Sprat cooking recipes. Delicious sprats of spicy salting at home

Long gone are the days when only sprats and gobies were caught in our country, and only zucchini threw caviar - judging by the shelves of our stores of that time. In modern supermarkets there is a huge selection of different fish, and the once super popular small fish is by no means a hit in fish sales today.

But, salted with your own hands, it can become a real sensation of a picnic arranged with friends - provided that you know exactly how to salt a sprat.

Choosing a salting method

There are only 2 ways in which you can salt sprats at home: dry method or in brine. The salting method should be chosen depending on how long you are going to store the salted fish. If the fish is served on the table after a day or two, then we salt it with a dry method. If you need to keep it longer, then it is better to salt the sprat in brine.

When salting, keep in mind that the longer the fish is in the brine, the saltier it becomes.

Therefore, be sure to adjust the amount of salt according to the time the fish is stored: the longer it is stored, the less seasoning you need to put in the brine.

In addition to salt, to give the fish a special, spicy taste, you can use some spices and seasonings:

• mustard (can be both in grains and powder);
• coriander;
• powdered red pepper;
• black pepper;
• white pepper;
• allspice (both in grains and powder);
• Bay leaf;
• carnation;
• Dill seeds.

What is good about salting sprat is the opportunity to experiment, combining the amount of different seasonings and spices to your liking. As a result, the taste of salted fish always turns out to be different, unique.

If instead of sprats you are offered sprats or sprats for salting, feel free to take them. Sprats and sprats are two subspecies of sprat, so you can salt them according to one recipe.

Even if you use one recipe, the taste of fish salted according to it fresh and frozen, and then thawed, will be different - fresh salted sprat is much tastier.

Sprat intended for long-term storage must not be washed before salting: washed sprat is not stored for a long time. You need to wash such a fish immediately before eating.

If you salt a large sprat, then it is better to salt the fillet, having previously removed the insides. From small and medium fish, when salting, the insides can not be removed - get rid of them immediately before serving.

For salting sprats, rock salt of medium fraction is used. Fine salt will not salt the insides of the fish, and when using large fish, it is easy to oversalt.

In order for the sprat to remain tight for a long time, not to “break apart”, you need to add a little sugar to the brine, even if it is not mentioned in the salting recipe.

For salting sprats (and any fish) it is better not to use a plastic container: salt can “corrode” it, and then instead of the taste of fish you will “enjoy” the taste of plastic.

If you have to salt a frozen sprat, then you need to defrost it at room temperature, otherwise the salted fish will not be stored for a long time. But, if you are waiting for guests and want to please them with lightly salted fish, then dip the frozen sprat for a minute in freshly boiled boiling water, after adding a few drops of vinegar to it, and then salt it. Two hours after salting, such a fish can already be served at the table.

Dry method of salting sprat

Measure 2.5-3 tbsp. tablespoons of salt, add 1 teaspoon of sugar to them, mix thoroughly and pour into a large plate or other container, the size of which allows you to add 1 kg of sprat to the mixture. If desired, ground pepper or mustard powder can be added to the mixture - from a quarter to a half teaspoon. Pour the fish into this container, mix it thoroughly so that the mixture gets on each fish as evenly as possible, and put it in a cool place.

Cover the freshly salted sprat with a lid or a flat plate on top and press down with oppression. You can do without oppression, but in this case you will have to stir the sprat every hour for the first 3-4 hours so that it salts evenly. After 12 hours, you will have a ready-made salted sprat, which can be served at the table, and a day later - already completely salted.

Salting sprats in brine

Salting fish in brine can also be quick and easy if you know how to do it right. First, the same mixture is prepared as in the dry method, but it is not poured into a container, but dissolved in hot water. Bring the resulting brine to a boil and immediately remove from heat.

Cool it, fill it with a fish, crushing it from above with oppression. Let it brew for 2-3 hours, then taste the brine. If it seems to you that it turned out to be not salty enough, add salt to it and send the fish to a cool place to infuse and wait for your finest hour.

