Composition of caviar
The main benefit of pike caviar lies in its composition. The delicacy contains 1.5% fat, which actually turns it into a dietary product. Caviar contains minerals, lecithin, omega-3 fatty acids, ash and dietary fiber. It contains no carbohydrates. Pike caviar is an ideal source of protein.
The delicacy contains vitamins A, E and D. The combination of the first two components is widely used both in dietetics and cosmetology.
Calorie content per 100 g of product is 131 kcal.
Such an abundance of useful substances turns the product not only into a food component, but also into a medicine.
How does pike behave before spawning?
Spinning fishermen, getting ready for spring fishing, often wonder: do pike bite before spawning? It should be remembered that as soon as the water in the reservoirs warms up to 4-8 degrees, the spotted predator goes to spawn, and before that it experiences a period of increased feeding activity - the pre-spawning glutton.
The spawning process begins in late March or early April, depending on weather conditions
It is during this period that you can catch fairly large specimens of fish on the approaches to spawning grounds at medium depths, when females lose their vigilance and rush to any bait.
But before spawning, pike does not rush to large bait, since its belly is densely filled with caviar and the basis of its diet is small fish.
Product benefits
The benefit of pike caviar lies in its content of easily digestible protein. It is especially useful for dietary nutrition. This not only helps fight hunger, but also speeds up the weight loss process. During the diet, despite the meager diet, the immune system will not weaken and health will not deteriorate.
The main beneficial properties of caviar are as follows:
- When using the product as a snack, the body is additionally saturated with protein.
- The benefit of pike caviar for women is its positive effect on the skin. This makes it elastic and speeds up regeneration. Caviar is often used in cosmetology. To look great, women are recommended to include the product in their diet.
- Amino acids in caviar strengthen the immune system. It becomes a special product for preventing colds.
- Caviar is a source of iodine, which is necessary for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland. The substance included in the product accelerates metabolism and prevents excess weight and chronic fatigue. The latter is especially useful for people who experience severe physical and mental stress at work.
- The delicacy can be consumed to improve the condition of the skeletal system. It can be used for children over 3 years of age to prevent rickets.
- The benefit of pike caviar for men is to prevent baldness. The main cause of the disease is poor circulation, weakened immunity and deficiency of vitamins and minerals. Pike caviar has been used for these purposes since ancient times.
- It contains Omega-3 fatty acids, which normalizes cholesterol levels and has a positive effect on the health of the heart and blood vessels.
- The delicacy has a general strengthening effect and can be consumed with low hemoglobin levels. It contains iron, which improves blood composition.
- Fluoride, which is part of caviar, helps strengthen tooth enamel.
- The product is recommended for use during severe mental and physical stress, stress and after surgery to restore the body.
- Caviar is useful for people who are on a diet. After all, it contains a minimal amount of fat. It perfectly satisfies hunger and saturates the body, thanks to the significant amount of protein in its composition.
Pike caviar has many beneficial properties, which makes it possible to constantly include it in the diet of both women, men, and children. After all, with regular use, it strengthens the immune system and has a general strengthening effect on the body.
How does pike behave after spawning?
During spawning, the fish are quite exhausted, so the recovery period lasts about a week. Typically, pike are sick for 3 to 7 days. And some time after spawning, the next phase of pike activity begins and a successful time for anglers to catch it is the period of feeding activity; the pike begins its post-spawning spring glutton, when it pecks at any bait and actively attacks indiscriminately any moving target.
But it should be remembered that pike spawn unevenly, as a result of which recovery occurs with a shift in time. When young females have already laid eggs and are actively hunting, in sufficiently mature individuals the spawning period is in full swing.
How to choose a product
So that the delicacy provides benefits. Pike caviar must be chosen correctly. You should find the expiration date on the box, which confirms its freshness.
The lid of the product should not be swollen, this indicates its poor quality. After all, expired caviar can cause serious harm to the body.
If the jar is transparent, you need to check that the eggs are not cloudy or have dark spots. If the delicacy is bought by weight, then you should pay attention to its smell. Fresh product usually smells fishy. It is best to purchase caviar in stores or from trusted sellers.
Preparing pike caviar
To obtain caviar, you need to select the right individual. A good choice would be fish around 2-3 kg, caught right before spawning. Large caviar can be obtained from an individual caught in January-February. In addition, to prepare pike caviar, you need fresh fish. It is thoroughly cleaned and gutted, using the utmost care. If you are not careful, you can damage the gallbladder, then the leaked liquid will give the fish and caviar a bitter taste.
The caviar is located inside the belly of the fish, it is in a thin film. Therefore, you need to pull it out carefully, because the film can tear and the eggs will fall out. Essentially, the eggs are in bags that need to be rinsed under water. This must be done with care and thoroughness so that the eggs do not scatter, and all remnants of blood and entrails are washed off with water. Clean bags filled with caviar must be separated from the film.
There are several ways to do this:
- Pass through a meat grinder.
