Fish in our country has always been considered a delicacy, especially its rare varieties. And if you think that the most expensive and rare fish is necessarily red and large, then you are mistaken. Sosvinsky herring can successfully compete for the title of the most legendary fish delicacy. What is this fish and why did it get such a name?
Fish features
In fact, the Sosvinsky herring is not a herring at all. She belongs to the whitefish family, the subfamily of salmon, and her closest relatives are omul, nelma and vendace. The real name of this fish is tugun, and it became Sosvinskaya due to its habitat. The fact is that tugun is an endemic, that is, a species that lives in one, limited place and does not swim away from its birthplace. In this case, these are the rivers of Siberia. But in the small tributary of the Ob, in Northern Sosva, not far from the village of Berezovoye in the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug, the most numerous and most delicious Sosvinsky herring is found.
Her photo shows an unremarkable, small - up to 20 cm in length - rounded fish, a bit reminiscent of sprats, but in taste superior to it many times.
Tugun is caught in the spring, during a flood, when it goes to feed for flocks. Therefore, it is convenient to catch it not on a spinning rod, or even on a net, but on a net. In the middle of summer, sowing tugun returns from shallow water, estuaries and tributaries to the river to spawn. At this time, it is also easy to catch. However, for some time now, fishing of this fish by the population has been prohibited, since its number in the region is rapidly falling. Despite all the prohibitions and huge fines, poachers catch tugun almost round the clock during its course.
The story of the royal fish
In Russia, the Sosvinsky herring was loved since ancient times, and before they even called it the royal herring, since they delivered it directly to the royal table. Her taste was very appreciated by Peter the Great.
In Soviet times, it was mined only 10 tons per year, and only due to this lived the village and the local fish factory. Once a year after trapping and pickling, a refrigerator plane was sent from Moscow, which took valuable canned food to the tables of the very first people of the state.
Also known is the fact that at the Yalta Conference, Stalin treated Churchill with a delicacy, and he ate fish with cognac. Mr. Churchill liked the Sosvinsky herring so much that subsequently a keg of this delicacy was sent to him by direct flight.
What makes Sosvinsky herring a delicacy?
Firstly, of course, the taste of this fish. It is very thin with a light aroma of freshness resembling a cucumber. The meat itself is so fat and tender that, after lying in a brine for a couple of months, it simply melts in it without a trace. Therefore, they make the fish slightly salted and try to sell it right there. However, this is not difficult - for poachers, a kilogram can cost up to a thousand rubles. Fresh Sosvinsky herring is stored for a very short time: even if it lays down a little, its taste spoils - it has a lot of fat in its meat, which quickly oxidizes in the air, and the fish almost immediately becomes stale. Therefore, officially selling it is not fresh, but salted. Also, it should not be frozen, as this completely kills the unique taste of the product.
Secondly, scarcity and rarity created her fame. Buying it - even in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, is a great success, to say nothing of central Russia.
Where to try
Since this fish is scarce, and it is kept very little, you cannot bring it fresh to the capital or even to the neighboring region. Therefore, salt it on the spot - at the Berezovsky fish factory. There are similar plants in neighboring Surgut and Tyumen. They prepare it at the factories in one way only - this is a spicy killet ambassador, which reveals the taste of fish in the best possible way.
The easiest way to buy this fish is on the website of the Berezovsky fish factory “Siberian Fish”, where there are several options for selling Sosvinsky herring. The enterprise also has a representative office in the capital, so if you don’t know where in Moscow to try Sosvinsky herring, look for this official online store. There is also a brand department in the capital at the FOOD CITY shopping center on Kaluga Highway. By the way, a 200-gram can costs about 500 rubles.
How to Pickle Sosvinsky Herring at Home
If you managed to get a fresh Sosvinsky herring, do not hesitate and do not be wise especially. Such a fish should be cooked as quickly as possible and as simple as possible - this is what will best reveal the taste of its meat. Fishermen usually ate it straight raw, laid in a bucket and covered with coarse salt. Then everything is simple - they took the fish by the tail, tear off the fin, pulled out the insides, tear off its head (with tender fish, all this can be done in one motion) and sent to the mouth.
But you can make a more attractive version of the salting - sprinkle the gutted fish well with salt, pepper and leave for a day, after which you can eat right with the bones, so they are soft and soft. You can cook spicy marinade. To do this, put the whole uncleaned small fish in non-oxidizable dishes, pour salt with the calculation of a tablespoon per kilogram of fish. Next, prepare the marinade itself - add a couple of bay leaves in 50 ml of water, a teaspoon of pepper, caraway seeds, coriander and nutmeg and boil the liquid. Then cool it and fill the fish, crush it with oppression and leave it in the cold for a couple of days.
Everyone who has ever tasted this delicacy unanimously assures that you will definitely never forget its taste, therefore if you happen to find it on sale, feel free to take it and taste it.