Balyk Ekmek: what is it, a description of a dish of Turkish bread with fish, a recipe for preparing the best and most delicious ekmek in Istanbul, as well as a photo

Cook at home

Before considering the features of preparing fish balyk at home, it should be mentioned that this dish can be of two types:

hanging balyk - without heat treatment,
cold smoked, which is made over several days.

To prepare this delicacy, you need to choose the right fish.

To prepare fish balyk at home, the main product must be fresh and not frozen. It should also be noted that it is best to catch fish from a clean reservoir, ideally in the autumn. The most delicious balyk is made from salmon and pink salmon. What is the difference between these fish and others? First of all, such balyk turns out to be more aromatic and pleasant to the taste, since these fish do not smell like mud. For cooking, you can use other types of fish, the fat content of which ranges from 5 to 30%. These are:

Sturgeon, whose weight is 2-5 kg.
Carp weighing more than 6 kg.
Asp, whose weight is 2-3 kg.
Catfish, the weight of which should be from 4 kg.
Silver carp weighing 8 kg.
Trout that weighs from 4 to 5 kg.
Pike perch weighing from 2.5 kg.
Nelma about 3 kg.
Pike weighing about 6 kg.

The quality of the dish will depend on the fat content of the fish. Balyk turns out to be very juicy and aromatic from pink salmon, sturgeon, carp, salmon, and silver carp. These types of fish have a thick layer of fat, which makes the taste simply excellent. Pike, pike perch and perch are classified as less fatty fish varieties, so it is recommended to prepare them using the dried method.

Beef at home

Time: 10 days.
Number of servings: 15 persons.
Calorie content of the dish: 128 kcal/100 grams.
Purpose: snack.
Cuisine: Turkic.
Difficulty: easy.

Beef balyk is tasty; its structure resembles another delicacy called basturma. Spices give a special taste, in this case it is a mixture of ground black pepper and coriander. It is important to pre-fry the mixture in a dry frying pan, then the pepper will lose its excessive pungency. Even during heat treatment, pepper and coriander will reveal their aroma, and the meat will acquire a more piquant taste.

Ingredients:

beef tenderloin – 450 g;
salt – 100 g;
apple cider vinegar – 40 ml;
sugar – 20 g;
ground black pepper – 20 g;
coriander – 20 g.

Cooking method:

Rinse the tenderloin under running water, pat dry with a paper towel, wrap in a natural cloth and send to “ripen” on the refrigerator shelf for two days.
After the allotted time, remove the tenderloin and sprinkle it with salt and sugar.
Transfer the meat to a flat dish or plate, place pressure on top and place it on the refrigerator shelf for another day.
After a day, drain the liquid and remove it using dry gauze soaked in apple cider vinegar.
In a dry frying pan, lightly fry ground black pepper and coriander.
Sprinkle the resulting mixture onto the tenderloin, secure the loop, cover with gauze and send to dry in a special dryer or in a well-ventilated area.
After a week, you can serve the balyk to the table.

Butchering the carcass

Before you start preparing balyk from river fish at home, you need to thoroughly clean the carcass of scales. After this, it is cleaned of all the insides and washed well under cold water. Then an incision is made along the entire spine, the loin is completely separated from the bones and divided so that you get 2 pieces of meat.

Next, the recipe for balyk at home involves cutting the carcass into portioned pieces. Take one piece of fillet and cut it lengthwise into several pieces. After this, take one of the meat strips, cut small pieces of fish with a knife, the thickness of which should be 2 cm. This is how all the meat is cut. Please note that the pieces must be without skin.

History of the origin of balyk

Translated from Turkic, balyk means fish, since it was originally made from this product. In the countries of the Soviet Union there was not a large selection of fish, so when solving the problem of what to make balyk from, preference was given to pork, most often its dorsal part.

Balyk in the USSR

In European countries, this delicacy has always been in price, and sometimes it was difficult to get. Now in European countries the product can not only be bought without problems, but also made at home, saving time and money. As for the Americans, for them such a dish is a real curiosity. To understand what it is, they need to give it a try.

Pickling

After this, you can start salting. The chopped meat is placed in a pan, covered with salt and sugar, and everything is thoroughly mixed. After this, you can take the seasoning to your taste, process the pieces, roll them into rolls, and place them in the same container. Spices that are designed specifically for fish will be ideally combined with fish, as well as khmeli-suneli seasoning and black pepper, which give the future balyk an appetizing aroma and pleasant taste.

Next, at home, a recipe for balyk from asp or any other fish involves putting the semi-finished product in a pan in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Thus, the meat is well saturated with spices and salt. During this entire time, it is recommended to stir the fish once a day. If you have a large carcass, then salting will require more time, about a week.

