How to clean crucian carp scales quickly

Secondly, you need water. Much water. Not just to rinse it thoroughly after cleaning. Thirdly, you need a tool. True, a good knife (or other device) can forever change your attitude towards cleaning fish.

It's true what they say, hunting is worse than captivity. It's the same story with fishing. Moreover, you don’t always bring trophies home. But the prey also needs to be cleaned. We'll tell you how to clean crucian carp.

Ask any fisherman why he needs this - he’ll tell you everything: about nature, communication. But he will definitely add: not for the sake of spoils.

Well, the fish is not the main thing. But what are you going to do with it later, what to do with it? Especially small things like perches or palm-sized carp. To push among friends?

Yes, there are recipes - just know, don’t be lazy. Who should clean the fish? Some housewives will flatly refuse: if you catch it yourself, clean your “monsters” yourself. And it would be okay - this situation happens once a year. And then every week.

Brought crucian carp - clean it. How to do it correctly, that is, in one fell swoop? We'll show you how to remove scales from crucian carp quickly and without nerves.

1. For clarity, let’s take the most common medium-sized crucian carp in reservoirs.

This article is devoted to cleaning river fish (in general, the cleaning scheme is the same for all fish found in freshwater bodies of Russia). Having mastered the technique on crucian carp, perch, pike, roach and bream, which are often found in central Russia, the experience can easily be extended to both sea fish (trout, salmon, dorado, siabass) and varieties common in stores (carp, silver carp, grass carp). In general, it doesn’t matter what kind of fish you clean - the principle and sequence of actions will be the same.

1. For clarity, let’s take the most common medium-sized crucian carp in reservoirs.

01 Small (palm-sized) crucian carp

2. Cleaning live fish is neither humane nor convenient, so the first thing you need to do is kill it. To do this, either leave her in the air for a while until she falls asleep or hit her on the head, for example, with the handle of a knife.

02 Stunning a fish with a knife handle

03 Beginning to remove scales from the fish's tail

4. After removing the scales, you can remove the eyes from the fish, the key point is that it is not necessary to remove the eyes, they are edible and taste almost no different from the rest of the fish, but there are people who are embarrassed by them on the plate, so they are removed. This is done with the sharp tip of a knife.

04 Eye removal

5. Now the most crucial moment (perhaps the only point, if you make a mistake, you can ruin it). The belly of the fish must be cut and this must be done so that the knife is parallel to the fish and in no case is the sharp tip pointing inward. So you need to cut from the head to the ventral fins. This is where the gallbladder is located.

05 Cutting the front of the belly

6. From the ventral fins and further to the tail, you can cut as you like.

06 Cutting the back of the belly

7. All intestines and swim bladder from the belly of the fish must be removed. If you have it, you can leave the caviar or milt separately, but this is for fish caught from late August to May.

07 Guts in the belly

8. When removing the intestines, you should be careful and never damage the gallbladder. If you pierce it and the bile spreads over the fish, it is easier to throw it away than to continue cleaning and cooking - the taste will be bitter and disgusting.

08 Gallbladder among other intestines

9. There should be nothing left in the belly of the fish after cleaning. If the fish had caviar or milt, you can put it back in the belly and cook it that way.

Tips for a fisherman: How to catch a large crucian carp among small ones - Tips for a beginner

09 Empty belly of crucian carp

10. The last thing to do with the fish before transferring it to the kitchen for further cooking is to remove the gills. To do this, you need to cut the bridge from below with a knife between the head and the rest of the fish’s body.

10 Trimming the lintel

11. The gills are quite easy to remove, the main thing is to pick them up with a knife and just pull them out.

11 Removing the gill strings

12. That’s all, the fish (crucian carp) is cleaned. After cleaning and before cooking, it is advisable to rinse the fish in clean water. It took 7 minutes to clean this one taking into account photographing. If you don’t get distracted, it takes 2-3 minutes for one small crucian carp. Larger fish can be cleaned more slowly because there are more scales to remove and it is not convenient to hold.

