Good afternoon, blog readers! Pike has always been considered a delicacy. But not every housewife is able to cook tender, juicy, odorless cutlets. Now I will tell you about all the intricacies and secrets of making cutlets from such a capricious fish. Write it down!
Most people refuse to cook anything from pike because of the unpleasant muddy smell that the flesh gives off. But, if you make the right choice, the fish will not emit any “aroma”.
What should you pay attention to when purchasing?
- Smell: Fresh fish smells like river water and a little algae. Never buy fish that smells like swamp or missing meat.
- On the eyes The eyes should be bright in color and open.
- On the gills The gills should be bright red. Attention! If the fish has been over-stayed even a little, then its gills will be brick-colored, without the characteristic shine.
- For the flesh Be sure to feel the carcass before purchasing. High-quality pulp - dense and elastic.
- On the scales Fresh fish has glossy and slightly moist scales.
- On the tail The tail of freshly caught fish is straight, without creases or corners. Thawed or slightly frozen fish almost always “holds” its tail in an upward arc.
If you forget all my recommendations the first time, then remember the association: fresh fish looks like it’s alive. He just doesn't breathe.
How to cut a pike?
The easiest way is to buy either a cut carcass, or ask for it to be cut at the market or in a store. But if you are lucky enough to have a freshly caught fish, then:
1. Put gloves on your hands, and choose either a wooden or glass board. It is almost impossible to remove the fishy smell from a plastic board.
2. Sharpen your knife. It should have a wide blade and a well-secured handle.
3. Start cleaning the carcass from scales. You need to move against the growth, starting from the tail.
4. Make small cuts under the gills, carefully cut off the head and fins.
These parts can be frozen and used for fish soup. But be sure to remove the eyes and gills before cooking. Remove the broth and it will be cloudy and bitter.
5. Rip open the belly by making an incision on the belly. Remove all entrails. Be careful not to damage the gallbladder. If it bursts, you can throw the fish away.
6. Open the carcass and make an incision near the ridge and pull it out. Try to remove as little meat as possible.
7. Using a knife or tweezers, try to remove all the bones. If this is difficult for you, at least get rid of the big ones.
8. Remove the skin. To do this, place the carcass meat side up and make a small cut near the tail. Carefully run the knife over the entire area of the fish, trying to remove as little meat as possible. Keep the knife close to the skin.
Ready! The pike is cut and the fillet is ready to be rolled.
Juicy pike cutlets with butter in a frying pan (without lard)
Despite the apparent simplicity of the dish, not everyone can cook it deliciously. And it's all about the secret Astrakhan recipe. Write it down!
Ingredients:
- pike pulp - 1.5 kg;
- white loaf pulp - 1 pc.;
- onion - 2-3 heads;
- milk - ½ cup;
- eggs - 2-3 pcs.;
- breadcrumbs - 1 package;
- spices - to taste and desire, but salt is a must;
- vegetable oil - the amount you need for frying.
Cooking method:
1. Grind the pike together with the onion in a meat grinder.
To obtain a homogeneous mass and to avoid the fillet getting stuck, scroll through the ingredients one by one: first the onion, then the minced meat. And so on until the food runs out.
2. Remove the crumb from the loaf and place it in a deep bowl. Add enough milk on top to almost completely cover the bread. Using a fork, mash the bread until smooth.
3. Mix the resulting minced meat with the soaked bread crumb and mix well.
4. Add eggs to the minced meat. Stir.
5. Season with spices and start forming cutlets.
Regular fish cutlets are shaped like an elongated, oblong oval.
6. Afterwards, roll them in breadcrumbs.
Let's start frying! Pour a small amount of oil into the frying pan, let it heat up and place the cutlets. Fry on each side until golden brown.
Since the cutlets are fish, they must be steamed. This action is necessary regardless of the recipe and type of fish and will help to completely cook the dish.
How to steam properly? Place the fried cutlets in a saucepan and add a small amount of water (so that it covers the bottom; you can mix it with tomato paste or sour cream). Cover with a lid, leaving a small gap and simmer until the water evaporates.
Secrets and subtleties of cooking pike cutlets
You need to start the process of cooking cutlets by choosing fish.
How to choose the right fish
Pike can be 1.5 m in length and weigh up to 50 kg. Its meat usually smells strongly of mud (this is explained by age), it is tough and dry. A specimen up to 3 kg is best suited for a fish dish.
