Sprats - a famous Baltic delicacy, cult in Soviet times, one of the popular types of canned fish.
Sprats are prepared industrially from small marine fish (tulka, herring, young herring, etc.). Fish are smoked without any pretreatment, and then canned in vegetable oil. It should be noted, like any smoked meat, sprats - the product is not useful.
Currently, commercial fishermen, as well as their close people living in the post-Soviet space, away from the shores of the sea, show a keen interest in home cooking (smoking and canning) of small river fish in the manner of sprat.
All kinds of strange recipes are invented with the use of the questionable additive "Liquid smoke" , the fish are soared, boiled, marinated and canned in oil with a preliminary sterilization. This initiative with canning is very unsafe, especially with such a product as fish. Therefore, it is better to cook according to the classical technology and at most to eat cooked within a week or two.
Tell you how you can make sprats from small river fish at home. In the same way you can cook and small marine fish. The main thing: the fish should be whole.
Recipe for domestic sprat from river or sea fish
Ingredients:
- fish shallow sea or river;
- salt is large;
- vegetable oil (sunflower unrefined) - 1 glass;
- spices unmilled (optional) - coriander, fennel, pepper, peas, caraway and others;
- black tea - 0,5 glasses;
- natural vinegar - 2 tbsp. spoons.
Preparation
In the flat tray (with the possibility of drain), we pour a layer of salt on the bottom and level it. Disinfected and scraped fish spread out in a tray, thoroughly rubbed and pour salt.
About two hours later we put the fish in the smoking device, we smoke for 30-40 minutes, using sawdust and shavings of alder or fruit trees. Ventilate and cool.
We remove from the fishes head and carefully, compactly into one layer, we lay them in a fire-resistant shallow form.
We prepare the oil fill-marinade: for a glass of oil - about 1 tbsp. tablespoons of salt + half a cup of strong fresh tea leaves (possible with 1 teaspoon of sugar) + 2 tbsp. spoons of fruit vinegar or lemon juice. All carefully mix, dissolve. Add spices (can be without them). If you want, pour 1-2 tablespoons of cognac and fruit brandy.
Fill with oil aromatic marinade fish in the form (so that the cover is completely), cover with a lid or tighten with foil.
We put the mold on a regular pan or grate and place it in the oven. We subject the fish to heat treatment at the minimum temperature, preferably within 60 to 90 degrees for no more than 2 hours (depends on the fish itself, its size and the capacity of the oven). In general, we cook at minimum temperature. Turn off the fire and cool the fish with the door ajar.
Gently spade removes sprats cooked at home from the river or sea fish and served to the table.
Store this product in a form with a lid in the refrigerator for no more than 1 week (if not open - 2 weeks). It seems that everything will be eaten much earlier.