Recipe for fish cutlets

The history of the appearance of this dish in Russia is covered with a veil of mystery, the original recipe for fish cutlets has not been preserved. One can only assume that they came up with the idea of how to cook fish cutlets from the inhabitants of the seaside latitudes, rich in fishing. Interestingly, from the very beginning to this day, a chop in European cuisine was called a fried piece of meat on bone, for example, a rib. In the Russian cuisine in the nineteenth century, the substitution of concepts was imperceptible. And under this name meant dishes from chopped meat or fish with the addition of vegetables. Most accurately, this dish in the western kitchen is characterized by the word croquet.

The recipe for fish cutlets has a lot of interpretations in different parts of our country, depending on the available natural resources. In the main, the differences are related to the taste qualities of fish produced in the area. The main recipe for fish cutlets is heat treatment, boneless in breadcrumbs, cutlet mass. To obtain it, combine the minced fish, the stale bread, eggs, onions and spices soaked in milk.

Fish mince is obtained in two ways. A higher grade of minced meat - passing through a meat grinder fish fillet. Second-grade minced meat is made from small fish along with bones and skin, cutting only the heads and fins. For example, on the coast of the Sea of Azov, chicken cutlets became widespread. This fish is distinguished by its small size and rather thin bones, which makes it possible to achieve a soft, homogeneous mass with a three-pass through a meat grinder. Minced meat can consist of one type of fish or several, different in fat. Fish cakes from hake are very common throughout the former Soviet Union, but they have a dryish taste. When you combine hake with some fat fish, you get a more delicate taste. To obtain high quality cutlets, airy, tender, minced before use, it is necessary to discourage.

Bread is added not so much to increase the mass of minced meat, as to ensure the stickiness of the formed mass. Although many cooks believe that this function is carried by eggs, this opinion is erroneous. To make whole, not fallen apart cutlets, you need to take only stale bread, at least yesterday, in proportion of at least a third of the fish minced meat. Onion carries the function of marinade, so it is cut as small as possible. Prepared cutlet mass should stand out in the cold for at least 30 minutes, which will form the necessary consistency. Then it is given to the forming and heat treatment: roasting, quenching, steam. Cutlets made from fish with bones are subjected to additional quenching for half an hour, using tomato gravy, to finally soften the ingredients.

The recipe for chopped fish cutlets is different in the way of grinding fish and replacing bread with semolina or grits. To prepare this dish, finely cut a half kilo of one or more fish species. For example, well-balanced bearing with Pangasius (fish-tongue). Add 3 tablespoons of cereals, 2 eggs, 1 finely chopped medium sized bulb. Salt, pepper, mix and put in the refrigerator for half an hour. After this time, from the cooled mass form small cakes, roll them in breadcrumbs and fry in a heated frying pan until a brown crust appears. After frying all the cutlets, they are recommended to extinguish a few minutes on low heat.

Roll the cutlets to make them crisp, also this method helps to prevent sticking to the frying pan. There are several options for caving in. In addition to breadcrumbs, flour, mashed potatoes or claret are also used.