Pike balyk – kitchen – fishing recipes

You can salt and dry almost any fish, be it sea or river. But in order to prepare high-quality, tasty balyk, you need to be more selective. It is the right choice that determines how tasty the dish will be. Pike balyk is considered a real delicacy.

In general, this dish is prepared exclusively from valuable varieties of fish, which include sturgeon and salmon. But pike also turns out very tasty. Since this fish in any form turns out to be unique. The main thing is to strictly follow the recipe.

Fish balyk

Few people know that it is incorrect to call such a dish made from pork or poultry balyk. It can rather be called salted-dried or dried meat. And only in relation to fish can the word “balyk” be applied. However, not all parts of a fish carcass can be called this, but only the back. Everything below is fun. Completely different dishes are prepared from this abdominal part. We are not talking about them today.

There is another type of balyk - this is a boknik. In order to cook it, the carcass must be divided in half along the ridge.

How to properly salt the “royal” fish

How to pickle pike? Prepare:

fish;
7 tbsp. spoons of salt;
3.5 tablespoons of sugar;
laurel leaf;
ground black pepper;
ground cloves;
rosemary.

It is worth considering that the given amount of salt is recommended to be used for pike weighing no more than 1.5 kilograms.

So, to pickle pike: prepare the fish, and also cut off the fins, head and tail.

These parts, like other pieces of fish meat, will be useful in the future for preparing fish soup.

remove the spine and ribs using a careful dorsal incision;
cut the fish into pieces, this will make it easier to get salted meat;
prepare the pickling mixture by mixing all the ingredients except the bay leaf;
place the fish, well rubbed with the mixture, in a glass jar; you can also use enamel dishes;
close it with a lid, quite tightly;
set the oppression;
leave the pike “alone” for 48 hours (in a cool place).

And before you start indulging in well-salted fish, wash off the mixture in which the pike spent two days.

Why should you choose pike for cooking?

Of all the wealth of choice that our rivers, seas and lakes give us, our ancestors always treated pike with the most respect. It is not for nothing that she was glorified in fairy tales as a sorceress, the queen of the river kingdom. It was this fish that was always the main decoration of even royal feasts. They made fish soup from it, served it stewed in sour cream, stuffed with their own meat, but the most delicious dish was always considered dried fish, that is, pike balyk.

Today this fish also has quite a lot of admirers. The only thing that saddens us in our time is the state of reservoirs, in which, due to the negligence of people, not only pike, but also all other fish die.

Pike is also worth cooking because it has a lot of useful qualities:

Those microelements that are collected in the carcass of this fish help the proper functioning of the heart.
Pike is full of antiseptics, and they help the human body fight infections. That is, thanks to the consumption of this fish, immunity improves.
Pike is a godsend for those who suffer from diseases of the pancreas or liver. It is digested very quickly.
If you include fish in your diet on a regular basis, your nervous system will always be in good shape.
Fish is useful in preventing diabetes.
With the help of pike fat you can regulate the level of cholesterol in the blood. It is used in the prevention of diseases of the cardiovascular system.

That is why when preparing not only balyk, but also any other fish dish, you should choose pike. It is, in fact, a real treasure trove of useful elements for the human body.

Before preparing balyk from pike, you need to think carefully about whether it is worth giving it this particular treatment.

Quick pork balyk at home with cognac

There are two types of fish balyks: hung (without heat treatment) and cold smoked, which are produced within 3-4 days. To prepare a delicacy, you first need to choose the right fish.

It should be fresh, not frozen, and caught from a clean reservoir, preferably in the autumn. If these conditions are met, the dish will turn out tasty and healthy.

Everyone's favorite delicacy is usually prepared from large fish, with a fat content of 5 to 30%. Suitable varieties include:

sturgeon, weighing from 2 to 5 kg;
salmon - from 3 to 5 kg;
carp - from 6 kg;
asp - 2−3 kg;
silver carp - 8 kg;
som - from 4 kg;
trout - 4−5 kg;
nelma - 3 kg;
pike perch - from 2.5 kg;
pike - 6 kg.

The quality of the dish will depend on what percentage of fat the fish contains. Balyk will turn out to be especially aromatic and juicy from silver carp, sturgeon, salmon, asp, carp, halibut, and catfish. These breeds have a lot of fatty layers in their meat, which makes the taste of the delicacy simply wonderful. Pike perch, perch, and pike are low-fat varieties, so it is best to cook them in a dried way.

Balyk from fish at home is not difficult to make, you just need to follow a certain technology, which includes: cutting the carcass, salting, cold smoking or drying and proper storage.

Ingredients used: fish, weighing from 3 kg, with a high percentage of fat content; sugar (per 1 kilogram of meat - 30 grams); salt (per 1 kilogram - 150 grams); spices, seasonings - to your taste.

