Carp, like any other fish, it is advisable to choose fresh for cooking, while he was still not in the cold and stayed in the nets of the fisherman for no more than a day.
It tastes the most and is comfortable when cutting medium-sized individuals, it is from 15 to 25 cm in length, including the tail fin and head. For larger crucian carp, it is difficult to choose the dishes for cooking as a whole, and this is how it turns out most deliciously, and small crucian in sour cream will be too soft, and small bones, which are already difficult to choose with food, will cause even more trouble.
Fish cleaning
Crucian carp in sour cream does not require special preparation; it is cleaned for this recipe according to the usual scheme. It is necessary to wash the fish in water from mucus and algae. With a very sharp knife, clean the scales.
To make the scales easier to remove, you need to lift it with a knife in the direction from the tail to the head, while holding the cleared place on top with your second hand so that the scales do not fly apart, and do not have to, then collect it throughout the kitchen. Thus, the sides of the fish are cleaned, then you need to walk along the back, paying special attention to the place near the head. And lastly, the abdomen is cleansed. In places where fins grow, scales are finer and denser, slightly less malleable.
After the scales are removed, rinse the fish once more, open the belly from tail to head. It is better to take a sharp knife and not enter it deeper than 1 cm., So as not to cut the gall bladder. Remove the giblets. If a female is caught, then it can be with caviar, which can be removed and cooked separately or left inside the fish so that it boils with it.
Now you need to rinse the fish again. If desired, you can cut off the heads and tails of those who do not like to eat them; without them, crucian baked in sour cream will turn out to be just as tasty.
Preparation
After the fish is cleaned, it must be prepared for frying. If the crucian carp is large or caught in a marshy pond, it is advisable to soak it in order to get rid of the smell of mud.
For soaking, you need to prepare a saline solution at the rate of 1-1.5 tbsp. l salt per liter of water and place crucian carp in it for 30-40 minutes. It is advisable to take warm water, slightly above room temperature.
For a young crucian it will be enough to coat it with salt and let it lie down for 15-20 minutes for salting. Fans of hot can sprinkle black or red ground pepper to salt.
Roasting
Crucian carp in sour cream is prepared after preliminary roasting. So it turns out more pleasant to the taste and does not fall apart. Roll prepared fish in breadcrumbs, flour or semolina. Place on a hot frying pan greased with butter and fry on both sides to a thin golden crust. It is not recommended to fry too much, until ready it will come later in sour cream.
If desired, crucian in sour cream can be stewed without frying, it is also delicious. In this case, you need to grease the pan with oil, put a layer of onions cut into rings on the bottom, then a layer of prepared crucian carp and pour sour cream, so that all the fish is hidden under it. Put on fire and close the lid. Stew for 30-35 minutes, then sprinkle with chopped fresh herbs, and serve. Crucian in sour cream in the oven languishes a little longer than on an open fire, here it is a matter of taste and time, for which you need to have time to cook the dish.
Let's go back to the recipe with fried crucian carp. You can also bake them in the oven or in a pan under the lid. But the onion is added pre-fried. Instead of onions, you can add lightly fried potatoes without salt. Cut it for frying in circles. With onions and potatoes laid out at the bottom, and then there is already a layer of fish and sour cream.
The crucian in sour cream after preliminary frying is stewed for 10-15 minutes on the stove, or 20-25 minutes in the oven. Served hot.