Muksun: what kind of fish, photo, description, where it is found, how to cook, benefits

1. Sea or river fish
2. Description What it looks like

The handsome creature of northern rivers and lakes, muksun, represents the noble salmon family. Inhabiting large rivers of the North and Siberia, it is a subject of industrial fishing and a desirable prey for amateur fishermen. In the cooking of local residents, northern whitefish, as muksuna is also called, has occupied a place of honor for many centuries for its unique delicious taste. On some river tributaries, residents of coastal villages were called “muksunyatniks” for their frequent consumption of this fish. Wild muksun is considered a commercial fish, but its numbers are regulated by strict conservation measures, especially during the spawning period.

Sea or river fish?

A lover of cold water, the muksun chose the Yenisei, Ob, Tom, Lena rivers and their tributaries, lakes in the tundra of Yamal, Yakutia and the slightly saline coastal waters of the northern seas as their habitat. Being an inhabitant of fresh waters, muksun is a purely river fish. Rare individuals found in the seas of the Arctic Ocean enter its waters with tidal and flood runoff. Fishing is carried out only in river and lake creeks.

Muksun is successfully bred in artificial conditions, from where it is supplied to the shelves of various stores.

Distribution and habitats

The northern muksun fish lives over a vast territory from the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (Kara River) to Yakutia and the Magadan Region (Kolyma River). The species is most widespread in the basins of the Yenisei, Lena, Ob, Indigirka, Anabar, Irtysh, Pyasina rivers, in lakes Taimyr, Lama, Glubokoe, on the coast of the Laptev Sea, East Siberian and Kara Seas. More recently, fish massively populated the right tributary of the Ob, the river. Tom, but due to increased poaching, it has significantly reduced its population and has become quite rare, giving way to smaller representatives of the carp family - minnow, chebak and crucian carp.

To learn more:

Taimen: a valuable fish of the salmon family

Outside of Russia, northern whitefish live in cold lake-river systems of the USA and Canada. The local name for the species is whitefish, which is defined by its light coloration.

Description

The weight of the fish depends on the food supply and habitat. Fishing nets catch fish with an average weight of 1 to 2 kg. Sometimes specimens up to 4-5 and very rarely 10-12 kg are caught. The average length of the fish is 45-50 cm. The lifespan of the northern whitefish is 20-25 years, sexual maturity occurs at 10-13 years. Spawning occurs in late autumn and early winter before freeze-up.

What does muksun look like?

What does it look like

The muksun has an elongated, spindle-shaped, flat body characteristic of all whitefish. The back is dark, the sides are silver, the ventral part is light. Mature fish have a small hump on the back - a distinctive feature of the salmon breed. The scales are small and dense. Skeletal bones are represented by the spine and ribs.

Main characteristics of the northern whitefish:

Nutritional properties and benefits of muksun

The nutritional value of muksun is largely explained by its high fat content, but it contains healthy fat in the form of PUFAs - polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are always rich in cold-water fish species. After all, muksun lives near the Arctic Ocean and accumulates large reserves of fat; This fat, like muksun proteins, is absorbed by the human body very easily, so this fish is a valuable component of baby and dietary nutrition.

The calorie content of muksun, despite its fat content, is low - about 88 kcal

; The vitamin composition is represented only by vitamin PP, or B3, but it is found in fish in large quantities - this vitamin is necessary for the functioning of the nervous system and has many other healing effects. Minerals in muksun include sulfur, chlorine, zinc, chromium, fluorine, bromine, molybdenum and nickel.

People who can afford to eat muksun regularly are very lucky because they can remain healthy and productive for a long time. High-quality muksun fat, rich in PUFAs, prolongs the life of almost all cells of the body, protecting their membranes from destructive external influences. Thanks to this, the heart works normally, the blood vessels remain clean for a long time, the cerebral cortex remains active, vision remains sharp, and the skin remains youthful and fresh. By using muksun for years, you don’t have to worry about gastrointestinal and kidney diseases, anemia and gout; prevent the development of inflammation and tumors, including malignant ones.

Muksun meat can be eaten by people with metabolic disorders and kidney diseases; it is useful in old age, and helps children and adolescents grow faster by supplying muscle tissue with healthy, easily digestible protein. Muksun is included in therapeutic and fasting diets, and at the same time it is an excellent food for athletes and people whose work involves physical activity.

Muksun meat does not lose its taste and aroma even after deep freezing - it remains a real delicacy.

Can it be eaten raw?

To the question of whether it is possible to eat muksun raw, the answer should be sought in the culinary recipes of the cuisine of the indigenous peoples of the North. Sagudai, stroganina, raskolka are traditional dishes of reindeer herders, fishermen and hunters of Khanty, Yakutia, Chukotka. To prepare Siberian delicacies, fish must be frozen at a temperature of 35°C - 50°C. This regime kills pathogenic microflora and possible parasites that occasionally infect muksun. Raw meat that has passed veterinary control is completely safe for raw consumption.

Is muksun bony or not?

The muksun's skeleton consists of spinal and rib bones. Small bones in the back meat are completely absent. This makes cutting fish and cooking convenient. The meat separates easily from the bones. It is easy to fillet the carcass before cooking. Rich broths are prepared from bones, fins and heads.

