How to quickly and tasty pickle pink salmon at home, recipes

Pink salmon belongs to the valuable species of fish from the salmon family.
It is also called pink salmon. Pink salmon live in fresh and salt waters. It has excellent taste and a large number of useful components: iodine, chromium, phosphorus and vitamin PP, Omega 3. It contains a lot of protein, so it is very nutritious and at the same time quite low in calories, 100g of pink salmon contains only 140 Kcal. It is known that during heat treatment most of the vitamins and microelements are lost, and eating raw fish is dangerous. The most healthy and tasty product can be obtained by salting pink salmon yourself at home.

What you need to know

When salted, this product retains the highest possible content of nutrients; it is a decoration for the most exquisite holiday table. Pink salmon can be easily purchased at any supermarket. However, manufacturers often violate technology and even use additional, clearly harmful chemical additives to extend the shelf life of an expensive product. When you pickle yourself, the chances of getting a high-quality product increase significantly.

In order to get truly tasty and healthy pink salmon, you need to follow some important rules:

Choose a fresh and high-quality carcass.
Frozen fish needs to be defrosted naturally, then its meat will retain its structure, be juicy and tasty.
Thawed fish must be cleaned and cut, removing the entrails, fins and head. After which, be sure to rinse well with clean water.
Cut the carcass along the spine and remove all rib bones.

How to choose pink salmon

It is sold in different forms, whole and gutted, with and without heads, in separate pieces and trimmings. It is quite difficult to choose high-quality fish, due to the fact that this product has a fairly decent price; sellers use various tricks and tricks to increase its cost and sales time.

An experienced housewife is unlikely to have problems choosing fresh or chilled fish. However, it is not available to everyone and is most often sold frozen. To choose a quality frozen product, you need to use the following tips:

Pay attention to the amount of ice. There should not be a lot of it, a maximum of 1-2 mm of glaze.
A deformed carcass indicates that it has been frozen and thawed several times. You shouldn't take this one. It has little benefit, and the taste may not be as pleasant as it should be.
It is very important to pay attention to the color of the meat. It should be pink. The white color of the meat indicates that it is frozen or caught immediately after spawning and there are few nutrients in it.

How to clean

Most often, stores sell already gutted pink salmon.

But if you are lucky enough to get a whole fish, the procedure for preparing the carcass should be as follows:

Defrost, but not completely. When it is slightly frozen, the cutting process will be much easier. Then rinse with tap water, washing away all dust, dirt and mucus. Blot dry with a paper towel.
From the anus to the head, use a sharp knife to make a cut along the belly and remove all the entrails.
Cut off the head behind the front fin along with the bone.
The scales are cleaned in the direction from the tail to the head, against its growth. During the cleaning process, a lot of scales accumulate on the knife, so it needs to be wiped with a napkin periodically. To prevent scales from scattering in different directions, it is better to clean the fish with slow movements. Another way to avoid scales from scattering is to clean them in a bowl of cool water.
Rinse with water and separate the tip of the tail from it. Then put it on top of a bowl and put it in the refrigerator for 40 minutes to drain off excess water and ichor.

The head, part of the tail and fins can then be used to prepare a tasty and nutritious fish soup. It is imperative to remove the gills and eyes from the head, otherwise it will taste bitter. Then the fish giblets can be placed in the freezer, where they can be stored until needed.

If you plan to salt the fish in pieces, the carcass must be cut into steaks, approximately 1.5 -2 cm in thickness. Bone-in steaks are cut with a sharp knife, starting from the fullest part of the body of the carcass on the back. The bone is easily cut by pressing firmly on it with a knife.
The fins are removed using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife.
Many people prefer to use fish fillets directly for salting, without bones. In order to prepare it, you need to position the carcass with its tail facing you and make an incision from head to tail along the vertebral bone to the lower fin. At the point of attachment of the tissues, separate them from the bones using a knife or kitchen scissors. Do this on both sides. Separate the rib bones by picking them up with a knife from the side of the spine.

How long to salt according to time

In order to pickle pink salmon, you will need:

1 hour - lightly salted;
2 hours - salted;
12 hours or more - for long-term storage.

What are the benefits of red fish bellies?