Popular recipes for spicy salted sprat

Do-it-yourself spicy salting of this little fish has long been popular with housewives: storage of the fish can vary from 2-3 days to a month, and the choice of ingredients for salting is large. To prepare a sprat of spicy salting, take:

• 1 kg sprat;
• 2.5 st. spoons of salt;
• 1 teaspoon of sugar;
• 10 g of black allspice;
• 5-6 pcs. peppercorns;
• 4-5 bay leaves;
• 1-2 pinches of coriander;
• a pinch of ginger;
• 3-5 pcs. carnations.

Rinse the fish thoroughly, put it in a colander and leave it in it to drain excess water. While the water drains, grind and thoroughly mix all the listed spices into a homogeneous dry mixture. Sprinkle the bottom of the enamel pan with the prepared mixture, put the ball of fish, sprinkle this ball with the mixture, again the ball of fish, sprinkle again, and so continue to stack until the cooked ingredients are gone. Cover with a plate on top, press down with oppression and send for permanent storage in a cold place. After 12 hours, the salted fish will be ready to serve.

Another version of this recipe: for 1 kg of fish, in addition to salt and sugar, which you need to take as much as in the first version, you need to take a pinch of powdered red pepper and a few dill seeds or white mustard (optional). As in the first option, everything needs to be thoroughly mixed, but the similarity ends there.

The second option is more time-consuming, since it is necessary to first clean the sprat, removing its insides.

Then the cleaned fish is rubbed with the prepared mixture, trying to distribute it evenly on each fish. Then everything follows the pattern; cover with a plate, press down with oppression and send to a cold place for 12 hours.

Knowing what ingredients are needed and how much you need, you can easily cook a delicious salty sprat. And even though she is not destined to become the highlight of a chic festive table, you can be sure that your relatives and friends will appreciate her taste in a close friendly company.

Even such a small fish as a sprat can bring a lot of pleasure if it is tasty and properly salted. I propose to cook a sprat of spicy salting at home and treat your household with an appetizing fish for a family lunch or dinner.

Do not forget to boil or fry the potatoes, as the spicy salted sprat harmonizes perfectly with them. If you are not too lazy, you can cook sandwiches with black bread and salted sprats. And sprinkle with chopped green onions on top. It will be very tasty.

Special skills for cooking spicy sprats are not required, the main thing is that your kitchen has the necessary spices and, of course, fresh fish.

Taste Info From fish and seafood

Ingredients

• Fresh sprat - 1 kg;
• Black peppercorns - 1 tsp;
• Coriander, seeds - 2 tsp;
• Allspice, peas - 10 pcs.;
• Carnation - 5 buds;
• Dried rosemary - 1 tsp;
• Sugar - 1 tsp;
• Salt - 100 g;
• Nutmeg, ground - 1-2 pinches;
• Ground cinnamon - 1 pinch;
• Ground ginger - 1-3 pinches;
• Cardamom - 3 boxes;
• Bay leaf - 2-3 pcs.

How to cook sprats of spicy salting at home

First of all, buy a fresh sprat. When buying, pay attention to the appearance and smell. Unspoiled fish has a pleasant fishy aroma. If the sprat is larger, if desired, it can be gutted and the head removed. If the fish is small, as in my case, it is better to salt it whole. Rinse well in cool water and leave for a while to allow the glass to absorb excess moisture.

In the meantime, prepare spices that you can adjust to your liking. They need to be slightly crushed. For this we use a mortar.

Place the prepared sprat in a stainless or enameled container. Pour chopped parsley, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, mix well.

Add salt and sugar, cloves, allspice, coriander seeds, dried rosemary. Stir again so that all the fish layers are saturated with seasonings.

Cover with a clean cloth, place a plate and weight on top. Send to the refrigerator for 12-24 hours. If during the salting process, little juice is formed, it is advisable to mix several times so that the whole sprat is well salted.

Sprat of spicy salting at home is ready. Store in a glass jar with a lid or a plastic bowl, not for very long.

Advice:

• For such a “dry” salting, only ordinary rock salt is suitable, in no case do not use iodized or “Extra” variety.
• If a large volume of preparation is planned, fresh fish cannot be washed, it is best to do this immediately before use. So you will significantly extend the shelf life.
• In no case do not use plastic basins for salting - the finished product will instantly absorb the smell and all your efforts will go down the drain.