It is much more convenient to clean large fish. Of course, when fishing you don’t have to choose – whatever you get is the same. But when buying in a store, you should give preference to large specimens.

Useful tips

If you do not plan to cook the fish with its head, it must also be cut off along with its gills.
If crucian carp have an unpleasant smell of mud, then before cutting, deboning and cooking, they are soaked for an hour or two in a weak saline solution.
To prevent cutlery from smelling like fish, immediately after cutting and cleaning it, you should rinse it with cool water and soap. If the smell still remains, you need to repeat the procedure, but first wipe the dishes and utensils with heated salt.
To get rid of the fishy smell at home, in addition to simple ventilation, you can boil water with vinegar or heat coffee grounds in a frying pan.
If the crucian carp does not go into the fish soup pot or frying pan immediately after cleaning, then it should be stored in the freezer, wrapped in cling film so that other products do not absorb the fishy smell. For the convenience of subsequent cooking, it should be immediately cut into portions.
If the fish was bought for frying, then before doing this it is recommended to leave it in a colander or dryer for a while so that the excess water, which made cleaning so easy, can now drain away. Otherwise, the crucian carp will turn out more stewed than truly fried.

Crucian carp is a simple, but no less tasty fish if cooked correctly. You can significantly simplify and speed up the process of preparing dishes from crucian carp if you know how to properly clean the fish from scales and entrails, especially since there is nothing complicated about it.

Once the crucian carp has been scaled, you can begin removing the entrails. Correct cutting of carcasses looks like this:

How to clean crucian carp from entrails and scales?

Crucian carp is a very tasty and healthy fish, but many refuse to introduce it into their diet only because they do not know how to properly clean carcasses. The process of removing scales and entrails can hardly be called pleasant, but there are several secrets that can reduce the hassle to a minimum. First of all, you need to spend a little time preparing the crucian carp for subsequent processing, which many people do not do. After this, a few minutes will be enough to thoroughly clean the workpieces.

Preparation

Any fish should be cleaned immediately after catching or purchasing, including crucian carp. If the situation does not allow this, carcasses should not be placed in the refrigerator. It is better to wrap them in plastic and put them in the freezer for a while. In this case, the component will not lose moisture, and it will be easier to get rid of scales.

Fans of crucian carp should get a special cutting board equipped with a tail clamp. Treating the carcass with salt will not help make it less slippery, and using fabric gloves can make your hands smell like fish, and some even develop signs of irritation. As a last resort, a crucian carp can be nailed to a wooden board by sticking a knife into its tail.

Advice: If you have to deal with live fish, you should stun it with a hammer. After this, be sure to make a deep cut between the head and fins to allow excess blood to drain.

When there is a choice, for example, in a store, you should choose medium-sized crucian carp. They taste better, are easier to clean, and have fewer small bones. Such carcasses are ideal for both fish soup and frying.

The first step is to cut off the fins of a crucian carp with a knife or using scissors. Now you can start cleaning the scales. This should be done starting from the tail. You can clean the scales with a knife, fork or a special device designed specifically for cleaning fish.

Fried crucian carp is a tasty, simple and economical dish. Fried golden crust on the outside and tender meat on the inside - this treat will not leave anyone indifferent. However, housewives are often not eager to cook fish because it is too troublesome to clean it.

Tips for fisherman: Bottom tackle for crucian carp with a feeder - How to best use

We agree, the process is not very pleasant and easy. The fish itself tries to slip out of your hands, and small scales scatter throughout the kitchen. But there are several tips and simple options on how to quickly and easily clean crucian carp and not only them, but also other fish as well.

Tips and tricks

Crucian carp, like other fish, is best cleaned immediately upon returning from fishing. If for some reason this is not possible, then the fish must be frozen, wrapping each one in cling film. In this form, the required amount of moisture is retained on the surface of the crucian carp, which after defrosting will help to better clean the scales.

Most people use a regular knife to clean fish.