River pike of this weight is usually 80 cm long, and lake pike is thicker and shorter - 60-70 cm. Its meat is tasty and tender.
For cutlets, it is better to purchase ready-made fillets or fresh (live) fish.
If the fish is frozen or not alive, you need to pay attention to signs of freshness:
- eyes should be transparent, not dull;
- scales are light, shiny;
- gills clean, pink;
- fishy, faint smell;
- a mark that immediately disappears after pressing on the fish’s body;
- the meat cannot be easily separated from the bones.
If all these signs are present, you can safely purchase the fish.
How to cut a pike
Many people don't like to cook pike because it is difficult to cut. And preparing fillets for minced meat is the most difficult task in the kitchen. But that's not true. You need to freeze fresh fish a little so that it just sets, then the skin will come off easily.
Cover the table with newspapers so that the slippery body does not roll on the surface, cut off the fins with a sharp knife, make a circular cut around the head and along the ridge and belly. After this, pick up the skin with pliers and pull it from the head to the tail.
Cut the fillet from the bones. This requires patience because pike has a lot of bones. Particular attention should be paid to small ones. The meat is ready for grinding.
Features of preparing minced meat
There are many subtleties of preparing minced meat. But you need to know that it is better to grind pike meat for cutlets twice. When grinding for the first time, take a meat grinder with medium holes, and do the second grinding through a fine one.
Secrets of minced meat for delicious cutlets:
- Minced river fish turns out lean and dry. Salvation can be lard, which is ground in a meat grinder twice and added to minced fish. If you don't have lard at home, you can add fatty pork. By giving away water and fat, these products will make the cutlets very juicy and tasty.
- Soak the crumb of white bread (sliced loaf is best) in milk for 10 minutes, then squeeze lightly and mix with minced meat. For 500 g of pike, 100 g of bread is enough.
- Fish does not really like bright spices, which can overpower the bright specific taste. Pepper and salt go best with it.
- Minced vegetables can improve the taste. River fish is combined with fresh onions in cooking. It can be passed through a meat grinder or finely chopped. In the first case, the onion will release its juice immediately, making the minced meat more liquid. In the second, it will give off during frying, so the cutlets will be juicier.
You can add finely grated carrots or potatoes to the minced meat. Carrots give the cutlets a sweetish taste and orange color, and potatoes give them fluffiness.
How long does it take to fry fish?
The duration of frying cutlets depends on the place of preparation:
- in a frying pan - no more than 15 minutes: first 10 minutes on both sides over high heat until an even beautiful crust forms, then 3-5 minutes under the lid over low heat;
- in the oven - at 180 degrees for 30-35 minutes;
- in a double boiler or in a multicooker in the “Steamer” mode - 20-30 minutes.
When preparing cutlets, the main thing is not to overdo it with time, otherwise the fish will lose its taste.
Very tasty recipe with lard
Lard can make any dish richer in taste and tender and juicy in consistency. Few people add lard to cutlets for fear of making them greasy and unpalatable. But all you have to do is choose the right lard and the dish will sparkle with new colors. What lard should you choose for cutlets?
Ideal if it is made from loin (part of pork). This is exactly what contains the required “meat-fat” proportion. Choose cuts that are not heavily seasoned. Such lard will drown out the taste of the fish and prevent the cutlets from opening.
You should not put lard consisting only of lard into cutlets. If there are no suitable products in the stores in your city, then below I will share with you a recipe for making homemade loin lard. But let's get back to the cutlets.
To prepare them you will need:
- pike fillet - 1 kg;
- white loaf - 1 pc.;
- lard - 100 gr.;
- onions - 3-4 pcs.;
- milk - 100 ml;
- eggs - 3-4 pcs.;
- oil - any for frying;
- spices - to taste.
Cooking method:
1. Remove the crumb from the loaf and soak it together with milk in a small bowl. As soon as the bread begins to absorb the milk, knead until you get a homogeneous paste.
2. Peel the onion, cut into medium-sized pieces and fry in a frying pan.
3. Cut the lard into thin layers.
4. Grind the pike fillet in a meat grinder along with lard and fried onions.
5. Add the crumb with milk, eggs and spices to the resulting minced meat. Mix well until a homogeneous mixture is obtained.
Let's start frying! Form the cutlets and as soon as the pan is hot, place them for frying.
