How to choose a herring, and which varieties of herring will be better. Zalom, olyutorskaya or herring

Soon - it's time for "unbridled" feasts and cozy gatherings with family and friends at the festive table. Already now, some housewives are looking at products in the markets and in stores, wondering what they will buy later for the New Year.

You can already buy something even now, for example, canned food (peas, corn, caviar) or mayonnaise. Closer to the holidays, as my son says, “tin” is when housewives and owners with anxious faces walk through the rows of supermarkets with carts stuffed to the brim with sausage, fish, pineapples and tangerines, and compare purchases with kilometer-long lists.

Herring Selection Guide:

Salty, of course. If we take into account that every third Russian will put “herring under a fur coat” on the New Year's table, then we can conclude that before the holidays it will be a very popular product. How to buy a delicious herring - such that it melts in your mouth, is not very salty, fatty, and has a pleasant spicy taste? It turns out that there are several signs of good fish, and even the degree of salinity can be determined by sight!

Of course, we are talking about barrel herring. It will not work to turn the trick with the choice of fish from the jar - because there is no direct access to it. Although, when the herring is brought in a large container, it’s even better - firstly, this, as a rule, costs an order of magnitude cheaper than in banks, secondly, you see what you are buying, well, and thirdly, they buy barrel herring faster and more often - which means that the goods are not stale. So what should you pay attention to when buying herring?

1 . Well, of course, the first thing a buyer looks at is appearance. We look at the fish and check if everything is “in place”? So, what should a good herring “boast” about:

• The carcass must be intact, with no damage or deformation;
• Skin color - silvery, without any plaque, foreign inclusions, all sorts of stains or rust;
• The fish should be elastic: watch the seller. When she picks up the carcass, there should be no dents on the barrels.

2 . "Let's go" further. The most interesting thing is how to externally determine whether the fish is heavily salted or there is little salt in it? Yes, very simple. Look at the fish's eyes and judge their color. The redder the eye, the less salt in the fish and the fresher it is. If possible, look under the gills. Fresh herring has gills of an even, dark red color without foreign odors. If the gills are brown, this means that the fish is not the first freshness, it is better to put it aside.

3 . Look closely at the shape of the fish: a “thick” back indicates that the herring is fatter than its counterparts, which means it contains more fat. More fat, more flavor. Choose one. If the fish has a large belly, this will mean that inside the abdominal cavity of the herring is either caviar or milk. Caviar "takes" part of the food for itself, so gourmets prefer males - supposedly, this fish tastes better.

How to distinguish "boy" from "girl"? In males, the mouth is elongated, in females it is rounded. True, if the fish was caught in a “delicious” batch - it doesn’t matter there, a male or a female is on your table - the herring will be equally tasty ...

Enjoy your meal!

What happens?

For reference:

AT herring roe there are lecithin, vitamins A, E, D and group B, phosphorus, iron and other minerals and organic compounds that are necessary for the normal development of the body, for the formation of new skin cells, regulation of blood pressure and even an increase in hemoglobin in the blood. Caviar fat contains "good" cholesterol in large quantities: from 1.5 to 14%, lecithin - from 1.0 to 43% and vitamins A, B, D and C. Of the trace elements, it contains potassium, sulfur, sodium, calcium, magnesium, as well as selenium, zinc, iron, iodine and other minerals.

The taste of herring directly depends on its habitat. Oceanic and riverine are very close in composition, but there is more iodine in the oceanic. The best, of course, is the Atlantic (the coast of Norway, Holland, Iceland). Herring is also found in our country. The "royal" variety is distinguished by a black back, reaches a length of 36 centimeters and contains up to 20% fat. It is considered one of the most delicious among the Caspian herring, it has surprisingly tender meat and is perfectly salted.
Varieties found in our south seas, they cannot boast of such fat content, which is why they go on sale exclusively lightly salted. Far Eastern herring is the champion in fat content: the figure can reach 33%, although it drops to 2% depending on the season.
It is believed that the fatter the herring, the tastier and healthier it is. The fattest herring is the one that has not reached puberty. The word "mathieu" on the label will tell you that the preserves are made from young fish, which boasts a high content of fat, protein, polyunsaturated acids and vitamins. At the same time, matier is also a cooking method invented by the Dutch. Classic matier is one of the most expensive premium products.
According to the salt content, herring is classified as low-salted (from 4 to 6%), slightly salted (7-10%), medium-salted (10-14%) and hard-salted (over 14%).