To prevent the crucian carp from slipping out of your hands during the cleaning process, you should place the fish on a cutting board and insert an additional knife into the base of the tail, thereby attaching the crucian carp. There are special fish cleaning boards on sale that have a special clamp. You can purchase this innovation if you wish.

To simplify the process of cleaning scales from crucian carp, ordinary cotton gloves will help, which also do not allow the fish to slip in your hand.

The first step is to cut off the fins of a crucian carp with a knife or using scissors. Now you can start cleaning the scales. This should be done starting from the tail. You can clean the scales with a knife, fork or a special device designed specifically for cleaning fish.

Video

We offer you to watch a video that will demonstrate in detail how to easily and quickly clean crucian carp.

After the crucian carp is completely scaled, you can also cut off the tail (this is optional).

Cleaned crucian carp should be washed well in running (NOT HOT) water, and then an incision should be made on the abdomen through which the entrails should be removed. Be careful not to puncture the gallbladder. If this happens, the crucian carp will have to be soaked, otherwise it will taste bitter. Then, if you plan to cook the whole crucian carp, the gills must also be removed, or simply cut off the head.

Cleaning crucian carp scales is a very complex and labor-intensive process . But if you know some features, you can make this job much easier. The main thing is that the fish is properly prepared.

How to quickly clean crucian carp at home

To protect your hands, wear gloves with a ribbed surface. Thanks to this, the carcass cannot slip out.

During the cleaning process, scales scatter throughout the kitchen. So that after preparing the fish you do not have to wash the furniture and walls, you should first fill the container with more water, then place the crucian carp there. The scales will not be able to overcome water resistance, so they will not fly out. But this method is dangerous because there is a high probability of cutting your hands.

Cleaning will be easier if the carcasses are first placed in the freezer and left overnight. Then take it out and leave it in the sink for a couple of hours. As a result, the scales will thaw slightly, but the crucian carp itself will still be frozen.

How to clean properly

If the fish is large and fresh, then the easiest way is to use your hands. To do this, you need to grab the carcass with your hand and clean it with your nails, scraping across the growth of the scales. There are always small scales on the belly and near the tail, which cannot easily be touched by nails. These areas will have to be scraped off with a knife.

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There is another way - using a large package. The fish is cleaned in it without removing it. After cleaning, the scales remain on the inner surface of the bag.

How to remove gills and entrails

When the most unpleasant cleaning process is over, you need to start gutting.
The abdomen must be cut along its entire length. Remove all the entrails and intestines.

The process is carried out very carefully so as not to damage the gall bladder, which will spoil the taste of the entire fish.

If you suddenly accidentally pierce it, then very quickly sprinkle the place where the bile got in with salt. It will help neutralize its effect. Be sure to remove the black film. After this, rinse with water.

If you plan to cook the carcass with the head, you will have to remove the gills. To do this, cut off the jumper that connects the head and body. Then pick up the gills with the end of a knife and hold them with your thumb and pull them out. Rinse the vacant area with water.

If you plan to bake a whole carcass, then gut it through an incision made under the head, through which the gills are also removed. A variety of fillings are placed into the whole belly.

Video: how to clean crucian carp without crushing the bile.

Simple rules on how to quickly remove scales from crucian carp

First of all, the scales are cleaned, only after that the insides are removed. The fins are also removed immediately, as they can prick your hands.

The tail is not removed along with the fins, as it will be needed to secure the fish.

Crucian carp is cleaned from tail to head . First hold the head with your hand, then the tail. First one side and then the other are cleared of scales. The abdomen contains particularly hard and durable scales that are more difficult to remove, so more time is spent on it. You need to clean the carcass against the growth of scales.

Fried crucian carp is a tasty, simple and economical dish. Fried golden crust on the outside and tender meat on the inside - this treat will not leave anyone indifferent. However, housewives are often not eager to cook fish because it is too troublesome to clean it.

Methods for cleaning crucian carp

The principle of cleaning crucian carp occurs in a certain sequence. For greater convenience, experts advise first removing the scales from the fish, then taking out the insides, washing thoroughly in clean water several times, if necessary, cutting into pieces, placing in a colander and letting the water drain. In cases where carcasses will be prepared without heads, they need to be cut off and the gills removed. Also, at the very beginning, you can use scissors to cut out the fin on the spine.

