooked through with no raw-flour line, and the egg-containing centre must reach at least 71 °C. Lift out with the slotted spoon and repeat with the remaining batches.
Fry the topping and serve.Heat 20 ml oil in the frying pan. Add the sliced 180 g onion and cook over medium heat, stirring, until evenly golden and soft, about 8–10 minutes. Serve the hot pierogi with the fried onion, dividing it among six portions.

Nutrition and allergens

Caloriesabout 560 kcal per serving
Proteinabout 31 g
Fatabout 14 g
Saturated fatabout 4 g
Carbohydratesabout 76 g
Fibreabout 4 g
Sodiumabout 600 mg

Contains fish (carp), wheat and gluten, and egg. Keep raw carp separate from ready-to-eat foods; clean hands, tools and surfaces after handling it. Use a clean thermometer to check fish at 63 °C and a test pieróg centre at 71 °C. Cool leftovers within 2 hours, store at or below 4 °C for 3–4 days and reheat to 74 °C.

Nutrition and allergens

Serving, storage and reheating: Serve the pierogi hot, topped with the golden-fried onion. Eight small pieces make one portion. Their delicate wrappers are best soon after boiling; keep later batches covered while the rest cook.

Serving, storage and reheating: For same-day preparation, bake the carp and boil the potato earlier, cool them promptly in shallow dishes and refrigerate within 2 hours if you are not mixing the filling right away. Keep the egg-containing filling covered and cold, then fill and cook the pierogi on the day of serving. The dough is easiest to roll after its covered 20-minute rest.

Serving, storage and reheating: Refrigerate cooked leftovers in shallow covered containers within 2 hours. Keep them at or below 4 °C and use within 3–4 days. Reheat until the centre reaches 74 °C; a covered pan with a small splash of water softens the wrappers. Do not leave cooked pierogi at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Serving, storage and reheating: If flat-leaf parsley is unavailable, use 8 g finely chopped dill; it suits the carp but gives the filling a more pronounced herbal aroma. Keep the carp, wheat dough and potato in the filling to preserve this version’s defining structure.

Serving, storage and reheating: For crisp edges, first reheat leftover pierogi throughout to 74 °C, then brown them briefly in a clean pan.

Estimate basis: eight of 48 pierogi plus one-sixth of the fried-onion topping, using generic composition data for carp, wheat flour, potato, egg, onion and oil. It includes all 7 g filling salt but not most of the 24 g boiling-water salt, which is discarded. Values are approximate and vary by carp and ingredient brands.

Bełżec Pierogi with Carp Filling

Tips for success

Ingredients

Carp filling

Hot-water dough

Golden-onion topping

For boiling

Method

Nutrition and allergens

Nutrition and allergens

Polish National Dishes

Skierbieszów Apple Kisielica with Spelt Dumplings

Wygnaniaki: Polish Buckwheat and Potato Pierogi

Kluchy warmińskie: Warmian potato dumplings