Asp is a freshwater fish of the cyprinid family, whose habitat is large and medium freshwater rivers. A variety of dishes are prepared from this fish, as it is tasty and boiled, and fried, and salted. However, the most popular among gourmet fishers is the balyk of asp. It is in the dried form that the asp meat turns into a real delicacy. For a balyk, it is better to use large (not less than a kilogram) specimens caught in the fall, so that the finished product turns out to be greasy and juicy.
Ingredients
Before making a balyk from asp, it is necessary to prepare the following ingredients: coarse salt (necessarily non-iodized), vinegar, dill, garlic and a set of spices for fish. In addition, you will need a sharp knife, parchment paper and gauze.
Asp Balyk: recipe
First of all, the fish must be properly cut (flattened out). Using a strong sharp knife, you need to make a neat incision along the back to the abdomen, moving along the ridge from the head to the bottom of the carcass. In this case, you must try not to cut through the belly so that fat does not leak. Then, on one side, it is necessary to cut off the ribs from the vertebral bone and turn the carcass into two halves. After that, carefully remove the insides, being careful not to accidentally crush the gallbladder. If desired, the ridge can be removed completely. Next, you need to remove the gills, rinse the carcass, pat it dry with a clean, dry cloth or paper towel, and sprinkle it thoroughly with salt and seasonings. The future balyk from asp can be salted not only in dry salt, but also in brine (saline solution). In this case, the seasoning mixture for fish is added to the solution. To determine the optimal concentration of salt in brine, it is necessary to dip raw potato into it - if it does not sink, then salt is just right. Prepared fish is stored in the refrigerator for 10-12 hours, after which it is washed from salt and soaked in cold water. Soaking time will depend on the size of the carcass, for example, large specimens weighing about or more than three kilograms can withstand 1 hour in water, and smaller ones (1-1.5 kg) - a couple of hours. In late autumn, when the heat is gone, the fish can be soaked for longer, making it more salted, and in the summer, on the contrary, the time spent in the water can even be reduced. The soaked asp is wrapped in gauze, soaked in vinegar, and suspended to drain water. The wind will help speed up the drying process, but if there is no way to hang fish on the street, you can use the fan. After about a couple of hours, the carcass is removed and put in the dill and crushed clove of garlic, which is an excellent preservative. The fish is wrapped tightly with parchment paper and put away in the refrigerator for a day. At night, when there are no flies, they hang it in the fresh air. In order for the asp to stretch in its expanded form, it is necessary to put struts. In the morning, the fish is again wrapped in parchment and put away in the refrigerator. This procedure is carried out for 2-3 days, after which the fish can be laid out in the afternoon for about an hour in the sun, so that it βlets outβ the fat. That's all, the delicious asp asp is ready.