Peeling herring from bones is easy
The most unpleasant part of preparing herring for serving is cleaning it from the bones. A person who does not know how can turn a fish into mush, trying to get rid of everything unnecessary in it. How to clean herring from bones so that it retains its shape? Of course, it is simply impossible to get rid of the smallest and thinnest bones, but if you sprinkle the fish with lemon juice or a weak solution of vinegar, the bones will soften and will not be felt at all.
We get rid of the main seeds. First you need to take a sharp thin knife, a cutting board or paper napkins. We put the herring on the board, get rid of the tail and head. To remove the insides, you need to cut off the fins and rip open the abdomen with a knife - very carefully so as not to damage the caviar. Herring caviar will be useful for preparing the next dish.
After removing the insides, rinse the carcass with cold water and place on a napkin to drain off excess water. There is a notch left from the upper fin on the back; using it, we carefully divide the herring in half along the back, pick up the skin, and remove it. When the fish is divided in two, you can take the bones. Grasp the ridge and slowly pull the tip of the tail upward. The bones will begin to fall away without damaging the fillet. Clean the second part of the fish in the same way. Remove any remaining protruding seeds by hand. All that remains is to cut the fish, season it if necessary and serve.
How to choose herring for pickling?
In stores you can choose a ready-made product, which you just have to take out of the package and place on a dish. However, every housewife is concerned about the quality of the fish and its taste, and the best way to be confident in the product is to cook it yourself. The freshness of the fish and the composition of the brine remain in question if you do not participate in all stages of preparing the dish.
Before you pickle herring at home, you need to choose the right fish:
- Fresh herring at the market or in a store should not emit an unpleasant odor. It is better to choose whole carcasses with the head on - the freshness of the fish can be judged by the condition of its eyes and gills.
- Frozen fish should be purchased from stores, indicating the date of freezing and the expiration date of the product. Her skin should be clean, without damage or a yellow tint.
- High-quality herring in any form has a silvery sheen, clear, unclouded eyes, fins and gills that fit tightly to the body.
- If you have a choice, it is better to take herring caught in the ocean. Sea water is more saturated with toxins, heavy metals and harmful products of the processing of various substances.
- Herring caught in winter has a denser fat layer.
Fresh herring is the best option, especially if you can buy it close to where you caught it. If this is not possible, the only option is to pickle fresh-frozen herring at home. In any case, it is better to choose large fish with round sides and a thick back - it will have the most tasty meat.
False herring caviar
Sandwiches are never a bad idea on the holiday table. There are so many recipes for making them! Sandwiches with red caviar are considered the most popular. But this is a very expensive pleasure. By preparing pate according to this recipe, you will surprise your guests with a new product. Red herring caviar tastes almost indistinguishable from real red caviar.
To prepare this delicacy, you will need one fillet of lightly salted herring, about one hundred grams of butter, a couple of processed cheeses (“Friendship”, “Orbita” or another of your choice, just not softened), three medium-sized carrots. How to clean herring from bones is described at the beginning of the article. Boil carrots and cool. We grind all the ingredients through a meat grinder (while scrolling the oil, alternate it with other products). It is not recommended to use a blender as the consistency will be too liquid. There is no need to add salt; cheese curds and herring contain enough salt, which can ruin the taste. Mix and place on the table. If desired, add greens - dill and parsley.
Preparing for pickling
The first rule applies to frozen herring - it must be thawed so that it does not lose its taste. To do this, the fish is left in the refrigerator overnight. This temperature will be enough for the ice to melt, but it will preserve the structure and taste of the herring. It is not recommended to defrost it at high temperatures.
Before salting a herring, the gills must be removed. They are the ones who impart unwanted bitterness to the finished product, due to which it could not be cooked tasty for a long time. This procedure can be done with your hands, a knife or scissors.
If the herring is not gutted before salting, the salt and spices will be evenly distributed throughout the carcass. Of course, you can remove the insides so that you can simply cut the fish. If fish with entrails is salted, the caviar and milt are left and also placed in the brine.
There is a separate preparation method before quickly salting herring. It is cleaned of gills and entrails, the head, intestines and membranes are removed, and then placed in brine. The meat quickly absorbs salt and spices and is ready to eat in 3-4 hours. This is an express option when you need to quickly prepare fish for the holiday table. Such salted herring cannot be stored for a long time, and its taste may be less vibrant than if salted for a long time.
Preparing caviar from herring brine
When the fish is eaten, the brine is poured out of it. But experienced housewives know the use for such a seemingly completely unnecessary product. Many people buy caviar in the store to spread on bread (pollock caviar with spices, butter or tomato). Such a jar of caviar is not cheap. Let's make exactly the same one at home, without spending money on purchase and without pouring out the brine (marinade) from the herring. This spread is called “herring semolina caviar.”
Take one glass of brine, half a glass of vegetable oil (flavorless), a glass of water, two-thirds of a glass of semolina, two tablespoons of tomato paste or tomato ketchup (without seasonings and without a slide), a small onion, a couple of boiled eggs, herbs to taste ( you can do without it). All liquid ingredients are poured into a saucepan, brought to a boil, paste is added and stirred well. Reduce heat, slowly add cereal, stirring.
When the semolina has swollen enough, remove from the stove and cool. Finely chop the onion and egg and add to the resulting caviar. Onions are not necessary in this recipe; greens will suffice.
