June 26, 2026
Translated by ChatGPT.
If you’re a fan of fish and seafood, this dish will win you over. Chef Martin Svatek from Mace restaurant in Tábor shares his refined recipe for perch fillet with lobster sauce, served with chive potatoes and rolled kohlrabi. The result is a plate that impresses with perfectly balanced flavours and elegant presentation.
Start with the sauce, continue with the potatoes, and prepare the perch fillet right before serving.
Perch
500 g perch fillets
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 sprig of dill
80 g butter
2 garlic cloves
3 tsp olive tapenade
Season the perch fillets with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with coarsely chopped dill.
In a pan, melt the butter and add the crushed garlic. Sear the fish on both sides, continuously basting it with the butter. Once cooked, place the fillets on a cloth napkin to absorb excess fat, then lightly brush them with olive tapenade. Before serving, garnish with young herb leaves.
Lobster Sauce
100 g mussels in shells
50 g carrot
20 g celery
3 shallots
50 ml oil
1 sprig of thyme
2 garlic cloves
500 ml heavy cream (33%)
50 g butter
1 tsp tomato paste
300 ml fish stock
Cornstarch for thickening
50 ml dry white wine
50 g lobster butter (available online)
Prepare a vegetable base from carrot, shallots, and celery — do not brown too deeply. Add the tomato paste and lightly caramelise. Deglaze with white wine and reduce almost completely. Add mussels, garlic, thyme, and fish stock, then simmer for at least 20 minutes.
Strain the mixture, remove the mussels from their shells, and return the broth to a boil. Add cream, shelled mussels, and lobster butter, and cook again, reducing slightly. Thicken gradually with cornstarch mixed in cold water. Blend until smooth with a hand blender, then enrich with cubes of cold butter and season with salt.
Chive Potatoes
5 large potatoes
125 g butter
200 ml water
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 sprig of thyme
Chives, finely chopped, for garnish
Use a melon baller to shape the potatoes into small spheres. Cook them gently in buttered water with thyme and salt until tender. Drain carefully, then toss with finely chopped chives and pepper.
Rolled Kohlrabi
2 large kohlrabies
Butter
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Salt
Peel the kohlrabi and cut it into long ribbons using a Japanese spiral slicer. Roll into cylinders about 3 cm in diameter and cut so that each piece stands about 3 cm tall. Tie with kitchen string and glaze in butter with lemon juice and zest. Once glazed, remove the string, pat dry, and place on the plate.
Chef’s Tips from Martin Svatek
"I recommend making a double portion of the sauce — you’ll have a perfect lobster bisque ready for the next day. Handle the potatoes with care so they don’t fall apart. If you like, you can sear the kohlrabi on one side for extra flavour."
