Most of us are used to meat cutlets. Hearing that they are made from minced fish, we, as a rule, grimacing with displeasure. Our children on this occasion speak directly, critically and negatively (in most cases). How to feed a fastidious gourmet? Of course, there are people who love fish in any form. They use it together with stewed vegetables, fry or bake in the oven.
Is there a universal fish dish that will appeal to almost everyone? Experienced housewives affirmatively answer this question and advise you to cook fish cakes with semolina. It is these juicy, soft, tender cutlets with an appetizing crust that will come to any table, any side dish.
List of Essential Ingredients
You will need:
- 550 g of fish fillet;
- bulb;
- egg;
- white roll (three loaf circles);
- some butter;
- a pair of garlic cloves;
- salt;
- fresh greens;
- 4 tablespoons of semolina;
- breadcrumbs;
- ground black pepper;
- a mixture of spices for fish;
- sunflower oil.
Description of the cooking process
For the recipe for delicious fish cakes, you can take any fish fillet. It can be ordinary river bass, inexpensive and sold in most pollock stores, more expensive pink salmon fillet, etc. The main thing is that the fish should be of good quality. If it is an inhabitant of the nearest body of water, it is better that it be freshly caught. If the choice fell on the store fish, then you should definitely check the expiration date and operating conditions. Having bought frozen fish, it is better to defrost it in natural conditions, without using a microwave oven or a tap with hot water.
Minced meat
The key to delicious minced meat for fish cakes with semolina is the proper cutting of fish. The carcass should be thoroughly washed. Remove the scales. Cut off the head, rip open the abdomen and take out the insides. Do not remove the tail, it is useful for faster and easier separation of the fillet from the bones. To get the fillet, it is better to take a very sharp knife, carefully cut the meat at the spine. Holding the fish by the tail, you can smoothly see the knife in the direction of the head from the tail, separating the fillet. Skin can be discarded. Small bones can not be removed, since we will grind meat several times using a meat grinder.
We chopped fish fillet into a deep container. There we add a bun soaked in milk, an egg, finely chopped onions and garlic. For an additional taste, a sweet piquant note, you can add half a carrot. Grate it on the smallest grater and send it to the minced meat. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly. One recipe for fish cutlets with semolina requires the usual mixing of products, while the other recommend using a blender until a homogeneous mass is obtained. What method of cooking minced fish to choose - the hostess decides.
After stirring, add semolina to the minced meat. To make it more gentle and airy, it is recommended to recapture it. This is done as follows: the forcemeat moves one way with your hands, the lump is picked up, thrown up and sharply beats against the walls and bottom of the plate. It is recommended to beat the mince 3-4 times. After that, you can add chopped herbs and spices. To salt. Add pepper. Again, mix everything thoroughly and leave for 10-12 minutes. This time will be enough for semolina to swell and absorb moisture well.
For the formation of fish cakes with semolina, you can use cereals or flour. After the cutlets have been shaped, roll them in breadcrumbs and send them to the pan to fry. If you want the dish to be more juicy, put a piece of butter in the center of the patty during the formation process. Bright golden color and appetizing crisp suggest that the cutlets are completely ready.
Serve fish cutlets from pollock mince with vegetable salad, lettuce leaves or a more "dense" side dish (mashed potatoes, rice, baked eggplant, pasta). You can decorate the dish with a slice of lemon and fresh herbs.
Fish sauce
Any dish can get bored; minced fish cutlets are no exception. How to diversify the familiar and favorite menu? Try a variety of sauces. They will add zest, complement and reveal the fishy taste.
- Sour cream. For cooking, you need a couple of tablespoons of sour cream, which will need to be mixed with a teaspoon of grated horseradish, a spoonful of milk or fish broth and a lot of fresh herbs.
- Tomato. A perfect addition to fish patties with semolina - sauce, prepared on the basis of thick tomato paste. Take a quarter cup of pasta and mix with a spoonful of liquid sour cream, two tablespoons of flour, two tablespoons of hot fish stock and a teaspoon of softened butter. Lightly heat and evaporate the sauce.
- Creamy. If you mix fat cream, fish broth, lemon juice and half a teaspoon of nutmeg, you get an incredibly delicious sauce for fish cakes. The recipe for delicious fish cakes can be one, but the sauces can be different!