In this recipe we will do without breadcrumbs. In addition to eggs, lard is responsible for maintaining shape. After the cutlets acquire a golden crust on both sides, steam them for 20 minutes. The dish is ready!
The simplest recipe
Cooking time : 40 minutes
Number of servings: 6
Energy value
- calorie content – 141.3 kcal;
- proteins – 23.9 g;
- fats – 3.0 g;
- carbohydrates – 5.0 g.
Ingredients
- whole pike – 1 kg;
- chicken eggs – 2 pcs.;
- wheat or corn flour – 30 g;
- onion – 100 g;
- ground black pepper or allspice – optional;
- salt - to taste;
- Refined sunflower oil for frying -70 g.
Step-by-step preparation
- This is the simplest recipe for pike fish cutlets. From a kilogram carcass, cut off the head, tail and fins, remove the scales and skin, gut it, rinse it, separate the fillet from the bones and cut the flesh into cubes. It should be approximately 700-750 g.
- Since there is no need to cook (soak) the bread in this recipe, immediately start grinding the pike fillet through a meat grinder or using a blender.
- Add finely chopped onion (it also needs to be chopped), a spoonful of wheat flour, beat in 2 eggs, salt and pepper to your taste. Mix all ingredients until smooth.
- Pour oil into a frying pan and place it on the fire to heat up. Form cutlets of a size convenient for you, roll in flour and fry until golden brown on each side.
- The cooking process is quite fast, and you can finish it in 35-45 minutes, resulting in dinner for the family. It is best served hot with fresh vegetables or canned salads. If there is any side dish left in the refrigerator from dinner, reheat it and add it to the dish.
Tip : the cooking method described above will not change if you have breadcrumbs or sesame seeds at home. They can be used instead of flour.
How to cook pike cutlets in the oven
An oven in the absence of a double boiler will help make pike cutlets a dietary dish. Minimal amount of oil, low temperature treatment, time saving (no need to steam after oven) - what could be even better?
Ingredients:
- pike pulp - 1.5 kg;
- sour cream - 500 gr.;
- eggs - 4 pcs.;
- greens - any and in any quantity;
- onion - 4 heads;
- tomato paste - 500 gr.;
- lemon - 1 pc.;
- breadcrumbs - 1 package.
Cooking method:
1. Grind the pike in a meat grinder along with onions and herbs.
2. Add eggs, spices and 200 grams of sour cream to the resulting minced meat. Mix thoroughly.
3. Form cutlets, and then roll them in breadcrumbs.
4. Place the cutlets on a baking sheet and sprinkle generously with lemon juice.
5. Tomato paste and the remaining amount of sour cream will serve as a pillow and sauce for the side dish. Just mix these two products and pour the resulting mixture over the cutlets.
In about 50 minutes the tender cutlets with sauce will be ready!
Delicious and juicy hake fish cutlets in the oven
Hake fish is very useful for both women's and men's health; it is definitely recommended to include it in your weekly diet!
The product list is:
- hake fillet – 1 ½ kg;
- white bread (crumb) – ¼ loaf;
- boiled water – 1 tbsp.;
- onions – 2 pcs.;
- egg – 1 pc.;
- salt – 10 g;
- basil - a pinch.
Step-by-step actions with description:
- Soak the bread crumb in warm water (milk).
- Pass the fish through a blender or food processor and chop.
- Place the crumb into the minced meat, break the egg, sprinkle with dried basil and salt.
- Chop the onion into small cubes, add to the overall mixture, and stir.
- Form cutlets. Place on a sheet generously greased with odorless vegetable oil.
- Bake at 200 C until golden, about a third of an hour.
The number of calories of hake baked in the oven is 94 Kcal per 100 g. It’s both satisfying and tasty!
Steamed diet cutlets in a slow cooker
Besides saving your time, the advantages of cooking in a slow cooker include the low-calorie content of the prepared dish without the use of oil. This recipe is suitable for everyone without exception.
To do this you will need:
- pike fillet - 1 kg;
- carrots - 1 pc.;
- broccoli - 100 gr.;
- onions - 3 pcs.;
- eggs - 3 pcs.;
- spices - to taste;
- lemon - 1 pc.