Lightly salted fish is found on store shelves quite often, and salmon is a real delicacy.
Not everyone can afford to buy, especially regularly.

Although spending money sometimes makes no sense.

If you prepare bellies correctly, they will be extremely beneficial for the body, and when freshly frozen they are several times cheaper than when they are already salted.

First of all, we are talking about getting the amount of vitamin B, P, and omega fatty acids necessary for full life.

Regular consumption of salmon helps:

normalization of the nervous system;
improved sleep;
improving performance;
stimulation of metabolism;
regulation of blood sugar;
restoration of the functioning of all internal systems and organs.

All parts of the carcass bring health benefits, but it is the bellies that are most valued, and the paradox is that they are also the cheapest.

Read also: Protecting cucumbers from diseases in the greenhouse

It's because of the fat.

For some reason, it is believed that after trimming these parts, representatives of salmon instantly become a dietary product.

In fact, fats and other healthy components are evenly distributed throughout the carcass, so don’t be afraid to gain weight.

Yes, this product is quite high in calories, but no one eats kilograms of their bellies. And due to fatty acids, whose task, on the contrary, is to stimulate metabolism, excess weight not only does not appear, but also goes away quite effectively.

It should also be noted that the long-lasting feeling of fullness that is noted when eating salmon bellies, and this is also a step towards a slim figure.

However, the fish will only be beneficial if it is of high quality. It is ideal if you find salmon raised in natural conditions on sale.

Dry pickling classic recipe

There are a great many recipes for salting red fish. The basis of all of them is classic salting using a dry method with a minimum set of ingredients.

Ingredients:

pink salmon - 1 fillet;
salt - 50 g;
sugar - 20 g.

Preparation:

Place sugar and salt in a bowl and stir.
Rub the fillet with this mixture and wrap tightly in cling film. Place in a cool place for 2 hours.
After this time, remove excess salt with a knife and carefully remove the skin. You can eat fish.

It is imperative to remove excess water with a napkin before salting. Liquid reduces the shelf life of this product, creating an additional environment for the reproduction and growth of bacteria.

Prepare salmon bellies for salting:

Rinse the bellies well. Then you need to clean the scales. It's not very easy and fast, but it will be more enjoyable to eat. You can also eat the skin of the salmon; it is a little tough at first, but when you chew it, it becomes soft. It should also be noted that fish in the skin and under the skin contains a storehouse of “good” fats and vitamins! You can salt the bellies of salmon without peeling the scales, the taste of the fish will not change, but the eaters will have scales all over their hands :)

Sprinkle the fish with sugar, salt and ground black pepper on top and mix well. Add peppercorns there too. We take a cup or pan in which we will salt.

Separate mention must be made about containers for salting fish. It should not be made of aluminum or unstable materials such as plastic, since vinegar, salt and sugar create a very aggressive environment. Here you can not only ruin the pan, but also get a harmful product. So take something that doesn't oxidize. I use a steel (stainless steel), glass cup or enamel pan. In addition, the dishes should not be wide, otherwise all the brine will spread over it and the fish will not be salted.

Place the bellies in a cup. Add vinegar to the water and pour the fish well on top. We take a flat plate or lid, which would almost coincide in diameter with the cup in which we salt the fish (if the plate is small, it will not be able to press down all the fish evenly; if it is large, then there may be problems with removing it later). We place the plate on top of the fish and press it down with a weight. The weight for salting should be approximately 2-3 times larger than the fish. I poured water into a one and a half liter jar and put it on the lid. The jar pressed the plate tightly and the brine even came out a little onto the plate.

Please note in the photo that the brine covered the entire fish and even leaked a little onto the plate - this condition is mandatory, otherwise the fish will spoil. If any areas are without liquid, add a little water and shake the pan slightly to mix.

Now we put the fish with the load in a cool (preferably dark) place for 2 days. After 2 days, drain the brine. We get the fish. When I serve it, I also sprinkle it with the juice of half a lime. A few thin slices of lime can be placed on the fish for beauty. All! Our delicious salmon bellies have been salted and you can try them! Enjoy your meal!

