Balyk from a catfish - we prepare the house the present delicacy

Balyk from a catfish - a dish not only tasty, but also quite practical. If properly prepared, such food is well kept for a long time, easy to transport, does not cause trouble when served on the table. The original role of all balyks was precisely this. Once upon a time people invented to smoke and dry the fish fillets, freed from the stones, so that it could be taken to a long journey, and then reinforce themselves, without wasting time and energy to organize the feast. There is a balyk of fish you could, without getting off the saddle. This is the reason for the yoke's original popularity. Times and needs of people changed. And what once was a routine and simple rationalism, today has become a real delicacy. After all, despite all the practical aspects, balyk from a catfish is a real delicacy!

Huge selection

Before we make a balyk from a catfish, we will sort it out in the varieties of this fish. Today there are a huge number of catfish species. The smallest of them, mostly unsuitable for consumption, are aquarium catfishes. However, even among them there are edible and very tasty species. For example, the Angolan catfish is of medium size, suitable for baking, frying, smoking. In our latitudes this is a rather rare and not cheap product. The largest catfish, caught by fishermen, weighed almost 300 kilograms! Not for nothing since ancient times people believed in tales about ogre-cannibals. These giants look so scary that when you look at them it's easy to believe it. However, there is no evidence of the facts of their attack on people. But for the cooks it is the giant catfish that are of greatest interest. But they are an even more expensive rarity. Therefore, today we are talking about medium soms - a weight of 3-5 kilograms, which abound in the fresh rivers and lakes of the entire Eurasian continent.

How to choose a fish?

In order to make a balyk from a catfish it turned out delicious and qualitative, we will pay attention to the choice of raw materials. There are all the rules that we observe when buying fish: clean eyes, no unpleasant odors and unnatural colors. There is one more rule - the bigger the fish, the more delicious the dish will be. It is desirable that the catfish be fresh, not unfrozen. And the best option is to prepare a balyk from a catfish, caught by your own hand!

How to cook a balyk from a catfish yourself: preparation

The process will take a lot of time, will require careful and careful execution of the instruction. But do not be afraid - this is real creativity. And the result is worth it! So, we will spare ourselves with patience and proceed.
We will wash the fish and wipe it with paper towels. To let the catfish salt out, cut its carcass into pieces of 6 cm in width. You can salt it whole, however, except for a minute effect before direct use, this method has no advantages. It requires large dishes, space for drying, and cut into pieces before serving it is extremely inconvenient. Therefore, we will prepare a balyk from a catfish, cut into pieces.

We put the pieces in a saucepan, filling it with no more than two thirds. We proceed to picking. If the house has "Extra" salt - we remove it further away. To fish, it is completely useless. On the contrary, the larger the salt, the better. The ideal option is the sea. Its fraction is large enough, it dissolves slowly, and its taste is much richer and brighter than that of the usual one. You can add a little sugar to the salt, just a little bit. We do not need to prepare the brine - we just rub the pieces of fish with salt.

In the pan with the fish, put the lid of a smaller diameter and put a heavy yoke. What is it for? Heaviness squeezes out air bubbles from the product, not allowing them to accumulate between the layers of fish. If this is not done, microorganisms will start to accumulate in the vials, which can lead to damage to the product. To salt fish it is necessary for day 3. And as a yoke the weights or a bottle with water will approach. Salted pieces of catfish should be washed, put in a container of clean water and left for a couple of hours. This will remove excess salt.

Preparation of balyk

We proceed to the most difficult stage. Dry the pieces of fish, putting them in a draft. Do not overdry fish! Otherwise, it will be an ordinary ram, and not a delicate balyk from a catfish, the recipe of which came to us from the depths of centuries. After letting the pieces dry, we rewind each of them into a clean rag and put it on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. With the temptation to try a delicious balychok we will have to fight days 15, and even better 30. Then the fish will just melt in the mouth!