Probably, there is no person who would be indifferent to herring. So tasty, lightly salted, fatty with onions and potatoes! Overeating! Unfortunately, store-bought herring does not always meet the expectations of consumers, especially in the summer, because. manufacturers, so that the product does not quickly deteriorate in the heat, always oversalt it.

Therefore, we share an excellent recipe for making herring, which will turn out just perfect. Moderately salty and extremely tasty.

Ingredients

• 1 kg of freshly frozen herring (this is about 2 fish);
• 6 tablespoons of table salt (without a slide);
• 10 pieces of allspice in peas;
• 3 tablespoons of table sugar (without a slide);
• 3-4 pieces of bay leaves;
• 1 liter of water.

How to cook

Bring water to a boil and dissolve salt, sugar in it, add bay leaves and allspice. Let the brine boil for another five minutes.

During this time, you need to wash and dry the herring, which must be pre-thawed. There is no need to gut the fish, because the herring is always salted whole - with the head and entrails.

Now, the herring needs to be transferred to a suitable container. It can be a 3 liter jar or a plastic container. And it remains to fill the fish with brine.

A jar is an ideal container for pickling seedlings

You need to store herring in brine in a cool place, i.e. in a refrigerator. In three days the fish will be ready.

Herring is best served with pickled onion and fresh dill.

To prepare the right New Year's fur coat or just to please guests with an excellent snack, first of all you need to know which herring you should buy.

The recipe for salting herring was invented by the Dutch sailor Jacob Bakels. In Russia, the monks of the Solovetsky Monastery were the first to salt fatty fish.

Once the Empress Elizaveta Petrovna tried the herring prepared by them, she really liked it, and since then this delicious product has appeared on the tables of Russians. Naturally, in the old days, only salt and sometimes water were used to cook fish, if the raw salting method was used. Modern nutritionists would call such a natural product incredibly useful. Herring is a record holder for vitamin D content, it contains a lot of iodine, selenium, phosphorus, and most importantly, it contains a large number of vital omega-3 fatty acids. However, not all specimens sold on our shelves are so good. Some manufacturers may add preservatives, vinegar, flavor enhancers and a host of other substances unnecessary to the body to the snack.

Whole fish is the best!

To avoid unnecessary "chemistry", give preference to barrel salted herring - whole and not gutted, which is sold by weight or packaged individually without brine in vacuum packs. Of course, you will have to tinker with such a beauty in order to clean her from the insides and bones, but it is she who will give you natural taste and good juiciness. Before buying, carefully examine and smell the whole fish. You will always identify a high-quality fresh specimen by the absence of a specific odor, good fatness, transparent eyes and a clean surface with shiny silvery scales. It is very bad if there are blood smudges on the head and cheeks of the herring, the eyes turn out to be cloudy and red, the fins and scales are torn, the gills are moldy, and the surface is with mucus, rust or poorly washed off white spots. All these are signs of a fish that has begun to deteriorate.

Fillet always with preservative?!

If you do not want to deal with cutting herring and you prefer to buy cleaned fillets in plastic or tin cans (whether in a vacuum or not), be prepared for the presence of preservatives. Only with their help can preserves (the so-called products that are not sterilized) last longer than 72 hours. However, if of two evils - preservative or spoilage - choose the lesser, then let it be better present food supplement. But from other "chemistry" you can protect yourself. To do this, carefully read the label pasted on a jar of herring. Monosodium glutamate flavor enhancer, oxidizing agents, “liquid smoke” flavoring, stabilizers, all kinds of flavoring additives, vinegar, mayonnaise - all these substances will definitely be present in almost any snack that you just need to open and serve. If you want to eat more properly, look for a first-class product (there is also a second one, for which fish of the worst quality is taken), made according to GOST, which has a short list of ingredients: salt, water, preservative.

From the Atlantic or from the Pacific?

Salted herring is different - Atlantic, Pacific, White Sea, Azov-Black Sea, Caspian. Most often on the shelves you can meet the first two representatives. The Atlantic is thinner, more elongated, and her fat is in her back. The Pacific, on the contrary, has a fatter belly, a blacker back, and she herself is shorter and thicker. The taste of herring is also different, therefore, before throwing the product into the basket, read which variety you have chosen. In addition, do not forget to find out the degree of salinity of the fish, otherwise you will have to spend time soaking before cooking the “fur coat”. Herring is made low-salted (4-6%), slightly salted (6-8%), medium-salted (8-12%) and hard-salted (12-14%). If you want to enjoy a tender and juicy fish, buy the first two products, because the more salt in the carcass, the tougher its consistency becomes.