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After cooking you will receive 4 servings
Preparation time: 2 days

Fish appetizers

Helpful tips for salting:

– it is not necessary to add vinegar, but I like it with it, as it gives sourness; – you can use apple cider vinegar, the taste will be softer.; – when salting, you can add various spices, for example, in stores they sell special ones “For salting red fish,” but I don’t use them. You can experiment with spices yourself, for example, add a little paprika, dry ground ginger and mustard seeds, and the taste will be spicy; – buy only the freshest bellies, since they are not subjected to heat treatment when salting. When you choose, don’t be lazy to smell them. Good fish has a pleasant, slightly oily fishy smell without any mustiness. The skin of fresh bellies should be white - without yellowness or plaque; – salted bellies are very good as a cold appetizer, but they can also be added to salads, it turns out very tasty! – you can vary the salt and sugar to your taste – you can add more of them. It is better not to remove sugar completely; it not only adjusts the taste well, making it richer, but is also a preservative that prevents the fish from spoiling; – some people add 1 tablespoon of cognac per 1 kg of fish when salting.

Salmon, trout and some other types of fish, which are quite expensive offerings on the market, are called “red” not so much because of the color of the meat, but in order to emphasize both the amazing taste and the incredible benefits of the product. The salmon family includes many species, but they are very similar to each other, so a recipe for preparing one fish can be quite successfully applied to another.

I offer a selection of recipes on how to salt the bellies of salmon or other red fish at home, how to properly store them, what to serve them with, and why they should be present in the diet of every family.

Lightly salted pink salmon with sweet and sour sauce

Cranberry sauce goes well with savory dishes. This serving option will make the treat simply unforgettable for guests.

Ingredients:

fish fillet - 1 kg;
sugar - tablespoon
salt - a third of a glass;
orange - 1 piece;
dill - a couple of sprigs.

Sauce:

fresh cranberries - 1 cup;
honey - 2 tbsp. l.;
juice of 1 lemon;
starch - 30 g.

Preparation:

Wash the fillet under the tap and leave to drain in a colander for about 1 hour. Blot with a paper napkin.
Thinly slice the orange into half rings. Finely chop the dill.
Combine salt and sugar and rub the fillets with them. Sprinkle with dill and place orange slices on top.
Place under pressure in the refrigerator for 12 hours.
Wash the cranberries well and let the water drain. Grind in a blender to a puree-like consistency.
Mix starch with lemon juice.
Combine all ingredients for the sauce and bring to a boil, stirring vigorously.
Serve the treat to the table, seasoning it with sauce.

Preparing the brine: salting in the classic way

Ingredients:

whole pink salmon - 1 kg;
water - 1 liter;
salt - 200 g;
vegetable oil - optional.

Preparation:

Defrost the carcass. Remove the skin from it, remove the head, tail, spine, and rib bones. Cut into pieces about 2cm.
Bring the water to a boil and cool. Stir the salt in it until completely dissolved.
Place the fish in water for 25 minutes. Then take it out and blot it with a paper towel.
Transfer the pink salmon pieces into a glass container.
After 5 hours, the fish can be eaten. For long-term storage, it is poured in layers with vegetable oil.

Salting in pieces

Ingredients:

water - half a liter jar;
finished fillet - 1 kg;
sugar - 30 g;
salt - half a glass;
oranges - 2 pcs.;
several sprigs of dill.

Sauce:

olive oil - 2 tbsp. l.;
mustard - 1 tbsp. l.;
honey - 1 tbsp. l.;
vinegar - 0.5 tbsp. l.

Preparation:

Rinse the fillet with water and wipe dry with a paper towel. Cut into pieces about 3-4 cm.
Peel the oranges and cut into rings.
Finely chop the dill sprigs with a knife.
Mix sugar with salt. Rub the pieces with this mixture and place them in a food container or jar.
Cover with orange slices and sprinkle with chopped dill.
Place in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
After this time, prepare the sauce by mixing its ingredients in the indicated proportions until smooth.
Cut the salted fillet into slices slightly larger than 1 cm. Place on a plate and pour over the sauce. If desired, you can pour lemon juice and garnish with olives and herbs.

With vodka

Fish contains iron; during salting, it can oxidize, which gives the product a metallic taste. Alcohol is needed to preserve the natural taste. Cognac can add a specific note to a dish, but not everyone likes it. Vodka won't change it in any way. This is also worth considering.