Meat preparation methods

The final result largely depends on proper preparation of the meat, in particular its marinating. This procedure can be performed using simple ingredients. Additional spices are also added to the brine to create a spicier dish.

What ingredients will you need?

You can pickle it in salt and pepper, but it is also possible to use additional spices. Good ones for meat include coriander, ginger, red pepper and paprika. The marinade contains a small amount of sugar. It will help the spices penetrate deeper into the fibers of the meat.

Natural salting

Dry salting involves coating the pieces with salt and sugar, as well as additional spices. Then the balyk is placed under pressure. This is required in order for the juice to form, in which the meat will be marinated. The duration of such cooking is about 5 days, depending on the size of the piece.

Salting in brine

For quick marinating, make brine. For 1 l. water you need 5 tbsp. salt. To check readiness, drop a raw egg. The brine is ready if it floats. Add bay leaf, cloves, pepper, and boil the brine for 5 minutes. The fillet is dipped into the strained liquid and left for 3 days in the refrigerator. The balyk needs to be turned over 2 times a day.

Drying

The last step in preparing this delicacy is drying, that is, drying the fish. It is necessary to remove the pan from the refrigerator, string the pieces onto some strong thread, while leaving a small distance between the fillets. First, it is recommended to hang the meat for several hours in the bright sun so that each part is covered with a crust. After this, the fillet should be dried in a dry and warm room where there are no insects. As a rule, the entire drying process takes from 3 to 7 days.

Video on the topic

Kitchen

Balyk is the back of the fish, its upper part. Fish balyk is fish that has been salted and dried in a special way.

Almost any river or sea fish is used for salting and drying fish, but special requirements are imposed on fish used for balyk. Its taste properties depend on what kind of fish is used to prepare balyk. Real balyk is prepared from valuable species of sturgeon and salmon fish - the so-called. balyk is made from sturgeon and red fish, but we will prepare it from any fish that is suitable in size.

You should know that balyk is made from pork, chicken, turkey, etc. - This is not exactly balyk, but salted-dried or dried meat. The word “balyk” is more correct to refer only to fish, and balyk is precisely the upper part, the back of the fish, and all that is cut off from it is the tesha, the abdominal part of the fish, which is sometimes cooked separately.

Another variety of balyk is bokovnik - it is prepared from halves of fish cut along the ridge.

Beneficial features

Due to the fact that processing does not involve frying or boiling the fish, a large amount of useful substances and elements are retained in the meat. That is why this delicacy is very beneficial for human health. 100 g of the finished product contains the following amount of vitamins:

0.057 mg vitamin A.
2.5 mg vitamin E.
0.2 mg vitamin B2.
1.8 mg vitamin PP.
0.05 mg vitamin B1.

This product also contains useful minerals that are required by the human body. These include: calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, chlorine, sulfur, zinc, iron, chromium, fluorine, nickel.

In addition, fish contains saturated fatty acids, which have a beneficial effect on the appearance of the skin and hair. The composition contains small amounts of ash, cholesterol and water. That is why, if you consume this homemade delicacy, you can not only enjoy the rich taste, but also provide your body with the necessary minerals and vitamins.

Chicken fillet balyk

This dish is low-calorie and practically dietary; all vitamins are retained in the meat due to the fact that it is not exposed to heat.

Product composition:

2 large chicken breasts;
5 pieces of laurel;
100 grams of coarse salt (preferably sea salt);
55 ml cognac;
A full teaspoon of turmeric, a mixture of ground peppers, paprika, and any herbs - according to preference.

Method for preparing chicken breast:

Mix all the bulk ingredients together, add the broken laurel leaves.
Place the washed and dried fillets into a container, coat them completely with this mixture, and pour in cognac (you can use dry red wine – 50/50).
Cover the dish with film (lid) and place it in the refrigerator. After 12 hours, remove the future chicken balyk to dry it with a paper towel.
We insert twine into each piece, with which we hang the pieces on the refrigerator door. Be sure to wrap them in gauze and let them dry for about three days.

In order for such a culinary masterpiece to be stored for a long time, it must be packed in foil and kept in the freezer. The meat product also keeps well in the refrigerator for two weeks.

