Pike perch is an extremely tasty and tender fish with white dietary meat and many useful trace elements. In addition, this product is famous for the absence of an unpleasant odor and a small number of bones. In addition, this fish is suitable for almost all occasions, because from it you can cook literally anything.
If you have this product, you have a difficult choice: what exactly to make from it? After all, from this fish you can make a lot of varied and unusually tasty dishes: aspic, and casserole, and fried delicacy. Only one thing is important - to know how to cook fish (zander), and to take into account all the features of this product in the process.
Probably, every housewife wants to somehow diversify the daily menu and pamper her family with unusual dishes. How to cook zander? It turns out that you can do almost anything with this fish: cook, fry, simmer, and stuff. But the real craftsmen even make cutlets, zrazy and even rolls from it. In fact, there are a huge number of recipes that will tell you how to cook zander. This fish is good and original in each of them.
An important advantage of pike perch is that due to lean meat it is recommended for use by those who seek to lose weight or lead a healthy lifestyle. It is noteworthy that despite its low calorie content, this fish is rich in nutrients and nutrients. So those who follow a diet due to illness should also not deny themselves the pleasure of enjoying the delicate taste of this delicacy. However, in order to get not only tasty, but also really healthy dish, you need to know exactly how to cook pike perch.
Product selection and preparation
First of all, you should learn how to choose the right fish. After all, the secret of a truly deliciously prepared dish lies primarily in the quality and freshness of the original product. Be sure to check the gills of zander - they should have a bright scarlet color. Then inspect all the fish: the skin should be smooth, the eyes should be clean, not cloudy, and the meat itself should be resilient, with a pleasant smell. If you wondered "how to cook pikeperch in the oven", keep in mind that it is best to choose small carcasses. The smaller the fish, the juicier the dish is made from it.
Preparing zander is pretty easy. In principle, the scheme is standard: you need to carefully clean the carcass, rip open the abdomen and remove the insides. Gills should also be obtained. Then rinse the fish thoroughly under water. Immediately before cooking, remove excess moisture from the pike perch with paper towels. Only then can you start the culinary process.
How to cook pike perch in foil
Unusually appetizing, healthy and nutritious is a fish baked in the oven with vegetables, spices and lemon. If you do not know how to cook zander deliciously, be sure to pay attention to this simple recipe for cooking carcasses in foil. Moreover, the process will not take you too much time and effort. You only need to prepare zander, and the rest will be done by the technician for you.
Grocery list
If you decide to bake the whole fish, buy all the necessary ingredients in advance:
- about 1 kg of carcass;
- large onion;
- a small bunch of parsley or dill;
- large tomato;
- lemon;
- 2 tablespoons of French mustard;
- 1 tablespoon of vegetable, and better - olive oil;
- 2 teaspoons of salt;
- a pinch of ground pepper and other spices to your taste.
Cooking
First of all, of course, prepare the fish. On the sides of the carcass, make the same transverse cuts every couple of centimeters. Rub the abdomen and the outer part of the pike perch with a mixture of spices and salt, then leave to marinate for half an hour. Meanwhile, you can do the preparation of vegetables.
Cut the tomato and onion into thin half rings. Cut the lemon in half: cut one part into rings, and squeeze the juice from the second into a separate container. Then add mustard to it, mix and grease the fish with this mixture. After the pike perch is marinated, lay the carcass on a greased foil. In the cuts, put the sliced rings of lemon and tomato. Arrange the onion over the whole carcass and sprinkle with chopped herbs.
Then wrap the foil with an envelope and place it in the oven, heated to 200 degrees, for half an hour. Usually this time is enough for cooking fish. But if you stocked up with a large carcass, then extend the baking for another 15 minutes. On this preparation can be considered complete. By the way, if you want your zander to be covered with a beautiful golden crust, open the foil about 10 minutes before the dish is ready.
Perhaps the best side dish for such a fish will be boiled rice or mashed potatoes. You can decorate the cooked dish with slices of lemon, sprigs of greens and olives.
How to cook aspic from zander
This dish will be an excellent decoration for any festive table. Although a delicate, transparent, beautiful cold appetizer can become an exquisite addition to even a simple dinner. This is also a great option for those who do not know how to cook zander. Perhaps the aspic is not so easy to prepare, but if you tinker a bit with the fish and do everything right, you will be rewarded for your efforts with a delicious delicacy.
Structure
So, if you decide to give preference to this mouth-watering snack, prepare in advance:
- kilogram carcass;
- one large onion and carrot;
- the root of parsley, celery or parsnip;
- a small bunch of greenery;
- Bay leaf;
- 30 g of instant gelatin;
- a pinch of black and allspice;
- salt to taste.
Cooking process
Prepare the fish: peel off the husks, fins, gills and entrails. Cut the tail, head and put in a deep saucepan along with celery root, carrots, onions, pepper and bay leaf. By the way, vegetables can not be cut. You can also put pieces of fish with pieces of meat here: for example, cut fins and large bones. Fill all components with 1.5 liters of water.
The broth should be cooked for over an hour on low heat. Do not forget to periodically stir and remove the foam. Then add the chopped carcass to the broth and cook for another half hour. After carefully remove the fillet pieces from the liquid. For this, it is most convenient to use a slotted spoon. Get the carrots and celery - they can be beautifully chopped and used to decorate the dish. Strain the broth several times through cheesecloth.
Arrange the pieces of zander in several deep containers, add chopped vegetables and sprigs of herbs. Then dissolve the gelatin in a warm broth and pour the liquid on top. In addition, you can use olives and lemon slices for decoration. True, citrus must be added a little later, so that the aspic does not turn out bitter.
Wait for the broth to cool and refrigerate it for several hours until completely frozen. And it’s best to leave the aspic all night. Serve jellied meat from pike perch taken with horseradish.