Ingredients:

pink salmon fillet - one and a half kg;
sugar - 1 tbsp. l.;
salt - 2/3 tbsp.;
cognac or vodka - 100 ml;
dill, saffron and pepper to taste.

Preparation:

Thaw the fillet and rinse well with cold water. Dry and place in a container, meat side up.
Mix salt, pepper, sugar and finely chopped dill. Add saffron.
Add vodka to the seasoning mixture; there should be enough of it to make a paste.
Coat the meat side of the fillet with the marinade and place it skin side up. Place in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
After this time, remove excess salt with a knife and leave the fish in the refrigerator for another 2 days.

How to salt whole pink salmon in 24 hours

This method may seem interesting to some of you and may be unusual, but in Sakhalin or the Far East this is exactly what they do! Red fish is salted in various ways, but in this recipe only salt is used, and the taste of the finished product is not interrupted by anything. Although, if you wish, you can add a little seasoning and pepper at your discretion.

Let's prepare the pink salmon: gut the insides and rinse the carcass with water. It is advisable to leave the head, but if you want, you can cut it off.

Coat the prepared fish well with coarse salt on all sides and inside. If you decide to add spices, first mix them with salt.

Immediately after treatment with salt, wrap the pink salmon carcass in foil or a regular baking sleeve and place it in the refrigerator for 1 day or 5 days (for better salting).

Shake off the salt from the finished fish and use as intended. As you can see, it turns out quite tasty and at the same time the salting method is simple, without unnecessary hassle.

Think there's too much salt here? But depending on how you look at it, you can adapt to anything, and the advantage of the recipe is that all harmful bacteria and other “bad things” will die in a salty environment.

Are you aware that, according to experts, the following calculation formula should be used for salting red fish: for 1 kilogram of pink salmon or other salmon, you need to take 270 grams of salt. Although, in my opinion, this is too much and the product will turn out to be very salty.

Season whole with aromatic herbs

You can do without herbs by simply using dry pickling. This recipe is very simple and does not require additional preparation of marinades, and the fish turns out very unusual. As an addition to the festive table, you can prepare mustard sauce, which perfectly complements the taste of the finished dish.

Ingredients:

whole carcass - 1 piece;
sugar - half a glass;
coarse salt - 2/3 cup;
favorite herbs (Italian, oriental, Asian).

For the sauce:

mustard beans - ½ cup;
juice from one lemon;
refined sunflower oil - 2 tbsp. l.

Preparation:

Clean the carcass from giblets, remove the head, fins and tail. Rinse under running water and dry with a paper towel.
Mix aromatic herbs with a mixture of sugar and salt.
Sprinkle the fish well with spices and place it in a deep bowl or pan. Place a plate on top, and put pressure on it, for example, a jar of water. Place in the refrigerator for 2 days.
After this time, remove the pink salmon and rinse it under water to remove salt. Leave to drain in a colander for 40 minutes. Then blot with napkins or paper towels. Cut into portions and you can eat.
Make a sauce by combining mustard seeds, lemon juice and vegetable oil, and pour it over the fish. Serve to the table.

How to cook fish quickly and tasty

The delicate and elastic texture of pink salmon meat allows it to quickly absorb salt. Cooking pink salmon at home can take no more than 24 hours. You should start cooking fish immediately after defrosting it.

It is recommended to purchase fish that have no entrails and no head. Fresh pink salmon have a clear pink belly and a non-curved tail.

It should be noted that 85 grams of lightly salted pink salmon contains 10 grams of excellent fish oil.

Secrets of taste

Fish meat has a slight bitterness and this factor should always be taken into account during the salting process. The presence of salt will minimize bitterness, and sugar and spices will give the fish meat a delicate taste.

The following seasonings can be added to pink salmon meat:

dill;
parsley;
black pepper;
white pepper;
peppercorns;
rosemary;
mustard;
garlic;
Bay leaf.

Read also: Method of preparing corn porridge with milk

There are several options for home-salted pink salmon:

sugar present in the brine can give the dish a piquant taste;
for cooking with oil, it is better to use regular vegetable oil;
If you cover pink salmon with a weight while cooking, it will begin to release juice;
Using powdered sugar will give you a more delicate taste;
Only rock (coarse) or sea salt is suitable for salting;
It is advisable to cook pink salmon in glass, ceramic or plastic containers.

