Canned fish is generally perceived as something everyday for every day. Most of them are used for salads and as a filling for pies. Only one serves as an independent snack, and even on the festive table. These are sprats in oil. In Soviet times, they were completely deficit. It was considered great luck to get a jar of real Riga sprats. True, as then, many are interested in what kind of fish and how they are made? And most importantly, is it possible to cook delicious sprats at home?
Sprat raw materials
Opening a can of these canned food, you can see small fish stacked in a row. They lie in barrels almost close to each other. This is how perfect sprats look. This is what kind of fish - the majority becomes interested when the picture is not so rosy. Indeed, for the manufacture of mouth-watering canned foods, only high-quality raw materials should be used.
Modern sprats are mainly made from small fish belonging to the herring family. Simply put, this is Baltic sprat or herring. Although in reality there is a fish under the same name from the Latin "sprattus". But it is from it that sprats never make. But this is not as important as the quality of raw fish carcasses. They should be 7-9 cm long (just to fit in a jar), not have damage to the skin and be distinguished by even coloring. The rest already depends not on what kind of fish sprats are made of, but on the cooking method.
Production technology
To date, 2 technologies are used for the production of sprats. According to one of them, raw fish is washed under cold water, briefly lowered into a saline solution, and then, hanging through a thin wire through the gills, suspended. In this form, the sprat is sent to the smokehouse for several hours. After that, her head and tail fin are removed from her and placed in a jar, and this is done only by hand. Then it is poured with a mixture of vegetable and mustard oils, rolled up, sterilized and sent for 2-3 months for ripening.
The second method of producing sprats is somewhat simpler and cheaper. In this case, salted fish without additional smoking is placed in a jar. And to give it the desired look and aroma, "liquid smoke" is added along with the oil . Unfortunately, this technology is used more and more often. Moreover, manufacturers claim that this turns out to be more useful sprats. This is what kind of fish, interestingly, will be harmless after processing with chemical reagents? A moot point. Otherwise, this technology is similar to the previous one.
Benefit and harm
Of course, like any other fish, sprats are rich in protein and amino acids, which are easily absorbed by the body. In addition, the available polyunsaturated fats in fish oil strengthen the heart muscle and blood vessel walls and are recommended for use in joint diseases. The high content of vitamins of groups B, A and E slows down the aging process of the skin and has a prophylactic effect in diabetes and osteoporosis.
However, due to the cooking technology, these sprats are not so useful. Which fish will not become more high-calorie when adding oil? None. So, for 100 grams of these canned foods, 375 kcal. And this is a lot, considering that on average it is half of one can. In addition, when smoked in sprats, carcinogens are formed (mainly benzopyrene). With regular use, they can provoke cancer and other pathologies. As they say, everything is good in moderation.
Flour of choice
If in Soviet times sprats were in short supply, today store shelves are simply bursting with different cans. Today, their production is established everywhere, not only in the Baltic States and Kaliningrad. But it is better, as practice shows, still choose those that are closer to Riga. For the quality of the final product, it is very important from which fish sprats are made. The closer to the place of catch, the more likely it is that fresh, unfrozen raw materials were used.
First of all, you should carefully consider the bank itself. It should be smooth, without damage and swelling. On the top cover markings are usually beaten out. It is she who will help to choose high-quality sprats. This is what kind of fish, you can also determine with its help. If the code contains the numbers "137", then such canned food is made precisely from Baltic sprats. But the presence of the code "C20" indicates a low quality of raw materials. Also, according to GOST, the fish in the bank should be at least 75%, and the composition includes only sprat or herring, vegetable oil and salt.
Home recipe
Those who would like to enjoy delicious smoked fish without harmful additives and carcinogens are increasingly interested in how to cook sprats at home. And it turns out that it’s not so difficult, the main thing is to choose a quality sprat and be patient.
Gut one kilogram of small fish, remove heads and tail fins. Place in a thick layer in a deep pan with a thick bottom. In this case, each layer needs to be salted, add peppercorns and bay leaf. Brew a glass of strong tea in advance (take at least 3 tea leaves per 250 ml of boiling water) and cool. Add it to the stacked fish with a glass of vegetable oil. Close the lid and put in the oven for 2.5-3 hours at 110 degrees bake. Such sprats are not only no different in taste from the store, but also much more useful.