Did you know? The lipstick shimmers thanks to the content of special substances obtained from fish scales.

From scales

You can correctly remove scales on the body of a crucian carp as follows:

Use scissors to trim all fins to avoid pricking yourself.
On a cutting board, secure the tail of the fish with a clamp or nail it with a knife.
It is necessary to remove the scales in the direction from the tail to the head with a knife (the blunt part), fork, grater, fish scaler or other object.
It is advisable to do this work under running water or in a large container so that the scales do not fly apart in different directions.

For better comfort, fresh fish can be doused with boiling water or placed in a weak vinegar solution for several hours. Thanks to this procedure, the scales will be easier to remove from the carcass.

Removal of gills and gutting

The next step in cleaning crucian carp is removing the gills and offal. It is very important, because if you incorrectly remove the entrails from the carcass, damaging the gall bladder, the meat will be bitter and unsuitable for consumption.

Did you know? Effective for catching crucian carp is the use of bait with the addition of valerian drops, Corvalol, garlic, dill or fragrant hard cheese.

Therefore, you should adhere to these recommendations:

Make a shallow incision in the direction from head to tail on the belly.
Carefully remove all the insides and black film.
Wash the carcass thoroughly in clean water, removing any remaining scales and mucus.
Then use a knife to cut the bridge between the head and body of the fish and remove the gills.

Tips and tricks

Most people use a regular knife to clean fish.

To simplify the process of cleaning scales from crucian carp, ordinary cotton gloves will help, which also do not allow the fish to slip in your hand.

The fish is processed quickly and the kitchen remains clean! The scales remain on the spoon, and large crucian carp or crucian carp are cleaned in half a minute!

Tools and accessories

Reference! To prevent the crucian from slipping out of your hands, you can fix it on the cutting board with a knife, sticking it into the tail area.
There are also special boards equipped with a fish clamp. You can use cotton gloves for convenience when cleaning the scales. Tool to help clean fish:

any kitchen knife;
scissors;
large volume of water;
container (deep bowl or basin) for cleaned fish.

The main part of the work is done with a knife. The fins are trimmed with scissors. The cut carcasses are placed in the prepared container.

How to clean fish from scales in 1 minute at home

It turns out that a spoon or fork is the best tool for cleaning fish at home. Mandatory conditions - place the fish in a separate container with water - this way all the scales will remain in the bowl and will not scatter throughout the kitchen.

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There are, of course, other tools and methods for cleaning fish. Now I will list them for you:

With a regular knife

Just take a longer knife. Fix the tail and always start with the tail against the scales.

Spoon or fork

Once and done! About this method in today's publication below, plus a video.

Grater

Only the grater is unusual, not the same as for vegetables. You can make it yourself from tin lids (although now everything is plastic and it’s still worth looking for those). You can also use it from canned food, or rather from the top cut off lid.

In the first case, you just need to nail these beer caps to a piece of wood and that’s it. And in the second, make holes with a nail and again to the piece of wood - only so that the holes from the nail look from the outside.

Or you can just use a regular kitchen grater.

Boiling water

Yes, there is such a way. You need to pour boiling water over the fish for 2-3 seconds. The main thing here is not to overcook – otherwise the scales will fall off along with the skin and meat.

To freeze

Place fresh fish in the freezer for 6-8 hours and remove it to the sink 2 hours before cleaning.

Pickling

The salt option will also help you clean the fish quickly and easily. In addition, salt prevents the fish from slipping in your hands. This is especially true for tench (by the way, mucus can be removed from tench by scalding it with boiling water).

Grinder or drill

There are also non-standard ways of cleaning fish from scales. But something tells me that it’s better to use this method not in the kitchen or in the house...

Store-bought special fish scalers

These are still constantly advertised for an amount that can buy a dozen spoons or forks - and you can clean them for at least a hundred years. In general, I haven’t tried it like this (if anyone knows, please write below in the comments).