Interesting! 100 grams of salted meat contains 19% vitamin A.

How to properly prepare pink salmon for salting

It is necessary to defrost a frozen fish carcass naturally, without forcing this stage. You can remove the skin of the fish before cooking, although most recipes are designed to be salted with the skin on.

Salted pink salmon is considered a delicacy, so the salting process must be taken seriously. Before preparing it, the head, fins and bones are removed. Therefore, only the flesh of the incredibly tasty pink salmon meat can be salted. After proper cutting, you should end up with two pieces of fish meat, called fillets. Other recipes call for smaller pieces of fish.

Cooking technique

As already mentioned, there are several ways to prepare salted pink salmon. Here are some of them:

Lightly salted pink salmon. This method involves keeping pink salmon meat for a short time in a salt solution.
Spicy salted pink salmon. All kinds of spices and aromatic herbs are added to the salt solution.
Dry salted pink salmon. The fish is simply rubbed with salt or salt and sugar, without the use of water.
Pink salmon salted in oil. The basis of the marinade for preparing pink salmon meat is vegetable oil.

How to salt salmon

This variety of fish can be a worthy alternative to the more expensive representative of the salmon family - salmon. It is more affordable and more often found on sale, but is not inferior to it in taste and beneficial properties.

Ingredients:

boiled water at room temperature - 1300 ml;
vegetable oil - 100 ml;
salt - 1 glass without a slide;
large onion - 1 pc.;
lemon - half the fruit;
fillet - 1 kg.

Preparation:

Cut the fillet into pieces about 2 cm each;
Dissolve salt in cooled boiled water. Immerse the fillets in the solution for 10 minutes.
Drain the liquid and place in a colander for 30 minutes to drain off any remaining water. Then dry the carcass with a napkin or paper towels.
Place in layers in a glass bowl, pouring vegetable oil over each layer and place in the refrigerator.
After an hour, the dish can be served, garnished with onion rings and lemon slices. Additionally, you can use fresh herbs.

Beneficial properties of salted pink salmon

It is very interesting that pink salmon retains all its vitamins and beneficial properties during the salting process. In addition, one of the most affordable types of red fish can be found in almost every supermarket.

It contains the following vitamins:

Regular consumption of meat from this type of fish has a positive effect on the musculoskeletal mechanism, as it accelerates the regeneration of bone tissue, which is very important after fractures and cracks. Vitamin B12 slows down aging. Pink salmon prevents heart and vascular diseases.

Salted pink salmon is a great way to cook fish and extend its life in your refrigerator. You don’t need to spend a lot of time on salting - less than an hour of work and a couple of days of aging will do the trick.

Salting in 1 hour

When guests warn about their arrival just a couple of hours in advance, the issue of refreshments becomes very acute. The problem can be easily solved if frozen pink salmon fillets are sold in a nearby supermarket.

Ingredients:

pink salmon fillet - 0.8 kg;
boiled water - 0.4 l;
olive oil - 70 ml;
salt - ¼ cup.

Preparation:

Thaw the fillet so that it remains slightly frozen, and cut into pieces about 2 cm.
Completely dissolve the salt in the water and immerse the fish in it for about 10 minutes.
Remove from brine and wipe dry with paper towel.
Place in a container in layers, pour vegetable oil over each layer. Place in the refrigerator for 45 minutes. At the end of this time, the dish is ready and can be served.

Option for “wet” salting of pink salmon

“Wet” salting involves the presence of a salt solution with spices prepared in water. It is prepared as follows:

Up to 2 liters of water are poured into the bowl and brought to a boil.
Add 2 bay leaves, 70 g of salt, 1 teaspoon of peppercorns to the water.
All this is cooked within 10 minutes.
After the broth has cooled, it is filtered.
Pieces of fish are filled with this composition.
Place in the refrigerator for one day.

In this quantity you can salt up to 5 kg of fish. If the carcass is smaller (about 3 kg), then the number of components should be reduced by 2 times.

Pickled pink salmon

This recipe makes the fish very tender and flavorful. Guests and family members will definitely love it. It will become a highlight and decoration of any holiday table.

