Black Sea garfish: how to cook?

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

It's no secret that in the waters of the Black Sea there is an amazing garfish fish. Her uniqueness lies in the fact that she has green bones. Therefore, many are simply afraid to eat such exotic things. After reading today's article, you will learn about the main features of this fish.

Appearance

It should be noted that the Black Sea garfish is a schooling fish, which is a subspecies of the European or Atlantic family. It has a long, slightly laterally compressed arrow-shaped body. One of the main features of this inhabitant of the seas is the presence of thin elongated jaws that look like a bird's beak. On the top is a frequent comb of sharp teeth that have a conical shape.

This fish has a contrasting coloration. It has silvery-green, light silvery or grayish sides and belly. The back, upper body and head are painted in a light brown or brownish-green tint. The entire body of a garfish, from forty to sixty centimeters long, is covered with small, easily falling scales, extending beyond the upper part of the head.

Features of reproduction

Sexually mature individuals are considered to have reached the age of five. From this point on, they are capable of annual reproduction. The Black Sea garfish spawns, the photo of which will be presented in this article, in the spring. To do this, he sails away from the coast and descends to a depth of twelve to eighteen meters. The stretching of spawning in time is explained by the fact that eggs are spawned in small portions. This period starts at the end of April and ends in mid-August.

Small eggs, with a diameter of about three and a half millimeters, are deposited on algae and other floating objects. All larvae and fry have sixty to eighty long threads, thanks to which they are attached to underwater vegetation. Egg development lasts from ten days to five weeks. It all depends on the temperature of the water. The first larvae, keeping in the coastal zone, can be seen already in early June. The adult Black Sea fish garfish differs from them in appearance, since the young do not have such long jaws. By the end of the first year of life, the grown offspring acquires a typical appearance and sails away from the coast.

Black Sea garfish: how to catch?

The hunting season for this predator starts in October or November and continues until February. For obvious reasons, shoals of small fish try to hide in quiet warm bays, so you need to look for them there. In addition, you can try to catch them on the high seas.

However, experienced fishermen advise organizing fishing from piers or headlands. Moreover, it is necessary to throw gear and use such an object as baubles on the Black Sea garfish away from the coast. Interestingly, this cautious and shy fish is looking for food almost on the surface. Therefore, to catch it, it is advisable to use the thinnest fishing line with an almost floating bait. As for the hooks, it is advisable to completely hide them in the bait.

What good is this fish?

We note right away that the Black Sea garfish is rich in many valuable substances, including iron, phosphorus, iodine and omega-3 fatty acids. Despite the relatively low cost, its meat is quite nutritious and quickly saturates the human body.

In addition, regular consumption of this variety of fish helps to moisturize the epidermis of the skin and smooth out fine wrinkles. The B vitamins contained in it have a positive effect on the state of the cardiovascular system and improve blood circulation. This helps prevent blockage of blood vessels and the development of cancer.

Black Sea garfish: how to cook shkaru?

This is one of the most favorite dishes of the Crimeans. It consists of two layers of stewed onions, between which sea fish is hidden. As one of the components, a garfish is used, which is the best suited for this dish.

To prepare the restaurant version of the shkara, you will need filleted fish. Strips of garfish rolled up and fastened with a toothpick are lightly fried in heated olive oil. This should be done for no more than twenty seconds. After that, you need to remove the wooden sticks, and put an olive stuffed with lemon inside each roll.

In a simpler, fisherman's version, this dish is cooked a little differently. Pre-cleaned and gutted garfish are cut into pieces. Onion rings are placed in a frying pan moistened with vegetable oil. Fish (or rolls with olives) are placed on top of them. Top everything with s alt, pepper, marjoram and rosemary, and then sprinkle with a small amount of chilled, grated butter and cover with onion rings. Pour a little water into the pan, cover with a lid and leave to simmer for twenty minutes.

Gar with lemon jam

To prepare this dish, you will need twelve peeled fish, two hundred and fifty grams of potatoes, two tablespoons of butter, ¾ cup of breadcrumbs, as well as a tablespoon of cinnamon and lemon jam.

Pre-boiled potatoes should be mashed with butter. In the resulting mass, add cinnamon and lemon. With this mixture it is necessary to fill the fish (Black Sea garfish) and fasten it on the sides with toothpicks or skewers. The floured fish are fried on both sides for one or two minutes and served with spinach.

Preparing snacks

Black Sea garfish has small scales well behind the body. Therefore, before serving with beer, it is not necessary to clean and gut it. Just roll the fish in s alt and leave for twenty minutes. After this time, the carcasses should be hung upside down and wait until they are slightly dried. This will take about twelve hours.

Also, from this inexpensive and tasty fish you can cook "sprats", the taste of which is not inferior to the B altic canned food. To do this, you need to take a pre-gutted headless carcass and cut it into strips, the length of which does not exceed five centimeters. Then the prepared fish is placed in a deep narrow pan so that the pieces are arranged vertically. A pinch of s alt, a few bay leaves and peppercorns are also sent there. Then the contents of the dishes are poured with vegetable oil so that it covers the fish by about a centimeter. The pan is placed on minimum heat, covered with a lid and left for three hours. The finished dish is served chilled.

Hot meals

Despite the fact that dried and smoked garfish are sold in the southern markets, all its taste qualities remain not fully disclosed. It is best to try to cook it under the marinade. A kilogram of fish must be cleaned, gutted, s alted and fried in vegetable oil. Then three tablespoons of flour are poured into a deep frying pan and fried. After it becomes creamy, two hundred milliliters of water, half a glass of dry white wine, s alt, pepper, rosemary and a small amount of lemon juice or vinegar are added there. The resulting sauce is boiled until thickened, andthen fish is stewed in it. This dish can be served with any side dishes.