Donskoy is called the Black Sea-Azov herring, reaching a size of 30-40 cm. In late March and early April, spawning migration begins in the fish, as a result of which it enters the large rivers Don, Dnieper, Danube and others. It is during this period that active fishing begins. From the Don River the name "Don herring" came from. It is customary to fry caught fish, smoke on coals, and dry. But still, the most delicious herring is obtained during salting, especially since from ancient times there were many recipes for its preparation in this way.
Dry salting of Don herring
Nobody knows how to salt Don herring like fishermen. They know all the secrets of cooking this tasty and fatty fish (during spawning, the fat content of herring reaches 20%). Salting tips from fishermen are as follows:
- Put the fish in the container only with the abdomen down. This is due to the fact that in the first place the belly in which the insides are located begins to deteriorate, and therefore it is important that it is salted as soon as possible.
- In the process of salting, carcasses should be mixed at least 1 time per day.
- It is not necessary to use oppression during salting.
- Ready herring can be frozen. If necessary, the fish is thawed on the top shelf of the refrigerator, cut and served. It turns out a very delicious slightly salted Don herring.
The recipe for dry salted fish is as follows:
- For salting, a whole, gutted carcass of fish is used. It is rolled in coarse salt, gills are completely filled and laid out in a plastic box of the refrigerator (intended for storing vegetables) or in any other container.
- The herring is stacked upside down in a checkerboard pattern (to save space).
- In this form, the herring will be salted for 7 days. However, already on the 3rd day, when the brine begins to appear, the upper and lower carcasses need to be shifted (interchanged).
Ready herring is washed under running water, cleaned and served at the table. The remaining carcasses are laid out in plastic bags and frozen.
How to pickle Don herring in brine
Some people prefer to cook herring only in brine. In this way, the fish is evenly salted, it turns out tender and juicy.
How to salt Don herring at home, we will present in a step-by-step instruction:
- Prepare the brine by dissolving 500 g of salt in three liters of hot water.
- Put the fish upside down in a checkerboard pattern and pour on the cooled brine.
- In this form, the herring will be salted for 4 days in the refrigerator.
- The next day, you will need to prepare a new brine based on three liters of hot water and 200 g of salt.
- Remove the herring from the old pickle, transfer to a new one, and send it to the refrigerator for another 4 days.
Remove the prepared herring from brine, rinse under running water, gut and serve.
How to salt Don herring in soy sauce
Lovers of Korean cuisine will love herring marinated in soy sauce. There are two ways to cook it, each of which involves salting the fish for 8-12 hours.
The Don herring in soya marinade according to the first method is prepared as follows:
- Herring is disassembled on a fillet, peeled from the skin and stored in a small plastic container with caviar (optional).
- A marinade is prepared from soy sauce and boiled water (2 tbsp. Each), vinegar and salt (1 tbsp. Spoon), sugar (1 tsp.) And chopped onion rings.
- The prepared marinade is poured into a container with fish, mixed, covered with a lid and sent to the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
- Ready herring is served to the table directly with pickled onions.
The second way to cook don herring in soy sauce also involves pickling fish in a jar. It is cleaned of the insides, cut into pieces 2 cm thick, folded into a jar and filled with soy sauce so that it completely covers the fish. After 12 hours, the herring can be served.
Pickled herring
You can cook a delicious Don herring in 48 hours by pickling it in salt and spicy spices. The fish is slightly salted, very aromatic and tasty.
Marinated Don herring is prepared as follows:
- Put fresh gutted fish in a glass dish and pour brine. To prepare it, dissolve 3 tablespoons of salt in 1 liter of cold water. Send herring in brine in the refrigerator for a day.
- After 24 hours, remove the dishes with fish from the refrigerator. Remove the herring from the brine, gut, disassemble on a filet and put in a glass jar.
- Add sugar (½ teaspoon), vinegar (1 tablespoon), sweet peas, bay leaf and onion, sliced in half rings, into a jar of fish. Well pack herring and send in the refrigerator for another 24 hours.
After a day, pickled herring can be served with mashed potatoes or other dishes.
Quick salted herring in oil
According to this recipe, a Don herring can be salted in just a night and after 8 hours enjoy the taste of a tender and fat fish.
A step-by-step recipe for cooking is as follows:
- First of all, a marinade of 120 ml of sunflower oil and a tablespoon of tomato paste is cooked over a small fire. As soon as the contents of the pan boil, 80 ml of vinegar is poured into it. After this, the marinade must be removed from the stove and cool.
- A tablespoon of salt, allspice peas (1 teaspoon) and ground red pepper (2 teaspoons) are added to the cooled marinade.
- Lastly, chopped onions (6-7 onions) are added to the cold marinade.
- Don herring (1 kg) is disassembled on a fillet (with skin), laid out in a container in layers, alternating fish and marinade.
- For salting, the fish goes to the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, and preferably at night.
How to fry Don herring
You can not only salt the Don herring, but also fry the whole carcass in a pan. It turns out a very tasty independent dish, which can be served with new potatoes or with another side dish.
You can cook a delicious Don herring in a pan according to the following recipe:
- Gut herring (2-3 pcs.), Remove the insides and remove the gills. Tail and fins can be left.
- Prepare the filling for the fish, mixing a tablespoon of chopped green onions, the same amount of dill, breadcrumbs (2-3 tbsp. Tablespoons), ground black pepper, salt and lemon zest (½ teaspoon each).
- Then the fish is stuffed with the prepared mixture, rubbed with salt, crumbled in flour and fried in vegetable oil.
- Before serving, it is recommended to sprinkle herring with lemon juice.