Cooking:

Before making balyk, you need to thoroughly clean the fish from scales. Then it must be gutted and washed well. After this, make an incision along the spine, completely separate the loin from the bones and divide the carcass so that you get 2 pieces of meat.
Now you need to cut the fish into portions. To do this, take 1 piece of fillet and cut it lengthwise into several pieces. Then take one of the meat strips and, with a sharpened knife, cut off small pieces of fish, about 2 cm thick. Thus, cut all the meat. Keep in mind that the cut pieces must be without skin.
Start salting the fish fillets. Place the chopped meat in a saucepan, add salt, sugar and stir. Then take the appropriate seasonings, treat the pieces of food with them, then roll them into rolls and place them in the same container. The best combinations with fish are the spices intended for it, as well as ground black pepper and suneli hops, which will give the future balyk a pleasant taste and appetizing aroma.
Place the pan with semi-finished products in the refrigerator for 3-4 days so that the meat is well saturated with salt and spices. During this time, you can stir the fish pieces once a day. If the carcass is large and there is a lot of meat, then salting will last longer, for example, about 1 week.
After this time, the container with meat must be placed in the freezer for 2 days so that possible microbes and parasites are killed by the cold. If you want, you can first freeze the fish fillets for a few days, and then start salting.
The last step in preparing balyk is drying (drying) the fish. To do this, remove the pan from the freezer and string the pieces onto a strong thread, leaving small spaces between them. First, it is better to hang the meat for 3-4 hours in the bright sun so that each part of it is covered with a light crust. Then it should be dried in a warm and dry room, without the presence of insects. The drying process usually lasts from 3 to 7 days.

The finished balyk has a pink-yellow color and an appetizing smell of a fish delicacy. It can be used to make sandwiches, added to salads and consumed as a snack with alcoholic drinks. The treat should be stored in the refrigerator, wrapped in cling paper, for no longer than one week.

Since culinary processing does not involve boiling or frying the fish, it retains many useful substances, so this delicacy is very healthy.

100 grams of homemade balyk contains the following vitamins: A - 0.057 mg; E - 2.5 mg; B 2—0.2 mg; PP - 1.8 mg; B 1—0.05 mg.

The product also contains minerals necessary for human health:

magnesium - 23 mg;
calcium - 40 mg;
sodium - 3475 mg;
phosphorus - 180 mg;
sulfur - 205 mg;
chlorine - 164 mg;
iron - 0.8 mg;
zinc - 0.6 mg;
fluorine - 432 mg;
chromium - 56 mg;
nickel - 7 mg.

Fish meat also contains saturated fatty acids, which have a beneficial effect on the appearance of skin and hair, a small amount of cholesterol, water and ash. Therefore, by consuming a homemade delicacy, you can not only enjoy its rich taste, but also provide your body with vitamins and minerals.

People who prefer fish dishes definitely need to master simple recipes for preparing a homemade delicacy. Excellent self-produced balyk can be obtained from carp, silver carp, asp, pike, and pike perch. Just do not forget that the starting product must be fresh and quite fatty, since the quality of the finished treat will depend on this.

A delicious delicacy made from asp. This fish is ideal for making balyk. To make the dish truly tasty, you need to use Asp weighing from 3 to 5 kilograms, caught after the onset of autumn. Small specimens are not suitable for cooking.

Fresh fish must first be cut. To do this, make a longitudinal cut in its lower part and carefully unfold the carcass. Then remove all the entrails and the head. You can leave the ridge or cut it out. Then wash the meat well with running water, place it in a saucepan, add coarse salt and add the desired seasonings. Leave the fish to salt for 10-14 hours in a cold place.

After this time, the Asp must be washed to remove excess salt and then soaked. The soaking process should last from one to two hours, depending on the weight of the fish, and the product with a lower weight should be kept in the water a little longer. After this, hang the meat pieces so that all the water drains from them. Then wrap the Asp in gauze and leave until completely dry.

While drying the fish, you can cover each piece with sprigs of dill and add cut cloves of garlic - this will add additional flavor to the balyk. It is advisable to dry the fish in the evening and at night in the open air, and during the day put it in the refrigerator, after wrapping it in a clean cloth. When the balyk is ready, place it under the sun for 1-2 hours so that it becomes covered with an appetizing crust. After this, the delicacy can be eaten.

To prepare this balyk you will need recently caught Carp, weighing 7-9 kg. Fresh fish must be cleaned of scales, then cut and carefully remove all the insides. Also cut off the head and tail and remove large bones and backbone from the carcass.

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Now cut the Carp into portioned pieces, 5-7 cm thick, wash them thoroughly with water, rub with salt, sugar and place in a pan so that the skin is at the bottom. After this, add spices, cover the meat with a lid and place oppression on top. Then put the pan in the refrigerator for 6-7 days.

When the salting time comes to an end, remove the Carp and soak it in water for 2-3 hours. After it gets wet, let the water drain and hang the fish to dry in a cool room. In order for the pieces of meat to acquire a beautiful and appetizing appearance, they need to be pressed. To do this, 4 days after the start of drying, the Carp must be placed under pressure for 8-10 hours, and then hung again indoors.

