In Western Europe and America, this fish is called anchovy. We are given her many names: sprat, sprat, smelt ... And in Turkey she is called affectionately - hamsi. There she is fried, stewed, salted, marinated, dried. On the shores of the Sea of Marmara it is customary to consume it, as we have seeds. What kind of fish is hamsa? It is small - a body up to twenty centimeters or less. There are several types of anchovies, and therefore the color of the fish is different - from silver to dark green. Hamsa lives in the Atlantic, from the Bay of Biscay to Morocco, and in summer its shoals enter the Baltic and North Seas. Sprat and kilka are also found in the Black and Azov Seas. The stock of this fish is quite numerous, it often comes into the trawl, and therefore the price for it is very, very affordable. But not only cat food is hamsu. If you skillfully cook it, you get a tasty and healthy dish.
Calorie content and beneficial properties
Hamsa meat contains a rare vitamin PP, as well as all the trace elements that are rich in all fish. Since anchovies eat along with small bones, we can say that fish strengthens our skeleton. By the way, flour is made from hamsa - the basis of pet food. Anchovies are also rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids . It is known that this substance lowers cholesterol, smoothes the lipid profile, and is the prevention of blood clots and oncological processes in the body. In addition, hamsa has beneficial effects on blood vessels and the heart. It is believed that this fish acts on the male body as "Viagra". How Caloric is Hamsa? Fish, the useful properties of which can hardly be overestimated, is also a dietary product. Its nutritional value is only 88 Kcal per 100 g of product.
What to cook from hamsa
The ancient Greek historian Strabo wrote that hamsa was the second product after grain, which was supplied by the Northern Black Sea Region and Crimea to the metropolis. In Chersonesos, Olbia and other ancient cities, archaeologists find basements where once in the vats salted hamsa. The ancient Romans also valued anchovies for their delicate, slightly bitter taste. A special garum sauce with a sour-spicy taste was made from fish. Now in Western Europe olives are stuffed with anchovies, they are added to pasta, pilaf, salads, and pastes are made. And in Turkey, the Hamsi tava dish is very popular - that is, fried breaded anchovies. Cooking hamsa is a very simple matter, even if the recipe starts with the words: "Gut the fish ..." With some skills, this lesson will take you very little time.
How to pickle hamsa
In Ukraine, especially on the coast, you can buy fresh anchovies. This is ideal for making salted hamsa ourselves. After all, then we can regulate the degree of spice of the fish ourselves. A frozen product is also suitable, although the taste will not be the same ... You need to salt the anchovies without cutting. In the process, the bitter taste of the tiny intestines will disappear and not be felt. We wash the fish, put it in a colander and let it drain. Mix with coarse-grained sea salt. For moderate salting, you should take 100 g per kilo of fish, and for spicy - 250-300 grams. Sprinkle with spices - black pepper, caraway seeds, cloves, bay leaf or currant leaf. We put it in an enameled basin. Press on top with oppression. In a couple of days, a great snack is ready.
Quick salting
This method allows you to serve a tasty dish in one to two hours. Rinse the hamsa as in the previous recipe. For every ten fish you will need two soup spoons of coarse salt. But that is not all. You will need more sugar - one and a half tablespoons and juice from half a lemon. Mix and put the fish in a tight plastic bag. Before serving the fish to the table, it will be necessary to wash off excess salt from it. Salted hamsa can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks. But it must be washed, sprinkled with olive oil and lemon juice and transferred to a resealable food container.
Hamsi tava
In Istanbul, street vendors sell this dish like we have hot cakes. Consolidation! But it’s even tastier to cook this dish yourself. Hamsa fish need to be cut, otherwise in finished form it will be terribly bitter. We wash the carcasses and leave to drain in a colander. Pour cornmeal into a large bowl. We will need it 1 glass per kilogram of fish. Salt our breading, mix. Put the hamsa. We make sure that each fish is covered with flour. Pour a little vegetable oil onto a cast-iron skillet . When it warms up properly, we spread the hamsa with tails to the center, firmly pressing the fish to each other. We fry on medium heat for about five minutes, deftly shaking the pan with horizontal movements. We take a large flat plate, stick it to the pan, cover with a palm and pour the excess oil into a container. Then fry the fish. This must be done before the formation of a specific golden crust. Hamsa fish is served hot with a quarter of lemon sprinkled with red onion rings. It is recommended to serve the garnish with this dish: boiled potatoes with dill, baked in the oven or mashed potatoes.
Oven-baked hamsa
We leave frozen fish (half a kilo) to reach at room temperature, after which we cut and rinse. Pour a little sunflower oil onto the bottom of a deep baking sheet. We chop the onion of medium size with rings, which we put out evenly in a baking dish. On this pillow should be our hamsa fish. Salt it. Cover with tomato and lemon mugs. Sprinkle with a generous pinch of thyme. Pour a little warm water - two or three tablespoons will be quite enough. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and send our pan there for half an hour. A simple salad made of fresh vegetables is suitable for this dish.
Braised Hamsa
The recipe also prescribes to rid the fish of the head and intestines. First, we stew vegetables, since hamsa itself is cooked very quickly. We cut the onion in not very small cubes, put it on the bottom of a deep frying pan. On top of it we put ripe tomatoes, cut into very small pieces. Do not forget about spices - peppercorns, bay leaves, any dry herbs that are suitable for such dishes. Fill with water so that later the laid fish is also stewed, and not fried. When the onion becomes soft, lay out the hamsa carcasses. Cover and simmer for about ten minutes. During this time, fish and vegetables exchange tastes and soak in aromas. This dish is perfect for spaghetti. Boil them until half cooked. Drain the water, rinse the spaghetti with warm water, let drain in a colander. Tilt the spaghetti in a pan with stewed hamsa, stir and warm well.