Fish meat is one of the most healthy and nutritious foods. It is rich in protein necessary for our body and essential amino acids. About 15 percent of fish meat is high-quality protein. In addition, fish also contains other beneficial elements - omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, and so on. Fish cakes are a healthy, appetizing and beautiful dish. But it is advisable to know some secrets and features of their preparation.
What kind of fish is better to make fish cakes from? A recipe with a photo, as well as all the secrets of cooking are presented to your attention in the article.
Choosing fish to make cutlets
What kind of fish is better to make fish cakes from? Almost any one will do - pink salmon, pelengas, trout, cod, catfish, pollock, pike, salmon, halibut. Mistresses note that the advantage is to give large fish - cutlets come out juicier than from small varieties.
Even cooks insist that fish for cutlets must be fresh. There are several methods to verify this. The most common and simple method is to throw fish into the water: fresh will always go to the bottom, while the spoiled one will float. The next method is to pierce her belly with a heated knife blade, an unpleasant smell will indicate that the fish is stale. A few simple signs of a fresh product: pink or red shades of gills, transparent and non-sticky mucus on the scales, eyes are always clean and convex. The abdomen of the fish should be flat and transparent. If it is swollen or covered with suspicious spots - this is a signal that the fish is far from fresh, you should not take this one.
Fish fat
What kind of fish is better to make fish cakes from? Responses of hostesses strongly recommend, choosing fish for minced meat, pay attention to how fat it is. Indeed, for diet, children's and steam cutlets, minced meat from a nonfat product is better. In general, fish is divided into three varieties (depending on the degree of fat content). Skinny varieties (up to 4 percent fat), moderately fat (4-8 percent fat), fat (more than 8 percent).
Skinny varieties include: cod, haddock, saffron cod, hake, pollock, pollock, polar cod, river perch.
To moderately fatty: chum salmon, sea bream, pink salmon, herring, sea bass, horse mackerel, tuna, trout, crucian carp, carp.
Fatty: Caspian sprat, mackerel herring, eel, stellate sturgeon, sturgeon, halibut, catfish.
Cod meat is the most dietary fish product. It contains only 3-4 tenths of a percent of fat and a lot of protein - 18-19%. The main fat of cod accumulates in the liver.
Which fish tastes better than cutlets? And here is a matter of taste for everyone. If you are on a diet, then fatty fish will not suit you. It is better to choose cod, haddock, perch. But a fatty product can be consumed by anyone who is not worried about their figure and has no contraindications to eating fish.
How to cook minced meat for fish cakes
Before grilling fish meat and making mincemeat, it is necessary to remove large bones from it. This is easiest to do with large meat products. But the most practical, as many housewives note, is to buy a ready-made fillet. Additionally, minced bread, onions, salt, spices, an egg, soaked in water, are often added to minced meat. Chopped or grated vegetables, such as carrots or potatoes, will also give the patties juiciness.
We preserve the juiciness and shape of cutlets
Minced meat from fish meat is usually much more liquid than meat. Mistresses note that to preserve the shape of the products and their juiciness, breadcrumbs or flour should be used. You can use a beaten egg. Dip the patty in a batter, then bread in breadcrumbs or flour.
If there is no breading at hand, you should not be upset, you can do without it. Put the items on a well-heated pan, this will create a natural crust. It will help ready-made cutlets to maintain their shape and remain fragrant and juicy enough.
Use the cold
According to the reviews of experienced chefs, you need to use chilled tools and utensils for cooking fish. Knives, bowls, etc. should be rinsed in cold water or even kept in the refrigerator for some time. Also, the minced meat must be cooled before sculpting the cutlets. Shaping products, rinse your hand in cold water, and the process will go more convenient and faster.
Methods for cooking fish cakes
What kind of fish is better to make fish cakes, we figured out. Now we proceed directly to the process of their preparation. Frying or baking, or maybe steaming - all of these methods are good. Preference should be given to the one that best suits your goals. In the process of cooking in a pan to preserve the juiciness in the products, you must first fry them on both sides over high heat. And then, reducing the fire, put out until tender. If you prefer baked cutlets, grease them with sour cream, add grated cheese and bake in the oven until cooked. A more dietary way to cook fishcakes is by steaming. Such products are most useful for the digestive system of the human body.