After about 2 weeks, you can try the balyk. The finished product should be stored in the refrigerator, wrapped in cloth or paper.

To make your own delicacy from Pike, use only a fresh carcass, otherwise it may not be salted. Before cooking, gut the fish and cut off the head. There is no need to clean the scales or wash the Pike. Then cut it along the spine into two parts and make small cuts along the entire surface of the body so that pickling is most effective.

After this, rub the fish well with salt and place it in an enamel pan, skin side down. After 30-50 minutes, hang the Pike to dry outside or in a well-ventilated area protected from insects.

After a few hours, when the meat is dry and slightly chapped, it should be placed in the oven and dried well. To do this, place the fish carcasses on the grill so that the scales are at the bottom. Then turn on the oven at approximately 100-130 degrees and leave for final processing for 4-5 hours. When the Pike acquires a yellow-orange color and begins to exude a rich aroma, the balyk can be considered ready. Bon appetit!

If you are an avid fisherman and have the conditions to prepare your favorite delicacy, try cooking your caught trophy using one of the suggested methods. Considering the simple cooking recipe, you are sure to get a gorgeous balyk that will please all the family and guests who come to the festive dinner.

The fish is cleaned of scales and washed. Using culinary scissors or a sharp knife, an incision is made along the back, after which the head is carefully cut off, the ridge, bones and entrails are removed (the abdomen is not cut). The resulting fillet is washed, dried with a paper towel, where the parts are especially fleshy, cuts are made.
The carcass is unfolded like a book, rubbed with salt on the inside and outside, placed in a container and placed in the refrigerator for 12–24 hours.
After the specified time has passed, the fillets are immersed in cold water for 30 minutes, then dried and hung in a well-ventilated place. To prevent the belly from sticking together, you can thread it with a skewer or toothpick. And to prevent insects from spoiling the fish during drying, it is necessary to keep the asp balyk in a rag or gauze.
After 4–7 days, the suspended fillet is removed and placed in a warm place (possibly in the sun). When the first drop of fat appears, the fish is placed in a plastic bag and refrigerated for about a day. This is necessary to ensure that the moisture is evenly distributed.

It’s very easy to please your household with such a homemade delicacy. Especially if there is a fisherman in the family who regularly brings fresh catch. Bon appetit!

pike - a larger carcass, weighing from 2 kilograms,
salt - 5-6 tablespoons,
bay leaf - 2 pieces,
black peppercorns - 4 pieces.

Number of servings: 6-8;
Preparation time: 4 days.

Is there any benefit from pike balyk?

The big disadvantage of pike balyk is that this dish has a high salt content.

Before drying fish, you need to thoroughly study the entire technology of the process, since there should be no mistakes here.

If the technology is violated at least at one stage, there is a high risk of helminth infection, which in itself is unpleasant. One type of these parasites is the broad tapeworm. It can be caught from fish in which its larvae live. The trouble is that it can live unnoticed in the human intestines for several years and grow up to twenty meters.

Pike balyk recipe

This fish can not only be served at the holiday table, but also taken with you on the road, since after this method of preparation it can be stored for quite a long time.

In order to prepare pike balyk at home, the carcass does not need to be scaled. The only thing that really needs to be done is to cut off its head and remove the offal.

Then do the following:

An incision is made along the spine. It stretches across the entire carcass.
Now the fish needs to be turned belly up and “opened”. In the middle, cuts are made across. They are needed in order to achieve maximum salting. This way the salt will penetrate even the thickest places.
Next comes the salting process itself. The fish is lightly evenly sprinkled with coarse salt. If the carcass itself is large enough, then it is better to sprinkle additional salt in the places of the cuts. The culinary sense should come into play here, since it is impossible to say how much salt is needed. It all depends on the size of the fish. But there is a nuance: if there is not enough salt, the dish may spoil, and if there is too much, the meat will lose its tenderness in taste.
Now the carcass is sent to an enamel container and marinated for about half an hour.
The fish must be hung in a dry, ventilated place inaccessible to flies. She should stay there for about two days.
At the last stage, the pike is sent to the oven on a wire rack, where it must be kept at a minimum temperature for five to nine hours.

Calorie content of the product

Despite the fact that pike is a fairly fatty freshwater fish, it is low in calories. 100 gr. dried balyk contain from 140 to 190 kcal, depending on the selected carcass. At the same time, the product is very nutritious, containing a large amount of protein, vitamins and minerals. Pike is considered a dietary and healthy product, but only if it is fresh and caught from clean waters.

Pike balyk, prepared at home, is distinguished by its tenderness and exquisite aroma. This dish will be an ideal appetizer and complement any menu.

It can be consumed frequently and will not cause harm to the body. A simple recipe will allow you to create a unique dish with a unique taste and aroma.