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Salted sprat in brine

Few people know that in fishing jargon, the brine used to make lightly salted sprat is called "brine". In the preparation of a solution with such a funny name, water, seasonings and spices are involved, which are most suitable for fish, emphasizing its taste and allowing to extend the shelf life. The ideal option would be, of course, fresh fish, but if your places are not replete with its presence, fresh-frozen will do just fine. Seasonings that need grinding are best ground in a home coffee grinder or pounded in a mortar - this is how the aroma of spices is best revealed. In addition, ready-made powders do not always correspond to the name indicated on the package. Water should be used only spring, filtered or boiled - the presence of chlorine in the plumbing system can ruin your workpiece once and for all. By the way, the brine for sprats of spicy salting is also suitable for other types of fish - herring, anchovy and even herring. Large specimens of the fish family should be cut into pieces before harvesting for better soaking with spices and seasonings.

Required Ingredients:

• Sprat fresh or frozen - 1 kg;
• Salt - 2 tsp;
• Sugar - 1 tsp;
• Purified water - 1 liter;
• Peppercorns - 5 pcs.;
• Mustard seeds - ? tsp;
• Coriander and dill for? tsp

From spices, clove buds, dill seeds, mustard seeds or ground, various peppercorns, ground red paprika, bay leaves whole or ground, coriander seeds and Provence herbs are perfect.

Cooking:

1. Grind peppercorns and mustard seeds, coriander, dill in any way possible.
2. Dissolve salt and sugar in boiling water, put ground spicy mixture and cloves, Provence herbs, paprika into it.
3. Bring to a boil, cool.
4. Rinse the fish, if desired, gut and cut off the heads of larger individuals, salt the smaller ones whole.
5. Pour the prepared raw material with cooled brine, put a lid or plate of a suitable diameter on top and lightly press it with a yoke. A jar of water will do just fine for this purpose.
6. Do not overdo it with the load, so as not to crush the fish!
7. Leave the pickle at room temperature overnight, after the specified period, try the sprat and add salt if desired.
8. Keep such a charm should not be very long in the refrigerator.

The subtleties of cooking lightly salted sprat:

• A small amount of granulated sugar added to the brine significantly improves the quality of frozen fish, even if it is not there according to the recipe - sugar will add elasticity to frozen carcasses.
• For quick salting, freshly frozen fish can be put in boiling water with a little vinegar, then removed from boiling water and dipped in brine - so the sprat will be ready to eat in a few hours.

Spicy salted sprat with butter

An excellent replacement for industrial sprats is a tender, fresh, elastic and fragrant sprat. If desired, and longing for the taste of smoked meat, you can add liquid smoked smoke to the saline solution in the amount indicated on the package.

Ingredients:

Cooking:

1. Pound in a mortar or grind spices in a coffee grinder.
2. Pour the spicy mixture with vinegar and oil, let it brew.
3. Wash the fish, dry on paper towels.
4. Mix sugar and salt, sprinkle prepared carcasses with this mixture, mix gently so that the fish is salted faster.
5. Put the sprat in an enameled container, cover with a lid, leave for 4 hours.
6. Remove the fish from the resulting brine, put in another non-plastic dish, pour oil-vinegar infusion.
7. Leave warm overnight.
8. Store the finished sprat of spicy salting with butter in the refrigerator.

Advice:

• After working with fresh fish, grease your hands with vegetable oil, leave it on your skin for a few minutes. Then wash your hands with warm water and soap - the smell will disappear.
• Do not rush to throw in the trash the peel of tangerines, oranges and lemons. Dry it and put it in a coffee jar. After working with fish or other "fragrant" products, it is worth setting fire to a piece of dried peel and unpleasant odors will instantly disappear.
• The herring aroma that has soaked the refrigerator can be easily removed with a sponge dipped in a weak solution of green tea or lemon juice.

Sprat sandwiches

From homemade sprats of spicy salting, you can cook a delicious and inexpensive snack.

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• Spicy salted sprat - 4 pcs.;
• Boiled egg - 1 chicken or 4 quail;
• Rye bread - 2 slices;
• Green onions, butter, black pepper - to taste.