Muksun recipes

Muksun with spicy bread crumbs

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Home-salted muksun caviar

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+ Other recipes from muksun

What color is the meat

Muksun is a white fish and the color of the meat is also white, sometimes with red threads of blood vessels. When salting, the color of the meat becomes slightly darker due to oxidative processes. Smoking gives the fish a yellow-golden color. Hot cooking does not change the color of meat. In addition to meat, fish roe is considered a culinary delicacy. Its color is light brown. When salted it acquires a dark, reddish hue.

Muksun in section

Fishing for muksun

Spinning or fly fishing tackle is used. All whitefish have a small mouth, so small spoons (spinning spoons, spinners) and ultra-light silicone baits that imitate crustaceans, beetles, worms and fish are optimal. When choosing a color, it is better to give preference to bright or mixed tones.

The line should be as invisible as possible. As a standard, thin braid is used, which creates less windage in the current, together with a fast spinning reel and a microjigging rod with 2-3 grams of dough. Fly fishing for muksun requires colorful flies with hooks No. 2-4. Slow-step retrieves directed along or diagonally to the shore line work best.

To learn more:

Salmon is a red fish from the salmon family.

In winter, a float tackle with a jig “devil”, “drop”, “ant” or a special “whitefish” with two hooks on the edges is used. The bait is a large bloodworm. To attach the fish, a feeding post is used - every few minutes a pinch of chopped bloodworms, worms or maggots is thrown into the hole.

Taste of fish

Muksun differs from other whitefish relatives in the delicious taste of tender, juicy meat. The spawning regime of this whitefish has a positive effect on the taste of the fish. It does not spawn annually, but once every 4-5 years. Between spawning years it feeds intensively and accumulates fat, which gives the meat a unique taste.

Lightly salted muksun fillet

Another distinctive feature of northern whitefish is the smell of the meat. Like Onega smelt, muksun exudes the aroma of fresh cucumber.

Reproduction

Spawning occurs from September to October. In November, when the temperature of the surrounding water surface drops to +4°C, the breeding season ends. However, the fish go to the spawning grounds earlier, immediately after the end of the ice drift. Like other salmon, muksun rises against the current to the upper reaches of rivers. They can swim long distances, often rising more than 1000 km. Areas with shallow depths are selected for spawning. The bottom should be clean, sandy or pebbly. Preference is given to areas with fast currents.

Fecundity depends on the size of the individual. Most often, the female lays from 40,000 to 60,000 eggs per spawning. Muksun eggs mature in about six months. Young animals appear only in April. The fry quickly slide downstream into the lower reaches of rivers and estuaries.

Unlike most salmon, muksuns do not die after spawning. The fish slide down the current back into the sea, where they fatten up again. They spawn 3-4 times during their life.

Males reach sexual maturity at 10 years. Females become capable of reproduction later. The first spawning most often occurs when body weight increases to 800 g.

Since due to excessive fishing and the activities of poachers, the population numbers have greatly decreased, the fish are escorted to the spawning grounds by fish inspectors.

Is it possible for children

A fish diet is very beneficial for a child’s body. Especially if it is a fish - muksun. But you should feed your baby with caution. Fish in the form of puree should be introduced into the diet no earlier than the baby is 12-16 months old. At an older age, children can be given fish broth and boiled pieces. Up to 3 years of age, it is recommended to prepare fish dishes for children without salt.

Something to remember! Fish is one of the foods that can cause an allergic reaction. If this happens to a child, it is necessary to stop introducing muksun meat into the children's menu.

Calorie content and BZHU

The nutritional value of muksun meat may differ among fish living in different natural conditions, in the wild and bred in cultural farms. There will be some differences in the content of BZHU after different methods of culinary processing. The table shows the composition of BJU and calorie content of muksun meat per 100 g of product:

How to choose fish

To avoid possible consequences from eating stale, diseased or helminth-infected fish, you should not purchase muksun from unverified sellers. They buy northern whitefish in specialized stores that have equipped rooms for cutting and packaging. All products in these stores undergo sanitary and veterinary control. Delivery is made by special transport in compliance with temperature conditions.

Cold smoked muksun fish

When buying chilled or fresh-frozen muksun, you should carefully inspect the fish. A fresh, high-quality carcass should not be damaged. The gills are red-pink in color. The eyes are transparent without the presence of cloudy areas. The fish has no foreign odors.

What does muksun fish look like?

The northern whitefish has an elongated, slightly laterally compressed body with a raised caudal peduncle. Other exterior features of the species include:

• presence of an adipose fin;
• head extended forward;
• silver-gray body color and dark blue or ash back with an expressive hump in adults;
• pointed snout with a lower position of the mouth;
• weak scales of medium size (87-107 pieces in the lateral line);
• enlarged upper jaw (2-3 times the width);
• light pressed abdomen;
• increased number of gill rakers (up to 60-65).