Ingredients:

1 carcass;
apple cider vinegar - 2 tbsp. l.;
onion - 1 pc.;
salt - 1 tbsp. l. with a slide;
sugar - 1 tbsp. l. with a slide;
coriander seeds - 1 tsp;
refined vegetable oil - 3 tbsp. l.;
ground black pepper - 0.5 tsp.

Preparation:

Separate the fillet from the fish and cut into portions.
Mix spices in a separate container.
Rub the pieces with the spice mixture. Place in a large bowl, cover with cling film, and place pressure on top. Leave at room temperature for an hour. Then place in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
After a day, remove the fish and wash with cool running water.
Add onion, cut into thin half rings, and mix well.
Then pour in vinegar and vegetable oil and marinate at room temperature for 2 hours, stirring occasionally every 15-20 minutes.

Place the finished fish in the refrigerator for 25 minutes and can be served.

Very tasty salted pink salmon at home, like salmon (dry salting recipe)

The first recipe that we will consider is the technology of salting without marinade. Only three dry ingredients will be used: salt, sugar and, in fact, the red fish itself.

Of course, you will have to tinker with preparing the red fish, but if you know what awaits you - a flavorful and satisfying appetizer - you can work hard.

Ingredients

Pink salmon – 1-1.5 kg;
Sugar – 2 tbsp. l.;
Salt – 3 tbsp. l.

How to salt pink salmon correctly and tasty at home without marinade step by step

Cutting up a red fish carcass for dry salting

We defrost the entire pink salmon in advance (as described above), but not completely. Let the carcass remain a little icy - this will make it easier to cut it.
So, we clean the still slightly frozen fish of scales, then cut off the head (it is not suitable for salting, but you can make a tasty fish soup from it) and rip open the belly, removing all the entrails.
Under running water, wash the cut, cleaned pink salmon inside and out.
Now we make an incision on the back. The fins can be removed at this stage, but if they do not bother you, you can cut them off later along with the skin.

***For those who want to salt the red flesh with skin, I advise you to cut off the fins not with a knife, but with scissors (as already written above).

Using a knife and our own hands, we separate the delicious meat from the salmon family from the skin. If the skin has separated from the meat, carefully cut it off. We carry out this labor-intensive procedure on each side.
We also cut off the tail - we don’t need it: it has quite a lot of bones and veins, so it, like the head, can be safely left for cooking homemade fish soup.
Finally, we separate the fish from the ridge. We do this exclusively with our hands, since they feel the bones that need to be removed better than any device. At this point, the cutting of the pink salmon is completed - the beautiful tender fillet is ready for salting.

Step-by-step dry salting of pink salmon in pieces

First, combine the specified amount of salt and sugar in a bowl.
We divide the fillet into pieces (but if you want to salt the fillet, you can skip this step).
Pour the sweet and salty mixture into the bottom of a glass container (for example, a food container).
Next, place the fish pieces on it, sprinkle them thoroughly with the same mixture and cover with a second layer of chopped pink salmon. Sprinkle the second layer generously with salt and sugar and cover the container tightly with a lid.
We put the red fish to salt in the refrigerator for a day (not to be confused with the freezer). After 24 hours, the fish will be completely salted and ready for tasting.

This completes the classic dry salting process. You can try your delicacy and enjoy its extraordinary aroma and even more original taste.

Spiced

Ingredients:

fish steaks - 1.2 kg;
vinegar - 30 ml;
sunflower or olive oil - 50 ml;
boiled chilled water - 60 ml;
cinnamon - level teaspoon;
cloves - 5 pieces;
seasoning for fish - 30 g;
bay leaves - 3-4 pcs.;
allspice peas - 10 pieces;
sugar - 80 g;
salt - 100 g.

Preparation:

Grind 5 peas of allspice, mix with sugar, bay leaves and salt. Dip steaks in this mixture.
Place in a saucepan or large bowl and place under pressure for 40 minutes.
Mix 5 crushed peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon and fish seasoning.
Place bay leaves and cloves at the bottom of the container and lay out fish steaks in layers. Sprinkle each layer with a mixture of spices.
In a separate container, mix vinegar, water and oil and pour this mixture over the fish. Leave at room temperature for 2 hours, then put in the refrigerator. When this time has passed, the dish can be eaten.