Coho salmon is a fish of the Pacific salmon family . Coho salmon is caught off the coasts of Russia, the USA and Canada; its catches are most numerous near the Kamchatka Peninsula. In addition, it spawns in almost all the rivers of Alaska. At the end of the twentieth century, biologists noted cases of entry of this species of fish into Japanese rivers. In the length of coho salmon reaches 88 cm, adults can weigh up to 6-7 kg. The average length of Kamchatka fishing coho salmon is 60 cm, weight - 3 kg, on Sakhalin these indicators increase slightly and make 69 cm length and 4 kg weight.
Coho salmon fish has a characteristic wide forehead, a thick head and a very short tail stem. It is by this sign that it is easily distinguishable from chum, pink salmon, sim or chinook salmon. The scales of this fish are shiny and silver, the upper part of the head and back are greenish, sometimes with a blue one, on the sides, on the upper part of the head and back there are shapeless black spots. When coho salmon spawn, its head and back darken, and its sides become dark crimson. The color of the meat also changes during spawning - it becomes yellowish or white, and the rest of the time it is pink.
Coho salmon reaches puberty in the third or fourth year of life. Spawning begins in late September and continues until early December. Females lay eggs in the ground to a depth of ten to thirty centimeters, the fecundity of female coho salmon fish ranges from 1.3 to 6.4 thousand eggs. Being in fresh waters, young coho salmon feed on chironomid larvae, and with the onset of summer, adult insects. Coho salmon often swallows fry and salmon caviar, and adults eat fish. When entering the river for spawning, mature individuals cease to eat at all.
Before coho salmon fish go to spawn, it eats intensively, gaining weight, and therefore is the coveted prey of anglers. Fishing coho salmon is permitted only with fly fishing and spinning. It is necessary to take into account that this is a sufficiently strong and large fish that resists desperately and powerfully, therefore tackles need high-quality and reliable ones - a strong fishing rod and cord, a well-adjusted reel. Coho salmon meat is very tasty and nutritious, however, the fish should be caught in the mouth areas, as the closer to the spawning site, the tastes of the meat are worse.
How to cook coho salmon fish ? There are a lot of recipes for cooking this tasty fish; you can bake it in the oven, fry in breading or cook roll.
Coho salmon fish - recipes and cooking tips
1. Roasted coho salmon fish baked in the oven.
First, the fish must be cleaned of scales and the gills removed, then gutted and washed under running water. After this, it is necessary to incise (not completely) the fish, salt, pepper inside and out. Insert the lemon and tomato slices into the cuts and put the fish on a greased baking sheet. Put the fish in an oven preheated to 180-200 degrees for 35-45 minutes.
2. Coho salmon fish in carrot-ginger sauce.
Wash ginger and carrots, peel, cut into large circles and fry until golden in butter. Then add a little water and continue stewing until the carrots are ready. In the meantime, fry the prepared pieces of fish in a hot grill pan, salt and pepper. Beat carrots and ginger together with lemon juice in a blender, add cream and season with spices. Then put the pieces of fish fried until golden brown on a flat plate, pour over the sauce and garnish with greens.
3. Roll of coho salmon.
Wash the fish, gut, clean the scales and cut off the head. Next, you need to remove the fillet on the spine, pull out all the bones with tweezers and cut the fillet off the skin. The meat is divided into six pieces (servings), each of which is cut again longitudinally. You will get pieces about one centimeter thick. On a cling film, overlap 2 pieces of fish (one serving), salt, pepper, sprinkle with lemon peel, garlic and chopped dill. Put pieces of butter on top of the fish, then roll the fillet in a tight roll. Do the same with the rest of the fish. Cook for 10-15 minutes in a double boiler, rice is suitable as a side dish.
Enjoy your meal!