To learn more:

Smelt: description of a fish from the smelt family

Muksun has no biological subspecies. There are numerous anadromous forms and several local populations, differing in nuances of color, average size, and timing of puberty (Kolyma, Lensk, Indigirsk). The lake-river salmon hybrid, the whitefish, which has common exterior features and identical habits, is often mistakenly classified as a taxon.

Invariable difficulties for inexperienced fishermen and buyers are the search for differences between muksun and shekur (chir) due to their amazing external similarity, especially when there is no possibility of simultaneous comparison of representatives of different species. For identification, it is necessary to use unique biological characteristics, excluding the color of the body and back, which can vary depending on the specific feeding and habitat (see table).

The most correct way to distinguish between whitefish “twins” is to compare the width and length of the body, visually assess the number of scales in the lateral line and the ease of scraping them off with a fingernail. The last condition is almost impossible to fulfill if you have Cheer in your hands.

How and how long to store muksun

Before buying fish, you should know how to store muksun. Fresh or frozen can be stored in the freezer for several months. Chilled - in the refrigerator at a temperature from 0°C to -2°C for no more than 3 days.

Hot smoked muksun is stored in the refrigerator for three days at a temperature from -2°C to +2°C. For long-term storage, it is frozen and stored in the freezer in tight, odor-proof packaging.

Muksun frozen

Cold smoked fish is stored at the same characteristics for a longer time, thanks to the treatment with smoke, which has a bactericidal effect.

How to cook muksun: recipes

Many wonderful dishes can be prepared from muksun: surprisingly, there are fewer recipes with other types of salmon. Let's talk about simple, but very “tasty” methods.

Lightly salted muksun is considered a real delicacy.

. A fish carcass weighing about 1.5 kg is gutted, washed - you don’t have to remove the scales, but you need to blot it everywhere with a soft napkin. Then they cut lengthwise - the halves of the carcass should not separate completely - carefully pull out the backbone and large bones.

Photo: muksun fish

The marinade is prepared from onions (1 pc.), garlic (2-3 cloves), parsley and lime (1 pc.), salt (2 tbsp.), sugar (1 tbsp.) and ground pepper (1 tsp. .l.), black or white. Vegetables and lime (you can use lemon) are peeled, a bunch of parsley is washed, and together with the rest of the ingredients, they are crushed in a blender (meat grinder). The resulting mixture is poured over a fish carcass unwrapped on cling film, folded the halves together, and the remaining mixture is applied to the skin on both sides; Wrap the fish in film and put it in the refrigerator. Muksun is salted for three days. It must be turned over every day so that the marinade is distributed evenly. Before eating, wash the fish thoroughly, remove the scales, cut into pieces and sprinkle with fresh dill.

Muksun can be prepared in the oven in different ways. A recipe with apple is often used. The fish (1.5 kg) is cleaned, washed thoroughly, cut into identical steaks, sprinkled with your favorite spices (ground pepper is enough for many) and salt to taste, placed on foil, and a mixture of apple and onion placed on top: sour apples (2 pcs.) Peel and grate, the onion is finely chopped. Everything is carefully wrapped in foil and baked in the oven at 200°C for 25 minutes. Muksun baked in foil can be eaten hot or cooled.

Or you can bake muksun with mushrooms and vegetables: it’s not difficult - no exotic products are required. Peel the onion and a couple of cloves of garlic, chop finely, fry in oil until translucent, add chopped champignons (200 g) and fry, stirring, for about 10 minutes, salt and pepper to taste. Chopped peanuts (30-40 g) are added to the fried mushrooms - this is the filling for muksun. Now prepare the fish as in the previous recipe, lightly rub it with salt and pepper, make shallow transverse cuts on the carcass, stuff it with the prepared mixture and fasten the belly with wooden toothpicks or skewers. The stuffed fish is placed in a greased form and baked in the oven at 180°C for 25-30 minutes. Many recipes suggest adding potatoes to the pan - this can be done, but it is better to choose non-starchy vegetables - for example, sweet bell peppers. Serve muksun baked with mushrooms, green salad and cherry tomatoes.

An excellent recipe is muksun baked with zucchini: even non-strict vegetarians will like the dish - there is twice as much zucchini as fish.

Photo: muksun fish

Prepared muksun (0.5 kg) is cut into portions, salted, peppered and lightly fried in oil. Zucchini (1 kg) is also fried in advance, cut into slices. The fish is laid out in a mold, covered with zucchini on top, poured with sour cream (500 g) mixed with pepper and chopped herbs, sprinkled with grated cheese (30 g), sprinkled with melted butter and baked at 180°C for 25 minutes.

Cooking tips

Muksun is rightfully considered a royal fish and is good cooked in any way. The taste of northern whitefish is especially pronounced when lightly salted. Sagudai from muksun is the hallmark of many peoples of the north.

Lightly salted muksun in 20 minutes

Smoked muksun balyk will be the decoration and pride of the hostess of any holiday table. A good and rich soup from a northern beauty. It resembles the taste and richness of sterlet. The fish is baked, stewed with vegetables, stuffed. Serve with fried potatoes and zucchini. It goes well with herbs: onions, dill, cilantro, parsley. In any form, muksun will leave an indelible culinary impression on the most sophisticated gourmets.