Chefs' tips

When preparing this delicacy, you can follow little tricks that will be useful to know, and then your homemade delicacy will be safe and acquire an exquisite taste:

The duration of salting will depend on the weight of the main product. It should also be noted that in summer the salting process will take about 2 weeks, and in winter this period is 5-7 days.
Large fish is cut into portioned pieces, the thickness of which should be no more than 2.5 cm and no less than 2 cm. If the pieces are much thinner, the meat will turn out too dry, and pieces that are too thick in the middle will not dry out.
To prevent insects from landing on the meat, during drying it is recommended to cover it with gauze, which is soaked in vinegar beforehand.
After drying for three days, it is best to put the fillet under pressure for a couple of hours so that each piece is smooth and shiny. After this, they are hung again for further drying.
If you want to check the readiness of the balyk, you can press the meat with your finger. If there are no dents or moisture left on it, this indicates that the product is ready.
Before you start salting, you should sterilize the pan; it is recommended to use plastic or enamel containers for this.
Before treating the fillet with salt, it is also recommended to sprinkle it with a little sugar. The product that is placed in an enamel container is sprinkled only with salt.
Any fish can be cooked in the oven. During this process, it is recommended to open the door slightly and turn on the hood. After 8 hours the dish will be ready.
If during drying the product has absorbed some foreign odors, then it must be processed using the cold smoking method. If you want the balyk to dry faster, you can use the fan on.
It is recommended to add black peppercorns and allspice to the salt solution. Cloves and bay leaves will add a rich taste to the delicacy.

I would also like to mention that many people do not understand the difference between salmon and pink salmon. Pink salmon belongs to the salmon family, so it can also be used to prepare balyk. So we can say that pink salmon is the same salmon.

Homemade pork with garlic and vodka

Time: 8 days.
Number of servings: 20 persons.
Calorie content of the dish: 245 kcal/100 grams.
Purpose: snack.
Cuisine: Turkic.
Difficulty: easy.

Adding vodka while marinating meat gives it a special taste and helps the salt penetrate deeper into the flesh. During the ripening process, the alcohol evaporates, so there is no need to worry about its intoxicating effect. Garlic is also intended to impart a piquant taste and aroma to the meat pulp. You can prepare balyk from meat at home in just 8 days. Using this technology, it is recommended to alternate drying places.

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Ingredients:

pork – 1 kg;
vodka – 100 ml;
salt – 70 g;
coriander – 20 g;
mixture of peppercorns – 20 g;
paprika – 20 g;
ground chili – 20 g;
dried garlic – 20 g;
bay leaf – 3 pcs.

Cooking method:

Carefully clean the balyk part of the pork from any membranes.
Rinse the meat under running water and pat dry with a towel to remove excess moisture.
Cut the flesh against the grain into portions.
Roll each piece in a small amount of salt.
Place the meat slices into a glass baking dish of suitable size and fill with vodka.
Cover the top with a flat plate, then put it under pressure and place it on the refrigerator shelf for three days.
Turn the pieces daily to ensure the meat is evenly salted.
Remove the meat, rinse it from excess salt, and pat dry with a towel.
Break the bay leaf into a mortar, add peppercorns, coriander and grind, then add the rest of the spices and mix well.
Rub the salted pork with the spicy mixture, wrap it in cotton cloth, tie it with twine, make a loop and hang it in a room in a dark place.
Periodically hang the meat on the balcony.
Rotate the drying area regularly.
The balyk will be ready in at least five days.

Storage Features

It is necessary to store the finished balyk in the refrigerator, having previously wrapped it in paper. It is also allowed to be placed in a special container or vacuum bag. This way the fish will stay fresh longer. The homemade delicacy should be stored for no more than 1 month, because in the future it will dry out more and lose its aroma and taste.

In most people's minds, balyk is an expensive dish, which in most cases is served at the festive table. However, preparing it at home is quite simple. It is not at all necessary to use red fish as a raw material; you can use perch, silver carp or bream.

Secrets and subtleties of preparing delicious balyk

In order for a meat or fish delicacy to be tender, juicy, soft, and aromatic, it is important to follow strict cooking technology. That is why it is recommended to follow the advice of professional chefs:

Spices will hold much better if the pulp is rubbed with vegetable oil or water.
For storage and pickling, it is advisable to use coarse sea salt, as it prevents rotting and helps draw out moisture.
Store the finished balyk only in the refrigerator, first wrap it in cloth or paper. Do not keep it in a bag, otherwise mold will appear.
The hot season is not the best period for the drying process, as the meat may become rotten. In this case, you will need ideal air circulation; you can install a fan. In addition, you will have to drive away insects so that they do not land on the meat product.
Balyk can acquire smoky notes if it is treated with a small amount of liquid smoke, which is sold in supermarkets and at the market.

As you can see, balyk can be prepared from fish and meat, using a minimal amount of additional ingredients. Using the suggested recipes, you have the opportunity to pamper yourself and loved ones with a healthy, tasty, nutritious delicacy.

Bon appetit everyone!

Features of cooking from different breeds of fish

The basic principles for preparing red and white fish are no different. The duration of drying and the set of spices used may differ. In any case, the taste of balyk from any type of fish will be original and bright.

