Open-Top Fish and Rice Yeast Buns Baked in the Oven
Soft, tender dough and a juicy, tasty filling. This is a baked bun shaped like a little boat with an opening in the middle. It’s traditionally served with soups - for example, fish-filled ones with fish soup, and versions with rice, onion, carrot, and egg with fish or meat soups.
Updated : 12 March, 2026
Easy
More than 1 hour.
Ingredients
1 cup
Milk
25 grams
Yeast
2 cup
Wheat flour
50 milliliters
Vegetable oil
1 tablespoon
Sugar
0.5 teaspoon
Salt
1 sluoksnis
400 grams
Fish fillet
50 grams
Rice
1
Onions
2 tablespoon
Vegetable oil
20 grams
Butter
to taste
Salt
to taste
Ground black pepper
2 sluoksnis
1
Eggs
1 tablespoon
Milk
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How do you make open-top fish buns? First, prepare the dough. Warm a glass of milk slightly - the milk should not burn your finger; milk that’s too hot can kill the yeast. Take a quarter of a block of fresh yeast. Fresh yeast can be replaced with active dry instant yeast - 1 tbsp. Measure 1 tbsp sugar and 1/2 tsp salt.
Step 2
In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm (not hot!) milk, add salt, sugar, and flour (3 tbsp). Mix well, cover the bowl with a towel, and leave the sponge in a warm place for about 20 minutes.
Step 3
The fresh yeast will start bubbling and foaming actively. Don’t worry - when you add oil, the foam will settle. From 50 ml vegetable oil, you’ll need only 2 tbsp for the dough; the rest is for working with the dough.
Step 4
Add 2 tbsp oil and the remaining flour to the sponge and knead the dough. You may need a bit more flour than stated because flour density varies. The dough shouldn’t be stiff, but it also shouldn’t stick to your hands.
Step 5
Grease the bowl with vegetable oil. Put the dough into the bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a bag, and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour to rise.
Step 6
While the dough rises, make the filling. Any fish fillet works, preferably ocean fish since it has fewer bones. Salmon and pink salmon make very tasty buns. This time I used pollock and it turned out great.
Step 7
Peel the onion, dice it finely, and sauté it in a mix of vegetable oil and butter until translucent. Don’t brown the onion too much.
Step 8
Fillet the fish, remove all bones, and cut into small cubes.
Step 9
Combine pre-cooked rice and onion with the oil, add raw fish, salt, and pepper. If you like, add parsley or dill. Mix.
Step 10
Lightly punch down the dough with oiled hands. From now on, grease the work surface and your hands with vegetable oil - do not dust with flour. Divide the dough into 6 pieces and roll each into a ball.
Step 11
Roll each ball into a flat round. Place about 1 tbsp filling on each.
Step 12
Shape each bun into an elongated “boat” with a partially open center (not fully sealed). This look is why they’re called “open-top buns.”
Step 13
Preheat the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment and grease it with vegetable oil. Place the buns on the sheet, cover with a towel or napkin, and leave for 5–10 minutes to proof.
Step 14
Mix the egg with 1 tsp milk and whisk with a fork.
Step 15
Brush the buns with the egg–milk mixture. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C / 356°F for 20-30 minutes.
Author note
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