We all know firsthand about the taste of herring, because dishes made from it occupy an important place in our diet. This fish is always present on the festive table and is often on everyday life. The vast majority of people buy it in supermarkets, but some manage to catch herring on a spinning rod on their own, often close to home. But where did the Black Sea-Azov herring come from in our area?
Herring is a sea fish, unaccustomed to fresh water, but this does not in the least prevent it from spawning in the Volgograd Reservoir, in Astrakhan and in rivers such as the Don, Volga or Dnieper. Already at the end of April, numerous schools head to the mouths of the listed water arteries to perform the function of procreation. It is at this time that you can see dense rows of fishermen on the river banks, attracted here by the active movement of herring.
Dry salting of Don herring
No one knows how to salt Don herring like fishermen. They know all the secrets of preparing this tasty and fatty fish (during spawning, the fat content of herring reaches 20%). Salting tips from fishermen are as follows:
- The fish should only be placed belly down in the container. This is due to the fact that the belly, which contains the entrails, begins to deteriorate first, and therefore it is important that it is salted as early as possible.
- During the salting process, carcasses should be stirred at least once a day.
- There is no need to use pressure during salting.
- Ready herring can be frozen. If necessary, the fish is defrosted on the top shelf of the refrigerator, sliced and served. The result is a very tasty lightly salted Don herring.
The recipe for dry salting fish is as follows:
- For salting, a whole, ungutted fish carcass is used. It is rolled in coarse salt, the gills are completely filled and placed in a plastic refrigerator drawer (designed for storing vegetables) or in any other container.
- The herring is placed in a container with its backs up in a checkerboard pattern (to save space).
- In this form, the herring will be salted for 7 days. However, already on the 3rd day, when the brine begins to appear, the upper and lower carcasses need to be shifted (switched places).
The finished herring is washed under running water, cleaned and served. The remaining carcasses are placed in plastic bags and frozen.
How to pickle Don herring in brine
Some people prefer to cook herring only in brine. In this way, the fish is evenly salted, making it tender and juicy.
We present step-by-step instructions on how to salt Don herring at home:
- Prepare the brine by dissolving 500 g of salt in three liters of hot water.
- Place the fish with their backs up in a checkerboard pattern and pour over the cooled brine.
- In this form, the herring will be salted for 4 days in the refrigerator.
- The next day you will need to prepare a new brine based on three liters of hot water and 200 g of salt.
- Remove the herring from the old brine, transfer it to a new one, and put it in the refrigerator for another 4 days.
Remove the prepared herring from the brine, rinse under running water, gut and serve.
How to salt Don herring in soy sauce
Fans of Korean cuisine will love herring marinated in soy sauce. There are two ways to prepare it, each of which involves salting the fish for 8-12 hours.
Don herring in soy marinade according to the first method is prepared as follows:
- The herring is filleted, skinned and placed in a small plastic container along with caviar (optional).
- A marinade is prepared from soy sauce and boiled water (2 tablespoons each), vinegar and salt (1 tablespoon each), sugar (1 teaspoon) and chopped onion rings.
- The prepared marinade is poured into a container with fish, mixed, covered with a lid and placed in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
- The finished herring is served directly with pickled onions.
The second method of preparing Don herring in soy sauce also involves marinating the fish in a jar. It is cleaned of the entrails, cut into pieces 2 cm thick, put in a jar and filled with soy sauce so that it completely covers the fish. After 12 hours, the herring can be served.
Types of Oseledians
It is possible to find a couple of species of this tasty fish, but local fishermen mostly catch the following species.
Oseledets Burkun
Burkun is one of the largest representatives of this species. Based on this, this fish is of particular interest to fishermen. Burkun begins to be actively caught at the end of April. Every fisherman dreams of catching this fish. At this time, the Don herring moves in small schools.
Oseledets is a predatory fish species, which is why many fishermen catch it with sprat. Also, the Burkun also bites on unnatural baits, such as flies, if you catch it by fly fishing. When fishing with a spinning rod, it is possible to use spinners and other unnatural baits.
Oseledets pot-bellied
Puzanok is a smaller representative of the Don herring, but the most numerous. In addition, this type of Don herring has a more interesting taste. The bellyfish is caught using different gear, such as a fishing rod, rubber band, feeder, etc. This fish has its own favorite places where the current is more rapid. These are places where there are natural or unnatural barriers that affect the intensity of the flow. These include bridges, areas of river bed transformation and other places where the flow improves, despite the fact that it is not significant.
Pickled herring
You can prepare delicious Don herring in 48 hours by marinating it in salt and spicy spices. The fish turns out lightly salted, very aromatic and tasty.
Marinated Don herring is prepared as follows:
- Place fresh, ungutted fish in a glass container and pour brine over it. To prepare it, dissolve 3 tablespoons of salt in 1 liter of cold water. Place the herring in brine in the refrigerator for a day.