Cooking method:
1. Pike with peeled onions, broccoli - grind in a meat grinder.
2. Grate the carrots, pre-peeled, and add to the resulting minced meat.
3. To consolidate the consistency of the cutlets, add eggs to the minced meat and mix well.
4. To improve the taste, add spices and pour plenty of lemon juice.
Lemon juice will help eliminate the unpleasant fishy smell and make the cutlets more juicy and soft.
Form cutlets and place on a grid in a slow cooker. Pour a couple of glasses of water into the bottom of the bowl.
Close the lid and install the “Steam” or “Steam” program.
In about 20 minutes, dietary pike cutlets will be on your table.
Recipe from Ilya Lazerson
The famous chef notes that he managed to achieve ideal proportions when preparing pike fish cakes.
His recipe definitely includes fresh garlic.
What ingredients will you need?
For the dish you need to take:
- pike fillet without bones and skin – half a kilo;
- white bread – 130-150 g;
- milk – ½ tbsp.;
- egg and onion - 1 pc.;
- garlic – 3-4 cloves;
- oil – 1 tbsp. l.;
- salt and spices.
Step-by-step cooking process
The cooking process includes several stages:
- The bread needs to be soaked in milk, then squeezed and passed together with the fish fillet through a meat grinder. Peeled onions and garlic are also sent there.
- Pour the egg into the prepared minced meat, add salt and spices.
- At the next stage, oil is poured into the mass. This will add fat to the mass and will allow you to avoid using lard in the recipe.
- Next, you need to cover the minced meat with parchment and put it in a cool place for a couple of hours.
All you have to do is form the cutlets with your hands and fry them in oil for 3-4 minutes on each side.
What are cutlets, sauces and gravies served with?
Serving the finished treat is delicious with fried potatoes and green onions.
Delicious pike cutlets with cheese
Cheese in fish cutlets will surprise your loved ones and will not leave anyone indifferent.
Ingredients:
- pike meat - 1 kg;
- egg - 2 pcs.;
- white loaf - 1 pc.;
- milk - 100 gr.;
- cheese - 500 gr.;
- spices - to taste;
- onion - 2 heads;
- breadcrumbs - 1 package.
Cooking method:
1. Grind pike pulp and onion in a meat grinder.
2. Add spices and eggs to the resulting minced meat.
3. Soak the white loaf crumb with milk, mash thoroughly with a fork and add to the minced meat. Stir.
4. Grate the cheese.
Let's start forming the cutlets. To make it, make a cutlet of the usual shape (oblong oval). Then make a small depression and put some grated cheese inside. Dip in breadcrumbs and place in a frying pan. Fry until golden brown on both sides.
If desired, steam or place in the oven for 20 minutes, after adding tomato or sour cream sauce.
Homemade pike fillet cutlets with cottage cheese and lard
Unusual cutlets with smoked flavor, cottage cheese will add tenderness. An unusual combination, isn't it? But it's worth a try.
You will need:
- Fish fillet – 800 gr.
- Cottage cheese, full fat – 100 gr.
- Lard, smoked – 150 gr.
- Onion – 2 heads.
- White bread – 150 gr.
- Sunflower oil, dill, pepper, salt.
How to fry:
- Chop the onion into cubes, similarly cut 50 g. lard First add the lard to the frying pan, then, when it is slightly fried and gives fat, add the onion slices. Fry until light golden brown.
- Fillet the fish and check to see if there are any bones left. Grind in a meat grinder, adding the remaining 100 grams. lard, cottage cheese, fried onions.
- Take stale bread. Soak it in milk, or grate it into crumbs.
- Finely chop the dill sprigs. Place into minced meat along with bread.
- Season with pepper, salt, and mix the mixture thoroughly. Place on the refrigerator shelf for an hour.
- After the specified time, form the cutlets and, if desired, bread them with flour.
- Fry in a frying pan first on one side, then turn over on the other. Total frying time is 15 minutes.
Recipe for making cutlets in cream sauce (in cream)
This recipe provides 2 serving options. The first is everyday. It involves stewing cutlets of the usual shape in a saucepan or frying pan. The second one is festive. Let's take a look at it.
To prepare we will need:
- minced fish - 1 kg;
- cream 30% - 1 package;
- classic cheese - 20 gr.;
- onion - 1 head;
- breadcrumbs - 300 gr.;
- spices.
