Tench fish. How to cook deliciously, photos and descriptions, recipes

Features of cooking

According to experienced chefs, this type of fish can be used instead of carp in many recipes. Tench meat is tasty and very soft, and has much fewer small bones compared to other freshwater fish. The back color of the tench varies from pale olive to brownish-green, the sides are usually bright green-golden, the underbelly is cream or pale orange and almost flat (like most bottom-dwelling species).

The fins of this fish have distinctly rounded edges, with the exception of the square tail. Tench have very small scales that cut deeply into the skin and are covered with thick mucus. Therefore, this fish is quite soft and slippery, and has a sharp, specific odor. When cooking tench, this problem is usually solved by adding a small amount of vinegar.

Many people believe that tench need to be cleaned of scales, which adhere very tightly to the skin, and it is almost impossible to completely remove them. However, this is completely optional. During heat treatment, the scales practically dissolve, turning into a very tasty crust, and do not spoil the dish in any way, and even, on the contrary, make it tastier.

When cutting tench, you need to lightly scrape it from head to tail with the blunt side of a knife blade under running water, but only to carefully remove all dirt and mucus from the carcass. Next, use a sharp knife to cut off the head of the fish and carefully open the belly. After this, you need to gut it, remove the gills and thoroughly wash the carcass inside and out.

After this, large fish need to be cut into portions 5-7 centimeters wide and begin cooking. Small specimens can be cooked whole without cutting. This fish can be fried, baked or stewed, and also added to various stews, soups, and fish salads. Smoked and pickled tench is also popular.

When preparing tench, it is recommended to supplement it with olive oil, lemon, paprika and black pepper, marjoram, tarragon, oregano, dill and parsley. This fish goes well with carrots, peppers, tomatoes, olives, onions and garlic.

How to select and prepare tench for smoking

Tench, like carp or crucian carp, can be bred artificially, and it is the products of farmed fisheries that are most fully represented in stores. This is mainly fresh fish, sometimes chilled, but it is better to avoid frozen fish if you have the opportunity to purchase fresh fish.

Rules for choosing a line:

pay attention to the gills, they should be pink, clean, without spots or mucus;
When pressed, the pulp should quickly recover, that is, be elastic;
if you purchased frozen fish and after defrosting the carcass becomes amorphous, friable, and emits an unpleasant odor, it can be argued that the tench is stale or has been subjected to the defrosting/freezing procedure several times;
A common sign of stale fish is cloudy eyes;
choose specimens without damage to the skin - stains, cuts, bruises.

Before smoking fish, it must be cut. Tench has very small scales, and the skin is covered with a rather thick layer of mucus, so many people cook it without cleaning it - after smoking, the skin can be removed without problems.

Those who are not satisfied with this treatment can be advised to place the tench in hot water (90°C) for a few seconds, then the scales will come off easily. But if you keep the fish in boiling water, the skin will come off along with the scales when cleaning.

How to cut tench:

cut the belly, carefully remove the air bubble, intestines, and other internal organs, get rid of the dark film;
wash the fish in running water inside and out, dry with paper towels;
if the fish is small, it can be smoked whole carcasses, otherwise it can be cut into steaks or cut in half along the ridge;
Although tench has small scales, it perfectly prevents smoke and its carcinogen derivatives from penetrating into the meat.

There are several ways to marinate tench for smoking: you can get by by rubbing the carcasses with a mixture of salt and pepper, you can soak them in salt brine with the addition of spices, and some prefer rather complex marinades, and there really is room for culinary creativity.

Useful and dangerous properties

Tench meat is tasty and very healthy. It is easily absorbed by the human body and contains many useful substances. Due to this property, tench is especially recommended for children and adults following special types of diets. Tench is an excellent source of potassium, iron, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese and other minerals. Fish also contains vitamins A and B.

Fish aspic

You can prepare many dishes from tench fish, including aspic. The addition of carrots and leeks makes it look bright and festive.

What ingredients will you need?

120 g tench fillet;
3 tbsp. vegetable broth or 3 vegetable-flavored cubes dissolved in water;
0.5 tbsp. carrots, cut into slices (about 1 large carrot);
0.5 tbsp. chopped mushrooms;
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce;
0.25 tsp coarsely ground black pepper;
0.25 tsp garlic powder;
2 tsp. Sahara;
8 g unflavored gelatin (2 sachets);
3 slices of lemon;
1 leek, chopped.

Step-by-step cooking process

It is necessary to bake the tench fillet in the microwave until cooked (however, do not cook it for too long, otherwise it will fall apart).
Then you need to heat 3 tbsp to a boil. water, add bouillon cubes and stir until dissolved (or pour in broth), add Worcestershire sauce, coarsely ground pepper, garlic powder and sugar.
You should also put carrots and mushrooms there, cook until tender, then remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon and set aside.
The broth must be strained using gauze or a thin towel.
Gelatin needs to be dissolved in the broth, pour 1 tbsp. mixture into a rectangular bowl and refrigerate until thickened (but not completely set).
The tench fillet should be cut into pieces and placed on top of the gelatin, place pieces of mushrooms and carrots around the fish, pour in the remaining broth and garnish with lemon slices and chopped leeks.
Then you need to put the container in the refrigerator for several hours until it hardens, serve with horseradish.

In a frying pan

Tench (fish), which is easiest to cook in a frying pan, can be fried in pieces with a golden brown crust of flour.

What ingredients will you need?

tench (fresh or defrosted), about 500 g.
1 tbsp. wheat flour (or corn starch, or semolina);
table salt;
coarsely ground pepper;
1 tsp. Sahara;
half a lemon;
0.5 tbsp. vegetable oil.

Step-by-step cooking process

The fish must be washed, cleaned and cut into pieces.
In a deep plate, mix well coarse salt, coarsely ground pepper and 1 tsp. Sahara.
Then put pieces of tench into the same container and evenly cover them with a mixture of flour and spices, mix thoroughly so that the flavors are better absorbed, leave for 5-7 minutes.
Sift the flour into a separate small plate.
Pour vegetable oil into a dry frying pan so as to cover the entire work surface and heat over low heat.
Pieces of fish must be well coated on all sides in flour and transferred to a hot frying pan, fry on all 4 sides until golden brown.

The finished tench should be sprinkled well with lemon juice, then served warm or cold with any side dish.

How to fry tench in a frying pan

Pan-frying is the easiest way to cook. If you don’t have much time, but you want something special, fry the tench. There are many interesting recipes, no matter what you use, it will be very tasty. I'll tell you about the fastest and most delicious