Caviar is a vitamin-rich delicacy with a distinct marine aroma and taste. Not everyone is able to get a nice bonus in the form of caviar when purchasing. If you learn how to choose the right pink salmon with caviar, then successfully purchasing an expensive delicacy at the cost of an ordinary carcass will become more likely.
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18.06.2020
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How to determine gender
First of all, when purchasing seafood, it is necessary to correctly distinguish the sex of the fish, since caviar can only be found in the carcass of the female. Only milk can be found in the abdominal cavity of the male.
In order to find out how to distinguish a female pink salmon from a male, consider several distinctive features of appearance:
- Head and jaw. The female has a straight head. The jaw of the fish should have a rounded shape, without uneven front teeth sticking out in it. If you look at the fish in the photo for the presence of at least one aggressive sign, then you can confidently say that this is not a female;
- Eyes and nose. The presence of a predatory look and a hooked nose are signs of a male;
- Torso. The main difference between female and male pink salmon is the presence of a pronounced hump. It is very clearly visible during the spawning period, so from August to September it becomes easier to distinguish the sex of a marine inhabitant;
- Tail. In the female it looks miniature and straight, while in the male it has a pronounced V-shape;
- Weight. Don't forget about the size of the marine life. Males are more powerful than females. The weight of fish with caviar rarely exceeds 1.5 kilograms;
- Color. The animal and marine world is structured in such a way that the male usually has a bright appearance. This helps him attract the opposite sex and scare away opponents. The color of the male pink salmon is bright with spots, while the female is gray and looks inconspicuous. After the end of spawning, the scales of the fish acquire a brownish-green tint.
By appearance, one can undoubtedly distinguish the gender of freshly caught pink salmon. And if, before purchasing, you additionally look at photos comparing individuals of different sexes on the Internet, you can significantly strengthen your knowledge.
Where are pink salmon found in the world and in Russia
Pink salmon and other fish of the salmon family are also commonly called red fish for the soft pink tint that their meat has. The main difference between pink salmon and other fish is the additional fin located between the dorsal fin and tail. The upper part of her body is covered with a scattering of black dots, and on her back there is a small hump, in honor of which she received her nickname.
Pink salmon lives in the Pacific seas, Kamchatka, Kuril Islands, Sakhalin and off the coast of Japan. Less often, it swims into the Arctic Ocean. To spawn it rises upstream of such Siberian rivers as:
- Kolyma;
- Amur;
- Indigirka;
- Lena;
- Yana.
How to tell which one has caviar
Finding a female is half the success, since not all individuals are caught with red caviar. To recognize a successful carcass, it is recommended to select several pieces from the counter and use the comparison method to find the one.
Let's look at several ways to choose pink salmon with caviar:
- Look for fish with a firm belly. The compacted belly of an individual with a delicacy is best seen when looking at the fish from the front;
- Carefully inspect the place where the caviar emerges: in fish with caviar it is pink in color and slightly larger in size than in females without caviar;
- If the fish is caught during the spawning period, then when you press on the abdomen of the ungutted carcass, eggs will come out of the anus.
It is not easy to purchase an uneviscerated specimen. Professional sellers and fishermen know many ways to extract the delicacy from fish without spoiling the appearance of the whole carcass. It is recommended to carefully examine the selected pink salmon for any extra slits.
If you still managed to purchase a female with caviar, then you can get 120-200 grams of an environmentally friendly delicacy from it.
Useful properties of fish
The beneficial properties of pink salmon are associated with the presence of a colossal amount of vitamins and minerals in the chemical composition of the fish. In addition, the product contains omega-3 fatty acids that can lower cholesterol, normalize blood pressure, and strengthen nerve cells.
It is worth noting that the product contains vitamin D, which takes part in the formation of bone tissue and prevents the risk of rickets or osteoporosis.
The protein contained in fish is absorbed by the human body quite quickly, unlike meat. Eating fish also has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the heart and blood vessels. Since pink salmon does not contain sugar or carbohydrates, it is acceptable to eat if you have diabetes.
Although fish is very filling, it is a low-calorie product; its calorie content per 100 grams is 140 kcal. Nutritional value (BJU-balance): proteins - 20.5 g, fats - 6.5 g, carbohydrates - 0 g. Therefore, such fish can be eaten if you follow dietary and nutritional nutrition.
Note! Under the influence of heat treatment, some of the beneficial substances evaporate from the fish.
Pink salmon will also benefit pregnant women, but only if eaten in moderation. The daily norm is 150 g. Use no more than 3 times every 7 days.
It is allowed to eat fish while breastfeeding, but not earlier than 4 months after the birth of the baby. In this case, the product must be boiled or steamed. At first, you should eat only a small piece (about 30 g). If the child feels comfortable, you can continue to eat fish. This dish should appear on the table no more than 2 times a week. You can eat no more than 400 g in 7 days.
Children can eat pink salmon only after reaching 1 year of age. If the baby shows signs of allergies, then such a product can only be eaten after 3 years.