- After 24 hours, remove the dishes with fish from the refrigerator. Remove the herring from the brine, gut it, fillet it and place it in a glass jar.
- Add sugar (½ teaspoon), vinegar (1 tablespoon), allspice, bay leaf and onion cut into half rings into a jar of fish. Pack the herring well and place it in the refrigerator for another 24 hours.
After 24 hours, pickled herring can be served with mashed potatoes or other dishes.
Fishing process
How to catch a herring using a tyrant? In the Black Sea, herring is caught at a depth of 50 meters or more. It is advisable to have 200 meters of line on the reel, plus be sure to have a spare spool with wound line. The line is released from the reel until the load falls to the bottom. Then the spinning rod is sharply raised by 1 - 1.5 meters and a swing is made, similar to a sweep.
It makes sense to play with the length of the pause. It can be shortened and enlarged. If there are no bites at this depth, then raise the bait a few more meters. In fact, herring is mainly caught at depth. Therefore, you need to find exactly the bottom layer on which it will take bait well. If there is no bite, then you can try to reel it in.
The optimal time for fishing herring is evening and early morning. In the morning, fishermen usually don’t wonder how to catch a herring on a tyrant? They methodically fish promising areas occupied in advance by boat.
There is no point in catching herring during the hot day. She eats poorly and reacts sluggishly even to the best flies and spoons. On these hot days, it is better to catch it in the late evening or at night. When the bite is good, you can also fish with hooks tied with red threads or feathers.
The color of these feathers depends on the place of fishing. Sometimes she picks better on black and gray feathers, sometimes on red ones. Some fishermen tint them with bright markers. They say that they bite better on such feathers. All this can only be verified experimentally.
One pattern is worth highlighting. If the water becomes cloudy, then the herring takes better on red baits. An effective tactic is to alternate baits of different colors. For example, a gray feather is placed on one hook, a black feather on the other, and a red feather on the third. You can combine them with colors, choosing the most catchy options.
Often, fishing for herring indoors using tyrants is carried out by organized groups. One part of the fishermen fishes in the area where schools of herring are expected to move. The second part fishes at a considerable distance in a similar place. Whoever catches the first fish says at what depth and what gear the fish was taken with. The rest of the fishermen repeat his technique and thus manage to keep the school of fish in one place. The fish, having noticed the baits, begin to move between them, and slowly replenish the fishermen’s cages.
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During bites, the hand feels a slight blow. The main thing is to determine which baits work best today. After the first strike, you should wait a little and give other fish the opportunity to hook onto the hooks.
As you can see, catching herring with a tyrant is a creative activity that requires the angler to have some experience and the ability to select the right equipment for each fishing trip.
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Quick salted herring in oil
According to this recipe, Don herring can be salted just overnight and after 8 hours you can enjoy the taste of tender and fatty fish.
The step-by-step cooking recipe is as follows:
- First of all, prepare a marinade from 120 ml of sunflower oil and a tablespoon of tomato paste over low heat. As soon as the contents of the pan boil, pour 80 ml of vinegar into it. After this, the marinade must be removed from the stove and cooled.
- Add a tablespoon of salt, allspice (1 teaspoon) and ground red pepper (2 teaspoons) to the cooled marinade.
- Lastly, chopped onions (6-7 onions) are added to the cold marinade.
- Don herring (1 kg) is divided into fillets (with skin), laid out in a container in layers, alternating fish and marinade.
- To salt the fish, place it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
Which tackle and bait to choose
In spring, the fish are very hungry and active, they swim very close to the shore, so they can even be caught with a fishing rod from the pier. Experienced fishermen know that it is best to fish for herring from a boat, sailing a little from the shore to where the depth is from three to five meters. In summer it bites better at a short distance from the shore, and in autumn it’s the opposite. The best time of day in spring and summer is at dawn, and in autumn - in the afternoon.
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The gear for herring is quite simple - you can catch it with a telescopic or ordinary spinning rod. Reels and spinners depend on fishing conditions and casting distance, and a sinker weighing about thirty grams is suitable. If the bite is weak, then it makes sense to try several types of spoons in bright colors to find the most successful one.
How to fry Don herring
Don herring can not only be salted, but also fried as a whole carcass in a frying pan. It turns out to be a very tasty stand-alone dish that can be served with new potatoes or other side dishes.
You can cook delicious Don herring in a frying pan according to the following recipe:
- Gut the herring (2-3 pieces), remove the insides and remove the gills. The tail and fins can be left on.
- Prepare the filling for the fish by mixing a tablespoon of chopped green onions, the same amount of dill, breadcrumbs (2-3 tablespoons), ground black pepper, salt and lemon zest (½ teaspoon each).
- Next, the fish is stuffed with the prepared mixture, rubbed with salt, rolled in flour and fried in vegetable oil.
- Before serving, it is recommended to sprinkle the herring with lemon juice.