Cooking:

1. Cut the fish carcasses into fillets without the head and spine.
2. Lubricate the bread with butter, put a spread sprat on each slice.
3. Decorate with egg halves, sprinkle with pepper and finely chopped green onions

In Estonia, sprat sandwiches are served with beer and sweet tea, in Russia with vodka. An appropriate sprat of spicy salting will be on the buffet and festive tables, the main thing is to serve it beautifully and tastefully.

Canape with sprat will be the highlight of the festive table. To do this, take yesterday's baguette or black bread, cut it across into pieces, no more than 1 cm thick, lightly fry. Put the fillet of a small fish, rolled into a ringlet, in the middle. Top - a circle of boiled quail eggs and a circle of pickled cucumber. Fix the structure with a skewer or a toothpick, squeeze mayonnaise out of a bag or pastry bag around the “slide” with a beautiful roller. Sprinkle with chopped dill or garnish with parsley leaves.

For an audience of fans of spicy fish, we offer options for preparing delicious sprats of spicy salting at home. You can make such an appetizer with both fresh and freshly frozen fish, after allowing it to thaw in natural conditions at room temperature.

Spicy salted sprat - recipe in brine

Ingredients:

• fresh sprat - 950 g;

For marinade:

• coarse sea salt - 145 g;
• granulated sugar - 45 g;
• allspice peas - 1 tbsp. spoon;
• clove buds - 1/3 tbsp. spoons;
• - 1/3 st. spoons;
• laurel leaves - 5-7 pieces;
• garlic cloves (optional) - 2 pcs.;
• water - 950 ml.

Cooking

Getting to the salting of sprats of spicy salting, first of all we will prepare the brine. To do this, heat the purified water to a boil, dissolve salt, granulated sugar in it and add all the spices. Let the brine boil with spices for a minute, and then remove from the stove and leave to cool completely.

We wash the fresh sprat, let it drain. We put it in an enameled pan, if desired, sprinkle with garlic cut into thin plates, and pour it with the cooled spicy brine. We press the fish with a plate of a suitable size so that the brine is higher in level than the fish by about one and a half centimeters. If necessary, for this we place a load on top of the plate.

We leave the sprat in brine, first for twenty-four hours at room conditions, and then place it in the refrigerator for another two days.

Recipe for sprats of spicy dry salting at home

Ingredients:

• fresh sprat - 950 g;

For marinade:

• coarse sea salt - 90 g;
• granulated sugar - 25 g;
• allspice peas - 5 pcs.;
• clove buds - 3-4 pcs.;
• coriander - 1/3 teaspoon;
• laurel leaves - 3-4 pieces;
• black peppercorns - 1 teaspoon;
• ground - 1 pinch.

Cooking

We wash the fresh sprat thoroughly, let it drain well and put it in a wide glass or enameled vessel. Do not take plastic or metal utensils, in order to avoid the penetration of foreign odors or spoilage into the finished product selected container. After all, dishes made of these materials are not always suitable for salting. It is better if it is a wide bowl or tray.

Coriander peas, black and allspice, as well as clove buds and laurel leaves are placed in a mortar and rubbed finely enough. Then add salt and granulated sugar and grind everything together again. Pour the fish with the resulting spicy mixture, add a pinch of ground ginger and mix the fish well. Now we cover it with a shallow plate and place a load on top. We salt the sprat of spicy salting in the refrigerator for at least twelve hours. It is better if the fish stands with spices in salt during the day.

Salted Sprat Appetizer

Ingredients: 150 g sprat (salted), 30 g celery root, 150 g potatoes, 100 g cucumbers, 100 g onions, 2 eggs (hard boiled), 150 g sour cream.

Cooking method: Wash potatoes and celery root, boil, peel and cut into circles. Peel, wash and chop the onion. Wash cucumbers and cut into strips. Peel the eggs and grate on a fine grater.

Gut the salted sprat, cut off the heads, remove the bones, mix the resulting fillet with onions, cucumbers and eggs, put in a herring pot, decorate with potato and celery circles, pour over sour cream and serve.