In addition to meat, caviar, which contains not only easily digestible proteins, but also a whole complex of amino acids and omega-3 and 6 fatty acids, as well as vitamins and minerals, will be beneficial for human health. It is recommended to eat the product to strengthen the immune system, improve brain function and accelerate skin regeneration processes. You also need to eat the product to normalize the functioning of the central nervous system, normalize cholesterol levels and improve metabolism.
How to tell if it's frozen
It is not always possible to purchase fresh seafood, so you have to choose frozen fish. The method of identifying females fresh and frozen is almost the same. Due to the lack of detailed inspection, the identification process will become more difficult. Heat treatment will not allow you to examine each fish in detail, since frozen fish becomes covered with ice and frost. All distinctive features that are visible on fresh fish are hardly noticeable.
Despite the complexity, there are still signs by which one can determine how one frozen individual differs from another. The sex can be determined only by the head, which should be neat, without obvious sharp features and protruding front teeth. The female's nose is wide, and her mouth is often closed. Another difference between the female is the anal fin. In her it is protruding, while in the male it is pressed to the body.
To recognize whether an individual has caviar, pay attention to the shape of the body. It is always more plump and rounder than that of a female without caviar. When purchasing a frozen product, pay attention to the date of catch, since the chance of finding eggs in a female frozen during the spawning period is many times greater.
Due to the high cost, you have to stop buying treats frequently. It’s good that there are ways to get this delicacy absolutely free. The main thing to remember is that you need to buy pink salmon only in ungutted form, because the caviar in a cleaned specimen will be extracted first. By choosing the right fish, the most economical housewives will be able to use the product in many dishes. And the delicacy that you can get complete with the carcass can be salted with your own hands.
Signs of pink salmon that you should avoid purchasing
During fishing, pink salmon may be damaged. It is very difficult to visually identify “broken” fish if it is purchased whole. When cutting or cutting pink salmon, real bruises and bruises may be visible. The taste of fish in the presence of such signs does not change, but during the cooking process, the broken places will not maintain integrity and will fall apart.
You should refuse to purchase pink salmon if the following factors are present::
- dark or green gills;
- mucus in the gills is not acceptable for high-quality pink salmon;
- yellow color of the inside of the abdomen;
- a dry pink salmon tail indicates that the fish has been defrosted and frozen several times;
- skin in the form of bubbles or not tightly fitting to the meat indicates improper storage of the fish (or its age);
- the lack of rich color of pink salmon fillet indicates that it was frozen;
- distinct dents remaining after light pressure;
- numerous damage to the skin, scales or individual parts of the fish.
If you put pink salmon in water, a good fish will immediately drown . A low-quality or spoiled product will float on the surface with its belly up.
Thanks to a little trick, you can determine the age of pink salmon. In this case, you just need to compare the date of fishing and the time of its sale. For example, if you buy pink salmon caught in April in September, it is extremely difficult to call it fresh. Old fish or food that has not been stored correctly will taste bitter after cooking.
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Features of character and lifestyle
Pink salmon are not tied to a specific habitat and can travel many hundreds of miles from their place of birth. Her whole life is strictly subordinated to the call of procreation.
The fish age is short - no more than two years and it lasts from the birth of the fry to the first and last spawning in life. The banks of rivers where pink salmon come to spawn are literally littered with the carcasses of dead adults.
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Being an anadrobic migratory fish, pink salmon feeds in the waters of the seas, oceans and enters rivers for spawning. For example, pink salmon begin to swim into the Amur immediately after the ice melts, and by mid-June the surface of the river is simply teeming with the number of individuals. The number of males in the incoming flock predominates over females.
The migrations of pink salmon are not as extensive and long-lasting as those of chum salmon. They occur in the period from June to August, while the fish do not rise high along the river, preferring to be located in the riverbed, in places with large pebbles and with the strongest water movement. After spawning completes, the spawners die.
All salmon, as a rule, have an excellent natural “navigator” and are able to return to their native waters with incredible accuracy. Pink salmon are unlucky in this regard - their natural radar is poorly developed and for this reason it is sometimes carried into places completely unsuitable for spawning or life.
Sometimes the entire huge flock rushes into one river, literally filling it with their bodies, which naturally does not contribute to the normal spawning process.
Diet
Pink salmon is a pronounced predator, but it does not become so immediately. After birth, the fry first feed on benthos and plankton (microorganisms), and then, as they grow, they switch to zooplankton (small animals).
Over time, their diet will be replenished with larger invertebrates and young animals of other species, but it will still be based on midges, larvae of aquatic insects, amphipods, harpacticoids, cumaceans and other small animals living in the water.
Scientists have found that immediately before spawning, pink salmon completely refuse to eat. During this difficult period, her body is subjected to serious tests: the functioning of the digestive organs is suspended, and feeding reflexes almost completely disappear.
Perhaps this is one of the reasons for its unusual and dramatic external changes that are observed during spawning migrations.
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