Balyk is a salted and then dried fish, which after this treatment acquires a rich, delicate taste, as well as a pleasant aroma. For the preparation of fish balyk at home, large fish of different varieties are used, characterized by a high fat content. This dish is a delicacy, in stores it costs a lot of money. That is why many people get it for the holiday table. If you want to surprise your household and guests, then you can easily cook a balyk of fish at home. But how to do that?
Cook at home
Before considering the features of cooking fish balyk at home, it should be mentioned that this dish can be of two types:
- suspended balyk - without heat treatment,
- cold smoked, which is made over several days.
To cook this delicacy, you must choose the right fish.
To prepare a fish balyk at home, the main product must be fresh, not frozen. It should also be noted that it is best to fish from a clean reservoir, ideally in the autumn. The most delicious is the salmon and pink salmon balyk. What is the difference between these fish from others? First of all, such a balyk turns out more fragrant, tastes good, since these fish do not give away mud. For cooking, you can use other varieties of fish, the fat content of which is from 5 to 30%. These are:
- Sturgeon, whose weight is 2-5 kg.
- Carp weighing more than 6 kg.
- Asp, whose weight is 2-3 kg.
- Catfish, the mass of which should be from 4 kg.
- Silver carp weighing 8 kg.
- Trout, which weighs from 4 to 5 kg.
- Pike perch weighing from 2.5 kg.
- Nelma about 3 kg.
- Pike weighing about 6 kg.
The quality of the meal will depend on the fat content of the fish. Balyk turns out to be very juicy and aromatic from pink salmon, sturgeon, common carp, salmon, silver carp. These fish varieties have a thick fat layer, due to which the taste is simply excellent. Pike, pike perch and perch are classified as less fatty fish varieties, so it is recommended to cook them in a dried manner.
Start cooking
Many prefer red fish balyk. Make it completely uncomplicated at home. To do this, you must follow certain techniques, including cutting fish, salting, smoking or drying, as well as proper storage. To prepare you will need:
- Fish, characterized by a high percentage of fat content, weighing from 3 kg.
- 30 g of sugar per kilogram of fish.
- 150 g of salt per kilogram of fish.
- Seasonings and spices to your taste.
Carcass cutting
Before starting to cook at home a balyka from river fish, it is necessary to thoroughly clean the carcass from the scales. After that, it is cleaned of all the insides, washed well under cold water. Then an incision is made along the entire spine, the loin portion is completely separated from the ossicles and separated so that you get 2 pieces of meat.
Further, the recipe for a balyk at home involves cutting the carcass into portions. One piece of fillet is taken, cut lengthwise into several pieces. After that, one of the meat strips is taken, small pieces of fish are cut with a knife, the thickness of which should be 2 cm. This is how all meat is cut. Please note that the pieces must be without skin.
Pickling
After that, you can proceed to salting. Sliced meat is placed in a pan, poured with salt, sugar, everything is thoroughly mixed. After that, you can take seasoning to your taste, process the slices, roll them into rolls, place in the same container. Ideally, the fish will be combined with spices that are specially designed for it, as well as seasoning with hops-suneli, black pepper, giving the future balyk a mouth-watering aroma and pleasant taste.
Further, at home, the recipe for a balyk from asp or any other fish involves putting the semi-finished product in a pan in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Thus, the meat is well saturated with spices and salt. Throughout this time, it is recommended to mix the fish once a day. If your carcass is large, then salting will require more time, about a week.
After this time, the container is removed for a couple of days in the freezer so that all kinds of parasites and germs die there. You can also initially freeze the fillet for several days, and then salting.
Drying
The last step in preparing this delicacy is drying, that is, drying the fish. You need to get the pan out of the refrigerator, string the pieces onto some strong thread, while leaving a small distance between the fillets. At first, it is recommended to hang the meat for several hours under the bright sun, so that each part is covered with a crust. After this, the fillet should dry in a dry and warm room, where there are no insects. As a rule, the whole drying process takes from 3 to 7 days.
How to use?
At home, a balyk from zander or any other river fish should have a delicious smell and a pinkish or yellowish tint. You can use ready-made delicacy for making a sandwich, add meat to salads, and also use it as a snack for beer. The treat is stored in the refrigerator, while wrapped in food paper. Duration of storage is no more than 1 week, regardless of which fish goes to the balyk.
Beneficial features
Due to the fact that processing does not imply roasting or boiling fish, a large amount of useful substances and elements is stored in meat. That is why this delicacy is very useful for human health. 100 g of the finished product contains the following amount of vitamins:
- 0.057 mg vitamin A.
- 2.5 mg Vitamin E.
- 0.2 mg of vitamin B 2 .
- 1.8 mg vitamin PP.
- 0.05 mg of vitamin B 1 .
The composition of this product also contains useful minerals that are required by the human body. These include: calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, chlorine, sulfur, zinc, iron, chromium, fluorine, nickel.
In addition, saturated fatty acids are present in the fish, which favorably affect the appearance of the skin and hair. The composition contains a small amount of ash, cholesterol and water. That is why, if you use this homemade delicacy, you can not only enjoy the rich taste, but also provide your body with the necessary minerals and vitamins.
Cook tips
When cooking a delicacy, you can stick to small tricks that will be useful to know, and then your homemade treat will turn out to be safe and gain an exquisite taste:
- The duration of salting will depend on the weight of the main product. It should also be noted that in the summer, the salting process will be about 2 weeks, and in winter this period is 5-7 days.
- Large fish is cut into portioned pieces, the thickness of which should be no more than 2.5 cm and at least 2 cm. If the pieces are much thinner, the meat will turn out to be too dry, and too thick pieces in the middle will not dry out.
- So that insects do not sit on the meat, it is recommended to cover it with gauze during drying, which is soaked in advance with vinegar.
- After three-day drying, the fillet is best removed under oppression for a couple of hours, so that each piece is smooth and shiny. After that, they are again suspended for further drying.
- If you want to check the readiness of the balyk, then you can press the meat with your finger. If there are no dents or moisture left on it, then this indicates that the product is ready.
- Before starting salting, the pan should be sterilized, it is recommended to use plastic or enameled containers for this.
- Before treating the fillet with salt, it is also recommended to sprinkle it with a little sugar. That product, which is put into an enameled container, is sprinkled with salt only.
- You can cook any fish in the oven. In this process, it is recommended to slightly open the door, turn on the hood. After 8 hours, the dish will be ready.
- If the product has absorbed any odors when dried, then it must be processed by cold smoking. If you want the balyk to dry faster, then you can use the included fan.
- It is recommended to add black peppercorns and allspice to the saline solution. A rich taste will be given to the delicacy of cloves and bay leaves.
I would also like to mention that many people do not understand the difference between salmon and pink salmon. Pink salmon belongs to the salmon family, so it can also be used to make balyk. So we can say that pink salmon is the same salmon.
Storage Features
It is necessary to store the finished beam in the refrigerator, while first wrapping it in paper. It is also allowed to place in a special container or vacuum bag. Thus, the fish will be fresh longer. Home-made delicacy should be stored for no more than 1 month, because in the future it will dry out more and lose its aroma and taste.
For most people, in the mind, balyk is an expensive dish, which in most cases is served at the festive table. However, cooking it at home is quite simple. As a raw material, it is not necessary to use a red variety of fish; you can use perch, silver carp or bream.