Steamed fishcakes
Steamed cutlets - the most dietary type of cutlets. It is suitable for people who adhere to a healthy diet, for people who follow diets, for children. Also, steamed fish cakes are very often included in the dietetic menu for patients suffering from gastrointestinal diseases. And all because the products prepared in this way retain all the vitamins, useful properties, their natural taste, smell and color. Fish cakes prepared in this way are low-calorie and easily absorbed by the body.
What kind of fish is better to make steamed fish cakes from? Almost any fish is suitable - sea, river, lake. The main thing is that it is fresh.
A simple recipe for steamed fishcakes
Ingredients:
- white fish fillet - 300 g;
- potatoes - 3-4 pcs.;
- carrot - 1 pc.;
- chicken egg - 1 pc.;
- onions - 1 pc.
Cooking:
Fillet, onion, carrots, potatoes - grind in a meat grinder. Knead the minced meat, add the egg, salt to taste. Fashion cutlets. Steam for 20 minutes. Serve hot, pour sour cream or butter on top.
Fish cakes for babies
What kind of fish is better to make fish cakes for children? Low-fat fish will do. For example, cod, hake, pollock, bass, bream, pike, roach. However, fat can always be reduced by simply cutting off excess fat from the fillet.
Steamed fishcakes for babies
Ingredients:
- Fillet (hake, pollock, cod).
- Vegetables (carrots, onions).
- Flour.
- Egg.
Cooking:
Rinse the fillet in water, wipe with paper towels in order to remove moisture. Cut into large slices and pass through a meat grinder. Peel the onion, cut into several pieces and also scroll in a meat grinder. Mix the ground fillets and onions, put the resulting meat into a colander and squeeze the liquid slightly. Wash the carrots under running water, peel and chop using a grater. Mix it with minced meat, add the egg and salt (to taste). Mix thoroughly with your hands. Add flour if necessary. Pour breading (crackers or flour) into a plate. Make cutlets out of minced meat and roll them thoroughly in it. Put the products on a wire rack and cook for 20 minutes.
Recipe for canned fish cutlets
If there is no fresh fish or fillet at hand, you can also use canned goods from the corresponding product.
Ingredients:
- Potatoes 3-4 pcs.
- Sardines or mackerel 1-2 cans.
- Onion 1 pc.
- Egg 1 pc.
- Breadcrumbs.
Cooking:
Open a can of canned fish, drain the liquid from it, and knead the fish thoroughly.
Boil potatoes, make mashed potatoes from it, or grind in a meat grinder. Grind onions as well. Next, knead the minced fish, potatoes and onions. Drive in an egg. Add salt (to taste). Pour breadcrumbs into a plate. Fashion small, flattened patties out of the minced meat. Thoroughly dipping them in a breading, fry over medium heat, in a well-heated pan without a lid. Or, if you prefer low-quality meatballs, over low heat, under a lid. Serve with sour cream or butter.
Garnish for fish cakes
Boiled potatoes, rice, buckwheat, vegetables are perfect. You can use sauces to add flavor and piquancy. Even ordinary mayonnaise or sour cream, if you add seasonings, mustard and herbs to them, will especially emphasize the taste of any fish dish and make it unusual. The best solution is a specially prepared sauce for fish cakes.
White french sauce
White sauce is one of the most suitable for fish patties. It belongs to the classic French cuisine. However, the recipe is very simple, available for cooking in the home kitchen.
The following components will be required:
- Fish broth - 1/2 liter.
- Butter 100 g
- Flour 50 g.
- Chicken egg 1 pc.
- Salt.
- Half a small lemon.
Melt half the butter (50 g) over low heat, add flour and fry it. Remove the pan from the heat, pour in the chilled broth. Stir thoroughly until no lumps remain. Add salt (to taste), pour in the egg. Again, mix everything thoroughly, make sure that there are no lumps. Put on low heat, bring to a boiling state, mix. As soon as the mixture boils, you must immediately remove it from the heat. Wait a bit for cooling, pour in the remaining oil, half a tablespoon of lemon juice. Enjoy your meal!
Sour cream sauce: a simple recipe
Sour cream sauce is suitable for pollock or hake cutlets. This simple supplement consists of only sour cream, eggs, salt, pepper, milk and flour.
To make sour cream sauce you need:
- 400 grams of sour cream.
- 2 eggs.
- 1 cup of milk.
- A quarter cup of flour.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Beat eggs, pour milk, add sour cream and flour. Mix everything thoroughly until smooth, salt and pepper to taste. Wait until the sauce thickens. Enjoy your meal!