- We will need:
- salmon head
- fins, tails, skin
- 7-8 potatoes
- 200g butter
- dry basil
- salt
- ground red pepper
This dish is suitable for almost any salmon fish - salmon, trout, whitefish, pink salmon. Experiment with other types to suit your taste. I don’t recommend betting on crucian carp, ruffe and pike - it will be a bummer. I know what I'm saying!
Here I will operate on salmon. So:
— Salmon head (it’s great!)
- Salmon waste - fins, tails, skin, hooves.
— Butter, 200 grams.
— Dried basil (regan), salt, ground red pepper.
Basil is a key, flavor-forming component! You can skip the red pepper, but not the basil.
The beginning is very simple, almost insignificant - we take the fish and scrape off the scales wherever we see them! This will be the most difficult step in the entire cooking procedure. Next, line the bottom of the pan with salmon fragments, place peeled but whole potatoes around and top with a piece of butter, salt, pepper, sprinkle with basil:
Place the head in the center, having previously removed the gills and also seasoned with salt, pepper and sprinkled with basil:
We lift the gill cover and implant a piece of oil there:
Next, cover the potatoes with the remaining fish waste (salt, pepper, sprinkle with basil), close the capsule and put on low heat:
In general, you need to do without adding water. This is done deliberately in the hope of obtaining its own juice. I dare to assure you that we will receive it in about ten minutes of languor. But you should add 50 grams of water so that the bottom layer does not burn - the fact is that it takes some time before the juices are released. So this same 50g of water will be the “starter” and will cover the “dry” period. And in another 30 minutes, we will get the most tender pieces of fish with an incomparable head:
Separately, we will serve something that is tastier than anything in the world - priceless broth, that same mind-blowing juice in which everything was cooked! They eat it hot and without a spoon, dipping bread into it:
You probably didn’t know that fish heads can also be fried?! Many people are surprised by this dish, but once they taste it, they look for these particular pieces of fried fish in the plate. Help yourself.
- Fish (carp head, total weight 750 g) - 4 pcs.
- Wheat flour / Flour - 2 tbsp. l.
- Vegetable oil - to taste
- Salt - to taste
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Number of servings: 2
Clean and salt
In the store, fish is sold with the head or already prepared in the form of fillets. I like to buy with my head. This way there is a better chance of determining what freshness it is. Let's start with the fact that the product must be thoroughly washed and cleaned.
- If the fish is whole, then cut off the head, cut along the belly, and gut it. For convenience, you can help yourself with a tablespoon. How to scrape out the guts, especially the dark film. Remove the gallbladder especially carefully. Do not damage it, otherwise the fish will taste bitter.
- Cut off the fins with kitchen scissors.
- Remove the scales with a well-sharpened knife. We start cleaning from the tail.
- It happens that the surface is covered with a layer of mucus. And no matter how you wash it, it remains. Just rub the carcass with salt and wash it again.
- You can leave the head in the broth and cook a delicious fish soup.
- If you are making fillet, then cut the carcass into pieces about 3 cm. This is easier to do if the fish is slightly frozen. This way the pieces will turn out even and will not move away from the bone. Sprinkle these pieces with salt. But not too much. The golden rule is that it is better to under-salt. Add salt and leave for 10-20 minutes so that the future dish is soaked. For fresh fish, 10 minutes is enough
- If the fish is small, it is better to cook it whole. The fins and tail do not need to be trimmed. When fried, they will turn out like chips. Make cross cuts on both sides. Salt the dish and let it brew for 20 minutes. Next, you can put herbs in the belly - dill, cilantro.
And now I’ll tell you a secret: it’s easy to get rid of the strong smell of mud (this is typical for river rocks). To do this, soak the pieces in a solution of milk, salt and ground black pepper. Proportions: ¼ glass of milk, half a teaspoon of salt, add a little pepper. This solution should almost cover all the pieces. After 20 minutes, remove the pieces or drain them in a colander. There is no need to rinse, let the milk drain, or blot the pieces with a napkin. No need to salt anymore. Let everyone add more salt later if it seems too little.
Recipe for making fish soup from salmon head
Remove the gills and eyes from the head of salmon (salmon or other fish). Pour water over your head and leave for 30-40 minutes. This way the remaining blood will come out and there will be less foam in the broth.
For fish soup, you can use several heads, tails, and ridges. In addition, it is very good to add fillets of hake, pollock or any other white fish to this fish soup.
Place the fish head in boiling water. At a moderate boil, cook the broth and skim off the foam with a slotted spoon.
After you have removed all the foam, add carrots and onions to the broth. Cook the broth over low heat under a loosely closed lid for 20-30 minutes, until it becomes more or less transparent.
While the broth is preparing, you can prepare the remaining ingredients.
Peel the onion and cut into small cubes. Peel the carrots and grate on a coarse or medium grater. If desired, carrots can be cut in any way convenient for you.
Peel the potatoes and cut into cubes.
Wash the greens, dry and finely chop.
After the broth is cooked, remove the fish and vegetables from it. If necessary, the broth can be strained through gauze folded in several layers.
We transfer the salmon head to a plate and break it, this way it will cool faster.
After the fish has cooled, it is necessary to separate all the edible parts, we will then return them back to the fish soup.
We will no longer need the carrots and onions that we added to the broth, since the vegetables have already given up all their taste and aroma.
Return the broth to the heat and add potatoes to it. Bring to a boil and cook at a gentle simmer under a loosely closed lid for 7-10 minutes.
If desired, the broth can be pre-strained through a sieve.
Then add chopped carrots.
Cook at a low simmer under a loosely closed lid for 2-3 minutes.
Then add the onion cut into small cubes.
Next add bay leaf, salt and spices. Bring the fish soup to a boil. Cook at a gentle simmer under a loosely closed lid until the potatoes are cooked.
We disassemble the fish head and separate the edible parts. Return the meat back to the pan with the fish soup.
2-3 minutes before turning off, add chopped greens to the soup.
Taste the fish soup and add salt and spices if necessary.
Bring the fish soup to a boil and boil the greens for 1-2 minutes.
If you are preparing the fish soup for one time, then you don’t have to boil the greens.
Remove the pan from the heat, cover with a lid and leave to brew for 10-15 minutes.
Season the fish soup with fresh herbs and serve.
Prepare directly for frying
Any of the following breadings are perfect as a breading for fillets or small pieces:
- Roll in flour. This is the easiest breading method. Pour flour into a plate, you can add spices and dried herbs for taste. And then roll in the fish pieces. In order not to stain the entire kitchen with flour, inventive housewives pour flour into a bag and send the pieces there. Just shake the bag and the fish is already breaded. And the kitchen will remain clean