Recipe for salting whole herring in brine
Tuzluk is a special salt solution. It can be artificial and natural. I use the first option with adding water.
Salting requires accuracy and composure. The herring is salted whole. Before cooking, check the surface of the herring for damaged areas. To salt in a strong salt solution, the skin of the fish must be intact. Otherwise, you will end up with an inedible, over-salted product that will have to be thrown away. Be careful.
Ingredients:
- Water – 1 l,
- Herring – 500 g,
- Salt – 6-7 large spoons,
- Egg – 1 piece.
How to cook:
- I'm preparing brine. I bring a liter of water to a boil. I turn it off.
- I add salt. I'm in no hurry. I add in small portions until the dissolution stops. To check whether the brine has reached a sufficient degree of salinity, I lower the raw egg. Does it pop up? Great. I let the brine cool.
- I remove the gills of thawed fish. I transfer it to a deep plate.
- I immerse the herring in the cooled brine. I leave it on the table for 60 minutes. After an hour I put it in the refrigerator for 1 day. I serve it to the table, having caught the fish from the brine.
Caviar made from herring with the addition of semolina
Another delicious recipe made from affordable fish is herring caviar. To prepare this dish you will need lightly salted herring (two pieces), a glass of tomato juice, a glass of vegetable oil, a glass of semolina and pickled onions. Boil the juice and butter, cook the semolina in this liquid. Grind the herring and onion through a meat grinder and mix with semolina. The number of ingredients is designed for a large company. To prepare such caviar for the home table, you should reduce the ingredients by three. Instead of herring, you can use caviar from it.
Another quick recipe for pickling herring in 5 hours in pieces in the refrigerator
Another quick and tasty option, the name of which speaks for itself.
Ingredients:
- Herring – 1 pc.
- Salt – 1 tbsp. spoon
- Water – 200 gr.
- Black pepper – 11 – 13 pcs.
- Bay leaf – 3–4 pcs.
- Cumin - a little on the tip of the knife.
1. First, wash the fish. Then we cut off the head, tail, and clean out the inside. Cut the herring into pieces, approximately 1 cm in length.
2. Place in a jar, between the layers, put pepper and bay leaf, cumin. Dissolve salt in a glass of warm water and pour in our herring. Place in the refrigerator for 5 hours. After the allotted time, we take out lightly salted fish and cook it at our discretion. You can season with onions with vegetable oil and serve.
Feeding and storage
In terms of serving, false caviar is no different from real caviar - many people believe that you can only eat it with a spoon, but in fact there are many recipes for dishes with it. Moreover, if the imitation is not perfect, it is even advisable to prepare something more complex from it - this will make it more difficult to identify a fake.
The simplest solution for caviar is, of course, to spread it on fresh or lightly toasted bread. A more aesthetic solution would be to prepare tartlets or profiteroles, and eggs stuffed with caviar, even if it’s fake, will seem like a masterpiece to many. A somewhat unusual solution would be a kind of “sandwich”, in which a cucumber slice is used instead of bread.
False caviar is not one of the most perishable foods, so it can be prepared in advance, and it doesn’t matter if you don’t eat it all at once. Such a product can be stored in the refrigerator for three or even five days, but with the obligatory condition - the container must be airtight.
If the mass is overexposed or the seal is simply not ensured, the smell provided by a relatively small proportion of the product may simply disappear, and then the caviar will turn into an obscure mess.
For more information on how to prepare “false caviar” from herring, see the following video.
Spicy pickling of herring with mustard
Ingredients:
- Herring – 1 kg,
- Mustard powder – 1 teaspoon,
- Water – 1 l,
- Black pepper – 5 peas,
- Salt - 4 large spoons,
- Bay leaf - 2 pieces,
- Cloves – 4 pieces,
- Coriander (grains) – 5 g.
Preparation:
- I place pre-cleaned and gutted herrings in a large plastic container.
- I'm preparing the marinade. Add salt and other spices (except mustard powder) to a saucepan with water. I boil for two minutes. I remove it from the stove. I add mustard powder. I stir. I leave it to cool.
- I pour the cooled marinade into the fish. I put it in the refrigerator for 2 days.
How to salt herring caviar
A delicious and simple recipe for pickling caviar for sandwiches. Preparation does not require much time or additional effort.
Ingredients:
- Herring caviar – 300 g,
- Water – 300 ml,
- Vegetable oil – 1 large spoon,
- Bay leaf – 1 piece,
- Salt – 1 large spoon.
Preparation:
- I defrost the caviar.
- I mix water with salt. I add sunflower oil. I stir again.
- I place the caviar on the bottom of the pan. I pour in the prepared brine and add bay leaves. I cover the pan with a lid and put it in the refrigerator overnight. To get a pronounced salty taste, I leave it for 1-2 days.
- In the morning I take the dishes out of the refrigerator. I remove the product from the brine and use it in making sandwiches.
Recipe for salting caviar without vegetable oil
Ingredients:
- Caviar – 500 g,
- Water – 500 ml,
- Salt - 2 large spoons,
- Lemon - half a fruit
- Bay leaf – 1 piece.
Preparation:
- Add salt to warm water. I stir.
- I transfer the herring caviar to the bottom of the container. I add bay leaf and chopped slices of fresh lemon. I pour salted brine on top. I close the lid.
- I put the container in the refrigerator. Preparation time: 24 hours.