White fish balyk

It is not always possible to find large white fish. Plus, it's not as greasy as red. Mackerel is considered the best option. If you need a large fillet, you can take catfish. Weight from 3 kg. This type is easy to find. It will surprise you in terms of taste.

A common option is dried carp meat.

Balyk prepared from such fish is fatty, especially if you take carcasses caught in the autumn. Fish over 5 kg are best suited. They must first be cleaned, the fins trimmed, and the ridge removed. Now cut the carp into portions, but not too small so that it is convenient to dry them. This procedure should be done with any large fish, as it speeds up the drying process.

Harmful qualities

The bacteria Clostridium botulinum multiply in fish meat. The absence of oxygen is a pleasant environment for bacteria to multiply. The bacteria produce a poison that leads to botulism. These bacteria do not decay during any heat treatment.

To speed up production, manufacturers apply the following drugs to fish meat:

Carrageenan (E 407) – extracted from seaweed. Increases volume, weight, elasticity. Harmless to use.
Phosphates E 450, E 451 – pyrophosphates of sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, triphosphates of sodium, potassium. Used for dehydration, increasing acid levels, delaying oxidation. Relatively safe for humans.
Color stabilizers: sodium nitrite E 250, toxic, causes intestinal cancer, sodium nitrate E 251, destabilizes blood pressure, potassium nitrate E 252, causes cancer.
Gum is a thickener that stabilizes the product and forms a gel. Plant gums are found in the juice of the Indian acacia - E 412, are found in the pods of the Mediterranean acacia - E 410, and are isolated from the seed of the tara tree - E 417. They cause an allergic reaction.
Glucono-delta-lactone – E 575. Reduces the heat treatment period by 50%, this reduces the weight loss of balyk. Affects liver function.
Sodium ascorbate – E 301. Gives stable color to meat. Harmless.
Monosodium glutamate – E 621. Extracted from seaweed and soybeans. Used to enhance the meat taste; it can be used as a substitute for meat. Gives volume to products. It is not dangerous for the body. May contain GMOs .

Smoked balyk contains carcinogenic substances. May cause cancer.

Advice! You can buy high-quality balyk as a whole piece of dry-dried fish.

What kind of fish goes for balyk

Any large fish whose meat has high and medium fat content is considered suitable for preparing balyk. Fatty fish with a small number of small fork bones is prized, but balyk can be made from almost any fish of sufficiently large size.

The most popular types of fish from which delicious balyk is made are asp, silver carp, catfish and carp. Balyk made from sturgeon and red fish from the salmon family will be very tasty. The fattest fish will be any fish caught in the autumn and early winter.

List of fish that make delicious balyk, grouped by popularity:

Asp, ide, chub, bream;
Silver carp;
Catfish;
Carp, carp, crucian carp;
Mackerel, mackerel, tuna;
Pike, zander;
Chum salmon, pink salmon, trout, omul, whitefish, nelma, salmon;
Sturgeon and sturgeon species of fish.

There is a fish on this list that cannot be considered a boneless fish and is not a fatty fish, but this does not mean that it cannot be used to make balyk. There will always be lovers of dietary lean meat, for example, pike or pike perch in the form of balyk.

The asp is at the top of this list not because it makes the most delicious balyk, but because it more often ends up in the hands of the fisherman as a trophy. This is a rather bony fish, and when the question arises of how to cook it, two options come to mind: mince it and fry the cutlets, or make balyk and then deal with the bones - it is much more convenient to do this in dried fish than in cooked in a different way.

The fish from which balyk is prepared can be divided by size into medium, large and very large. Medium-sized fish is used for balyk almost entirely, and large ones undergo preliminary cutting - it is divided into tesha and the balyk itself. Very large fish is cut into pieces.

Calorie content

The calorie content of 100 grams of balyk is 194 kcal. The product contains 20.4 g of protein, 12.5 g of fat and 0 g of carbohydrates. At the same time, the ratio of BJU and calorie content may vary depending on the breed of fish used, as well as on the cooking method.

This ingredient is rich in vitamins and minerals. 100 grams of fish balyk contain a huge amount of nutrients. During heat treatment, vitamins in the product are destroyed, but when salted and dried, they are preserved.

Compound:

vitamins: A, B1, B2, E, PP;
macroelements: sodium, calcium, potassium, selenium, magnesium;
trace elements: iron, zinc, fluorine, molybdenum, nickel;
cholesterol – 92 mg;
water – 57.2 g;
ash – 9.9 g;
fatty acids – 2.8 g.

Balyk is a dietary food product, because it does not contain carbohydrates, but only proteins and fats. Therefore, experts recommend adding it to the menu for those who adhere to diets.