Fish is a valuable product, often found not only in Mediterranean cuisine, but also in many other countries. It is cooked both on holidays and on weekdays, however, before preparing any dish, the question arises of how to clean the fish. Typically, cleaning fish is an unpleasant thing, which takes a lot of time, but if you properly organize the workplace and adhere to a few tips, you can minimize the time and effort.
Before cleaning frozen fish, it is necessary to defrost it, for this it is necessary to put it in any dishes that are put in the refrigerator for gradual thawing. It is not recommended to leave the fish on the table, because with a sharp temperature difference, it loses its beautiful appearance and taste. If the cooking time is very short, you can put the product in cold water, adding salt to it to eliminate a specific smell.
How to clean fish: some tricks and tips
Fish will be cleaned much easier if you rub it with salt. In this case, she will not slip out of her hands. Tench and burbot will become tastier if you do not remove the scales from them when frying, since it improves their taste. In extreme cases, these types of fish are removed from the scales along with the skin.
It is very convenient to clean perch, ruff or other fish with small and hard scales with an ordinary vegetable grater (it is only necessary to select a separate grater for these purposes). In some cases, for this purpose, a special device is used, constructed from bottle caps, nailed to a small plank. Since cleaning a perch is a lot of trouble, it is recommended to lower it for several minutes in boiling water so that the scales are quickly removed.
Considering how to clean fish for example, zander, it should be noted that first all the fins are cut off from him, and then it is dipped for several minutes in cold water or for several seconds in boiling water. After that, several grooves are made with a fork against the scales, which ensures its rapid removal.
After the scales are removed from the fish, it is necessary for her to cut off her head, remove the gills and fin, then cut the belly and take out the insides. It should be noted that the black film located on the inside of the belly must be removed so that the fish does not bite. The cleaned and cut fish is washed under cold water to remove film and husk residues.
You need to know that perches and ruffs are gutted with scissors in order to exclude the possibility of getting cuts. To cut the fish into fillets, they first cut off the thin part of the belly, separate the head, take out the insides and the black film, then cut the flesh along the back to the ridge, after which it is cut to separate the fillet from the spine, and the bones are removed from it.
However, every housewife should know not only how to clean the fish, but also how the workplace should look at the same time. It must be remembered that all used tools and containers must be treated with detergent or cleaning agent, and the working surface with a disinfectant. Moreover, for cleaning any fish should have a separate grater or other device that will not be used for any other purpose.
Thus, you need to know not only how to clean the fish, but also how to properly gut it. So, the gallbladder cannot be crushed, since the spreading bile will give the fish a bitter taste, so it is taken out entirely. Gills should also be removed. If it happens that the fish for some reason gives bitterness, a piece of charcoal should be put in boiling water with the fish for several minutes , and the bitterness will disappear.