The simplest method of getting rid of film, invented by fishermen. In this case, the bags are placed in the bowl of a meat grinder and passed through it. Ideally, the film should be wound around the knives, and the output should be clean caviar. However, the method is fraught with some danger, which can increase the time it takes to clear caviar from films. If the knives of the device are too sharp, the meat grinder will simply shred the film. As a result, pieces of the film will be mixed with the caviar and it will be much more difficult to get them out. - Remove using a mixer.
The method is simple: the film will be wound around the rims of a working device. Therefore, it will be quite easy to clean the caviar from the bags. However, you should not use too fast speed modes, because the film may simply tear. - Use a grater.
This method requires using the larger mesh side of the grater to allow the eggs to pass through freely. The bags are simply pressed through a grater, the eggs pass through the holes, and film particles remain outside. - Pass the bags through a sieve.
The method is very similar to the grater method, only here a sieve is used. The caviar will come out through the holes, and the remaining film will remain in the sieve. - Hot water method.
For this method, you need a bowl; bags of caviar are placed in it. Pour hot water on top and stir with a fork until the bags burst. After this, pieces of the film will begin to float up; to completely clean the product, you need to carry out the procedure several times. After removing all residues, pour cold water into a bowl and rinse the caviar. At the end, pour the water with caviar onto a colander or sieve lined with gauze. Leave the water to drain and check again for possible traces of films. - Using a knife.
It is not necessary to use devices to clean caviar. An ordinary knife is quite enough; for this, an incision is made in the bags. The caviar must be carefully squeezed out through the resulting hole. - Using a fork.
The method is quite simple, but requires some skill. You need to make a small hole in the caviar bubble. Then you need to take a fork in one hand and carefully hold the bag with the other. Using cutlery, carefully remove the eggs from the film.
Use in cooking
In order to enjoy the delicacy, you do not have to visit any restaurant. Caviar can also be prepared at home. There are many recipes that help cope with this task perfectly.
One of them is fried caviar. The result is a tasty and especially healthy dish for the whole family. The following components are required for this:
- caviar - 500 g;
- wheat flour - 500 g;
- salt and black pepper to taste;
- vegetable oil.
If you prepare the delicacy according to this recipe, the benefits of pike caviar will remain. Here are the main steps:
- The product is washed under running water. It is not recommended to remove the film so as not to damage the integrity of the eggs.
- Place on a paper towel and wait for the water to drain.
- Mix flour, pepper and salt.
- Heat a frying pan over high heat and pour in vegetable oil.
- The caviar is formed into small balls and rolled in flour.
- Fry in a frying pan on both sides until golden brown.
It is best to do this with the lid closed. The required time is 10 minutes.
What does the delicacy go with?
It is used in sandwiches with butter and other dishes, taking into account its compatibility with other ingredients. Pike caviar is great for the following products:
- soft cheese;
- fresh vegetables such as cucumbers and tomatoes;
- quail and chicken eggs;
- onions and parsley;
- mayonnaise, sour cream and cream sauce;
- lemons;
- vegetable and olive oil;
- potatoes;
- seafood;
- toasted bread: white and gray.
Using these ingredients, you can create excellent appetizers, salads and other dishes.
Harm to pike caviar
The delicacy has some features that must be taken into account before consumption.
Is eating pike caviar beneficial or harmful to the body? It has many advantages, but there are exceptions to all rules. So the product is a real example of this.
As a rule, many parents doubt whether to give the delicacy to their children. The main thing to remember is that it should not be included in the diet of children under 3 years old. This can lead to the development of allergies.
In addition to the benefits, pike caviar also causes harm. Delicacy parasites can cause various types of infections. Therefore, eating the product raw is not recommended. It is best to spend some time and prepare some dish from caviar, which will protect a person from various unpleasant conditions.
Sometimes raw caviar is mixed with salt, poured with vegetable oil and stored in the refrigerator. The salty delicacy should not be consumed if you have the following diseases:
- arterial hypertension;
- diseases of the kidneys, liver and gastrointestinal tract;
- arthrosis, arthritis and gout;
- exacerbation of various chronic diseases.
Pregnant women should not consume salted caviar in large quantities, so as not to cause fluid retention in their body. For the same reason, such a product should not be included in the diet. This promotes fluid retention in the body, which will slow down the weight loss process.
Another contraindication for pike caviar is individual intolerance to the product.
Is it possible to freeze finished caviar?
The delicacy can be quickly frozen, but the shell of the eggs can be damaged by ice crystals. For proper freezer storage, place the product in a freezer container, laying it out in a neat, even layer. Cover tightly and store for several months.
Get rid of water in the product to avoid loss of taste.
Cooking time: 12 hours
- Rinse the pike delicacy under cold water
- Leave the washed caviar in the refrigerator overnight to drain excess water.
Cooking time: 3 days (+ freezer storage for several months)
- Salt fish at the rate of 4 tbsp per 500 g in a dry way
- Place in plastic containers and leave for three days. It is important not to apply it “heaped”, the product tends to expand
- Place in the freezer for several months
You need to defrost it in the most gentle way possible. In the evening, place the jar in the refrigerator, in the morning it defrosts and the delicacy is ready for consumption.