Protect yourself from fake

When choosing a salted herring, make sure that it is in the refrigerator: preserves must be stored at temperatures from -4 ° C to -8 ° C. Before buying, be sure to find the production date, expiration date of the product and study the brine - the brine in which the fish or fillet swims . It must be transparent, it cannot contain blood clots, mold and foreign matter. In this regard, it is difficult to choose snacks in mayonnaise and wine. Do not forget to also check the integrity of the package so that the oil does not leak out of the plastic jar, but vacuum seal bags was not torn. The label must be glued evenly, and all the information on it is clearly stated.

Herring is a large family of fish. On the European territory of Russia, Atlantic herring is most often consumed, but we have all heard about the Pacific or Caspian herring. Meanwhile, the Atlantic is far from the most interesting and tasty group. We tell you what herring is found on the shelves in our country.

Atlantic

One of the three varieties of oceanic herring (besides the Pacific herring, there is also the Araucanian herring, which is found off the coast of Chile). The Atlantic group includes herring from Norway and Iceland. Atlantic herring is also harvested by Denmark, Canada and Russia. This group is distinguished by rather light meat, not too large sizes ( average length- 25 cm, weight 500 g).

Baltic herring is a subgroup in the large Atlantean family. And it includes several different herrings. The most famous - Baltic herring, which lives in the Baltic Sea and in its freshwater bays (Curonian, Kaliningrad). The herring reaches a length of 20 cm. Another Baltic relative of herrings is sprat. It is from it that Baltic sprats are made.

Pacific

Also a large group of various herrings. Of which the Okhotsk herring is well known. And also there is a celebrity - Olyutorskaya herring. In general, the Pacific group differs from other herrings in its high iodine content. There are also physiological differences - this herring has fewer vertebrae.

Pacific herring is distinguished by high fat content, which makes it more tasty and healthy. Most often, the meat of the Pacific herring is darker than the Atlantic herring.

Olyutorskaya herring- a subspecies of the Pacific, it lives in the Olyutorsky Strait, in the western part of the Bering Sea. “This fish is larger than other common herring species, often reaching and exceeding a weight of 1 kg. - says Maxim Karpenko, - It is dense, fleshy, fatty, very healthy and, of course, tasty. Olyutorskaya herring can be salted, marinated, fried, and cutlets can be made from it. Pairs well with pickled vegetables.

Caspian-Black Sea herring

Another large group of herring lives in the Caspian and Black Seas and adjacent rivers. Unfortunately, these herrings are quite rare these days. And most often they do not get for sale in the central regions of Russia. You can try them only in the fishing areas.

Danube herring. She spawns in fresh waters Danube. It is caught in the spring, in March-April. You need to try the Danube herring in Odessa, in the spring you will see a lot of sellers with rows of silver light-salted Danube on delivery. Danube herring is valued for its very delicate and delicate taste, fatty and juicy meat.

« Caspian herring, also known as hall- the most valuable commercial type of herring, - says Maxim Karpenko. - Lives in the Caspian Sea, spawns in the Volga and Ural rivers. Fat and very large herring, reaches up to 52 cm in length and 2 kg in weight. It is famous for its special taste and tender meat, perfect for both salting and frying. At the same time, it is important not to oversalt the fish - overexposure for more than 3-4 days threatens to deteriorate the taste. Zalom has long been a rare fish, and the population of this herring is declining, its catch is limited.”

not herring

Respect for herring is so great that some species of fish are undeservedly referred to this group, calling herrings. The most famous example is herring ivasi. In fact, this is a Far Eastern sardine. In the Soviet Union, it was caught in huge quantities, and the stocks of iwashi were depleted. Recently, after a 25-year break, the Iwashi fishery was opened. Most often, preserves and canned food are made from Ivasi herring, this is a small tender fish.

On the shelves there is a small silvery fish - sosvinskaya herring. But this is a tugun fish from the salmon family, which is caught in the tributary of the Ob - Sosva. Most often it is salted in a spicy brine, like a sprat.