Cooking method:
1. Prepare minced pike fillet and onion by grinding them in a meat grinder.
2. Season the consistency with spices and add eggs.
3. Form cutlets by placing cheese inside each.
The cheese can be either grated or cut into pieces.
4. Dip in breading.
Next, you will need cocotte makers. They are usually used for preparing julienne, but in our case they will act as sauce boats. Pour cream into each cocotte maker, add salt and pepper. Place 1-2 cutlets in the center.
Attention! For this recipe, it is better to roll the minced meat into small balls - meatballs. They will look more aesthetically pleasing in the cocotte maker and will be more convenient to eat.
You can add a little grated cheese on top and bake in the oven for 50 minutes.
Pike caviar cutlets
You can make delicious cutlets not only from pike fillets, but also from its caviar.
What ingredients will you need?
For the dish you need to take:
- pike caviar – 270-400 g;
- chicken egg – 1 pc.;
- flour – 2-2.5 tbsp. l.;
- onion – 1 head;
- butter and salt.
Step-by-step cooking process
The cooking process includes several stages:
- The caviar must be peeled and mixed with an egg, beaten with a fork until foamy.
- Next, flour, salt and pepper are sent to the fish products.
- All that remains is to add the peeled and grated onion.
- After mixing, the mixture should sit for at least a quarter of an hour.
From the resulting minced meat you need to make small cutlets and fry them in a frying pan with oil over medium heat.
What are cutlets, sauces and gravies served with?
Ready-made cutlets are delicious served with boiled rice and mayonnaise-based sauce.
How to cook cutlets with potatoes
Cutlets with potatoes are an option for a large family. Potatoes will not spoil the taste of the fish, but they will help increase the number of cutlets; it is only important to cook it correctly.
Ingredients:
- pike - 1 pc.;
- eggs - 3 pcs.;
- white loaf - 1 pc.;
- milk - 20 g;
- spices - to taste;
- potatoes - 7-8 pcs.;
- breading - any;
- garlic - 2 cloves;
- lemon or a little tomato paste.
Cooking method:
1. Peel the potatoes and cut into small pieces.
2. Fish fillet, onion, garlic and potatoes through a meat grinder.
3. Pour milk over the loaf crumb and mash with a fork.
4. Mix everything together, adding eggs and spices.
5. Form cutlets into your usual shape and sprinkle each one with lemon juice.
If you don’t have lemon juice on hand, then after frying until crisp, steam the cutlets along with tomato paste. The enticing aroma of fresh fish cutlets will delight the whole family!
Tender cutlets with semolina
Semolina is a lifeline if you don’t have eggs on hand. It gives the cutlets a viscous structure and helps hold the minced meat together without the use of breadcrumbs.
To prepare these cutlets we will need:
- minced pike - 1 kg;
- onion - 3 heads;
- garlic - to taste;
- spices - optional, but salt and pepper are required;
- semolina - 4 tbsp. spoons;
- egg;
- oil - the amount needed for frying.
Cooking method:
1. Peel the onion and cut into small pieces.
2. Mince the pike through a meat grinder along with the onion.
3. Add semolina and spices to it and mix well.
Before you start forming the cutlets, let the mixture sit for about 20 minutes. The semolina will swell and it will be easier for you to make portions. Fry the cutlets until crusty, and then don’t forget to steam them in a saucepan.
Recipe from Yulia Vysotskaya
Famous chefs also love to cook pike fish cutlets, the recipe of which can be changed to suit your taste. For example, Yulia Vysotskaya adds potatoes to her treat.
What ingredients will you need?
For the dish you need to take:
- fish fillet – 1.1-1.2 kg;
- potatoes - 2 tubers;
- onion and egg - 1 pc.;
- white bread – 3 slices;
- milk – 1 tbsp.;
- semolina – 2-2.5 tbsp. l.;
- salt and pepper.
Step-by-step cooking process
The cooking process includes several stages:
- First you need to mince the pike fillet, all the peeled and chopped vegetables, as well as bread soaked in milk without crusts.
- Next, semolina, egg, salt, and pepper are added to the resulting mixture.
- After mixing, the minced meat should be refrigerated for about 1.5 hours.
From the resulting mass, meatballs of the desired shape are formed and fried in oil until cooked at low heat on the stove.
What are cutlets, sauces and gravies served with?
These cutlets are delicious served with hot creamy mushroom sauce. First, you can soak the treat in it for a couple of minutes.
