Katran is a small shark whose habitat is the Black Sea and the Sea of Japan. Katrana can be considered a commercial fish, because it is caught on an industrial scale to make fish oil from the liver, glue from tails and heads, and many delicious dishes from meat.
The meat of the katran, unlike the meat of other sharks, does not need preliminary processing. It is enough to soak it in cold water for 2-3 hours. Most of the recipes in which shark meat appears in the Japanese. But you can find dishes from small sharks in the cuisine of the peoples of Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America. So, for example, in many countries ceviche is prepared from fresh meat of small sharks. For him, take 500 g of fresh fillet, 1 cup of chopped bell pepper, 1 cup of chopped onions, 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro, salt, pepper and, most importantly, 1 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Fillets are cut into small cubes using two sharpened chef's knives, poured with freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice and marinated for 24 hours in the refrigerator. Then the marinated meat is mixed with peppers, onions and cilantro, seasoned and served with crackers.
The most famous shark dish is fin soup. This is a Chinese food that is prized not so much for its taste - to be honest, it is practically tasteless - as for the side effects attributed to it. But shark steak or shish kebab are fleshy and aromatic. To make a katran steak, take 2-3 tablespoons of the crushed pepper mixture, 2 boneless shark steaks, 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil, and 2 tablespoons of cognac or brandy. Remove the skin from the steaks, rinse them, pat dry with a kitchen towel, and roll in the pepper mixture. In a saucepan, heat the butter, add the vegetable oil, and fry the steaks for 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Season with salt. Remove the katrana from the pan onto a warm plate, cover with foil and add the cognac. Prepare the sauce by warming up the cognac with the melted fish oil and pouring it over the fish.
Instead of a sauce on alcohol with such steaks, you can serve fresh salsa. Prepare for example by mixing 1 1/2 cups each diced mango and strawberry. Melt 1/3 cup brown sugar with the same amount of rice vinegar over low heat in a small saucepan, add 2 tablespoons chopped ginger, add chopped fruit, simmer for 15 minutes, then add 1/2 teaspoon cardamom and 1 teaspoon mint … Salsa is ready.
