Fish balyk at home: cooking recipes. What kind of fish goes to balyk

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-02 16:12

Balyk is s alted and then dried fish, which after this treatment acquires a rich, delicate taste, as well as a pleasant aroma. To prepare fish balyk at home, large fish of different varieties are used, which are characterized by a high fat content. This dish is a delicacy, it costs a lot of money in stores. That is why many people buy it for the holiday table. If you want to surprise your household and guests, you can easily cook fish balyk at home. But how to do it?

Cooking at home

Before considering the features of cooking fish balyk at home, it should be mentioned that this dish can be of two types:

• suspended salmon - no heat treatment,
• cold smoked, which is made over several days.

To prepare this delicacy, you need to choose the right fish.

To make fish balyk at home, the main product must be fresh, not frozen. It should also be noted that it is best to catch fish from a clean reservoir, ideally in the autumn. The most delicious balyk is obtained from salmon and pink salmon. What is the difference between these fish and others? First of all, such salmon turns out to be more fragrant, pleasant in taste, since these fish do not give off mud. For cooking, you can use other varieties of fish, the fat content of which is from 5 to 30%. These are:

1. Sturgeon, whose weight is 2-5 kg.
2. Carp over 6 kg.
3. Asp, whose weight is 2-3 kg.
4. Catfish, the mass of which should be from 4 kg.
5. A silver carp weighing 8 kg.
6. Trout that weighs 4 to 5 kg.
7. Pike perch weighing from 2.5 kg.
8. Nelma about 3 kg.
9. Pike weighing about 6 kg.

The quality of the dish will depend on the fat content of the fish. Balyk turns out to be very juicy and fragrant from pink salmon, sturgeon, carp, salmon, silver carp. These varieties of fish have a thick fatty layer, due to which the taste is simply excellent. Pike, pike perch and perch are classified as less fatty fish, so it is recommended to cook them in a dried way.

Start cooking

Many people prefer salmon from red fish. It is quite easy to make it at home. To do this, you must follow a certain technique, includingcutting fish, s alting, smoking or drying, as well as proper storage. For cooking you will need:

1. Fish with a high percentage of fat, weighing from 3 kg.
2. 30 grams of sugar for every kilogram of fish.
3. 150 g of s alt for every kilogram of fish.
4. Seasonings and spices to your taste.

Carcass cutting

Before you start cooking balyk from river fish at home, you need to carefully clean the carcass from the scales. After that, it is cleaned of all the insides, washed well under cold water. Then an incision is made along the entire spine, the loin is completely separated from the bones and divided so that you get 2 pieces of meat.

Further, the recipe for salmon at home involves cutting the carcass into portions. One piece of fillet is taken, cut lengthwise into several pieces. After that, one of the meat strips is taken, small pieces of fish are cut with a knife, the thickness of which should be 2 cm. This is how all the meat is cut. Please note that the pieces must be skinless.

S alting

After that, you can start s alting. Chopped meat is placed in a saucepan, covered with s alt, sugar, everything is thoroughly mixed. After that, you can take the seasoning to your taste, process the pieces, roll them into rolls, and place them in the same container. Ideally, fish will be combined with spices that are designed specifically for it, as well as seasoning hops-suneli, blackpepper, giving the future salmon an appetizing aroma and pleasant taste.

Further at home, the recipe for balyk from asp or any other fish involves putting the semi-finished product in a saucepan in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Thus, the meat is well saturated with spices and s alt. Throughout this time, it is recommended to mix the fish once a day. If you have a large carcass, then s alting will require more time, about a week.

After this time, the container is removed for a couple of days in the freezer so that all kinds of parasites and microbes die there. You can also initially freeze the fillet for several days, and then s alt it.

Drying

The last step in preparing this delicacy is drying, that is, drying the fish. It is necessary to get the pan from the refrigerator, string the pieces on some strong thread, while leaving a small distance between the fillets. First, it is recommended to hang the meat for several hours under the bright sun, so that each part is covered with a crust. After that, the fillet should be dried in a dry and warm room where there are no insects. As a rule, the entire drying process takes from 3 to 7 days.

How to use?

At home, salmon from pike perch or any other river fish should have an appetizing smell and a pinkish or yellowish tint. You can use the finished delicacy to make a sandwich, add meat to salads, and also eat as a snack forbeer. The delicacy is stored in the refrigerator, while being wrapped in food paper. The storage period is no more than 1 week, regardless of what kind of fish goes to salmon.

Useful properties

Due to the fact that the processing does not involve frying or boiling fish, the meat retains a large amount of useful substances and elements. That is why this delicacy is very beneficial for human he alth. 100 g of the finished product contains the following amount of vitamins:

1. 0.057 mg vitamin A.
2. 2, 5mg Vitamin E.
3. 0, 2mg Vitamin B_2.
4. 1, 8 mg vitamin PP.
5. 0.05mg Vitamin B_1.

This product also contains beneficial minerals required by the human body. These include: calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, chlorine, sulfur, zinc, iron, chromium, fluorine, nickel.

In addition, saturated fatty acids are present in fish, which favorably affect the appearance of the skin and hair. The composition contains a small amount of ash, cholesterol and water. That is why, if you eat this homemade delicacy, you can not only enjoy the rich taste, but also provide your body with the necessary minerals and vitamins.

Chef Tips

When preparing a delicacy, you can follow little tricks that will be useful to know, and then your homemade delicacy will turn out safe and acquire an exquisite taste:

1. The duration of s alting will depend on the weight of the main product. It should also be noted that in the summer the s alting process will be about 2 weeks, and in winter this period is 5-7 days.
2. Large fish is cut into portioned pieces, the thickness of which should be no more than 2.5 cm and no less than 2 cm. If the pieces are much thinner, the meat will turn out to be too dry, and too thick pieces in the middle will not dry out.
3. To prevent insects from landing on the meat, it is recommended to cover it with gauze during drying, which is soaked in advance with vinegar.
4. After three days of drying, it is best to put the fillets under pressure for a couple of hours so that each piece is smooth and shiny. After that, they are hung up again to dry further.
5. If you want to check the readiness of the salmon, then you can press the meat with your finger. If there are no dents or moisture left on it, then this indicates that the product is ready.
6. Before s alting, sterilize the pan, it is recommended to use plastic or enamel containers for this.
7. Before treating the fillet with s alt, it is also recommended to sprinkle it with a little sugar. The product that is put into an enameled container is sprinkled only with s alt.
8. Any fish can be cooked in the oven. In this process, it is recommended to slightly open the door, turn on the hood. After 8 hours, the dish will be ready.
9. If during drying the product has absorbed some foreign odors, then it must be processed by cold smoking. If you want the balyk to dry faster, thenyou can use the included fan.
10. It is recommended to add black peppercorns and allspice to the saline solution. A rich taste will give the delicacy cloves and bay leaves.

I would also like to mention that many people do not understand the difference between salmon and pink salmon. Pink salmon belongs to the salmon family, so it can also be used to make balyk. So we can say that pink salmon is the same salmon.

Storage features

It is necessary to store the finished balyk in the refrigerator, while wrapping it in paper beforehand. It is also allowed to place in a special container or vacuum bag. Thus, the fish will stay fresh longer. The homemade delicacy should be stored for no more than 1 month, because in the future it will dry out more, while losing its aroma and taste.

In most people's minds, balyk is an expensive dish, which in most cases is served at the festive table. However, making it at home is quite easy. It is not at all necessary to use a red variety of fish as a raw material; you can use perch, silver carp or bream.