It is clear that river fish with the eternal problem of small bones cannot be compared with the juicy fat fillet of its marine relative. But having mastered some methods of cooking bony fish, you can even cook festive dishes from it.
In light of the recent rise in food prices, it is high time to switch to cheap river fish, which is in no way inferior in taste to sea fish. Of course, the latter is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, iodine and bromine, which is not found in river fish. But both are a source of valuable animal protein containing essential amino acids, which is much easier to digest than meat protein. However, the love for the taste of river fish is overshadowed by a large number of small bones, which discourage any desire to eat it. But experienced culinary experts claim that there are at least three ways to combat the bony structure of small river fish.
How to fry bony fish properly
It seems to be no secret to anyone that many housewives, after removing the scales and entrails of bony fish, still make notches on both sides along the fork bones to the very back part. Although this method is familiar to many, not everyone trusts it. Like, after frying, there are a lot of small bones. This result is obtained if in a hurry the pulp near the ridge is not cut deep enough. And the gaps between the cuts are too large.
To make the correct cuts, you need to have a sharply sharpened knife with a thin blade. It is best to position the fish on the cutting board so that the knife moves from the belly to the ridge. That is, put the fish with its back to you. The distance between the cuts should be 5–7 mm. Having got used to it, you can make it even smaller, or cut the entire surface of the fish into squares. After such processing, it must be rubbed with salt, dipped in flour and sent to hot oil.
However, there is one more subtlety - there must be enough vegetable oil so that it reaches the peak of the ridge. Otherwise, small bones will really be felt. To make river fish tasty and juicy, you need to fry at high temperatures. Then the crust is fried, and the flesh inside will remain tender. It will take longer to fry on low heat, and the fish may turn out to be dryish.
Roasting bony fish in the oven
Mostly fatty fish are baked in the oven, but carp, bream, crucian carp can also be cooked there. The preliminary cutting of the fish carcass is the same as in the previous version. If you want to eat fish and enjoy its taste, then you do not need to be lazy to make frequent longitudinal cuts. It is best to bake in foil, at the bottom of which a "pillow" of vegetables and herbs is made, and then fish is placed.
It is believed that river fish is "friendly" with seasonings and sauces, so you can sparingly rub the fish with a mixture of sour cream or mayonnaise with garlic, coriander, ginger and any other favorite spices. The optimum temperature for baking is 180 degrees. The dish will be ready in about 40 to 45 minutes. But if you need to get a golden brown crust, then you can leave the fish in the oven for another 10 minutes, while opening the foil and adding the temperature to 200 degrees. If the river fish cooked in the oven is large, then it will quite pass for a festive dish.
Cooking fish cakes
You can start up small bony fish for cooking cutlets or meatballs by turning it 2-3 times through a meat grinder. In general, the minced meat recipe for fish cakes is no different from the meat one. The same loaf soaked in water or milk, egg, salt, black ground pepper. But if you add pork fat, grated potatoes, finely chopped onion and fried in butter, a pinch of soda to the minced fish, you get surprisingly tender juicy cutlets. Undoubtedly, bony fish takes more time to cut and prepare, but the result is worth it.