To do this, you just need to put the carcass in a bag and do all the manipulations inside it. In this case, you need to take the ruby by the tail, and the head should be down. Use a knife to make sharp movements in the direction opposite to the growth of the scales. The sides are cleaned first, and then the belly. After this, you should thoroughly rinse the ruby again.

How to painlessly “kill” a fish? | Fisherman's Notes

How to fry crucian carp in a frying pan with a crust

“How to painlessly kill caught fish?” - this is a question that every fisherman who respects himself and nature asks himself sooner or later. The “catch and release” principle, of course, should also be present in the fisherman. But when a truly trophy specimen is caught (carp, pike, pike perch weighing more than 5 kg, crucian carp from 500-600 g), which simply has nowhere to grow, you don’t really want to release such a fish. And the rules of recreational fishing do not allow such fish to be released. But since man is still a rational being, even if he does not feel sorry for the fish itself, he still needs to think about its freshness after it has suffocated. Therefore, the topic of “painless killing of fish” is becoming increasingly relevant among fishermen.

The Internet is littered with advice on how to “quickly and painlessly kill a fish.” But, unfortunately, among them there are only three tips that deserve at least some attention: a blow to the head with a mallet, rupture of the vertebrae and piercing the brain. Another very good tip is to put the fish in the freezer (in fact, this is what fishermen do, willy-nilly, during winter fishing). We will now consider all these methods. But before you begin to consider methods of euthanasia, you must understand: it is advisable to decide the fate of the caught fish (release it or fry it) within the first hour. If the fish is not killed within the first hour, the quality of its “meat” is already significantly reduced. And if she stays in the cage for more than half a day, then it’s better to just let her go.

There are several options for euthanasia. We will not organize a “hit parade” of them, but simply divide them into good and bad.

Good options:

Option 1. Change your mind and still release the caught handsome fish back into the river. The option is, in fact, the best. Think about what bad thing the fish you just caught did to you? Her only fault is that she decided to look for food in the area of your hook and fell for it. Plus, according to sports fishermen, releasing all the fish you catch is a sign of a true professional. Option 2. Put the fish in the freezer. In essence, we kill two birds with one stone: we painlessly kill the fish with cold and do not allow it to spoil in the sun. Fish, as a cold-blooded creature, when placed in a cold environment, immediately begins to become numb and “fall asleep.” Most fish cannot tolerate such “freezing into ice” and die (the best example: fish caught during winter fishing). After an hour or two, you can remove the fish from the freezer and gut it. True, there are exceptions: crucian carp very easily tolerate freezing into ice, so they need to be killed quickly, while still “dormant” after being frozen. The main disadvantage is that portable refrigerators (compressor auto-refrigerators are ideal for this purpose) are not such a cheap pleasure. In addition, they require a car to operate: they are supplied with power from the cigarette lighter.

Middle to half: Option 3. Hit on the head with a mallet. Today, fishing stores sell special beaters for stunning caught fish. The blow of the mallet is intended only to stun the fish, but in practice, many fish cannot bear this blow and die immediately. The method deserves the right to exist: the beater is light, compact, easily fits in a backpack, always at hand and in combat readiness.

But there are also significant disadvantages. First, the fisherman must have a “steady” hand in order to finish off the fish with one blow (if the hand “shakes”, you will only add to the torment of the fish). And secondly, dead fish must be gutted immediately, while still on the shore of the reservoir, and immediately salted (as before frying). Otherwise, the fish may begin to spoil within a whole day.

Bad options (but without fish...):

Option 4. Vertebral fracture. Essentially you need to break the fish's back. If the angler has a “steady” hand, we do the following: we put our hand under the fish’s gills, grab the vertebra, and sharply turn its head (at this time you need to hold the fish with your other hand). The method is very difficult to implement, and therefore, if you have the slightest doubt about a successful “outcome,” I advise you to refrain from it. If you don’t have enough courage, we do this: we put the knife under the gills, take a stone and confidently hit the knife with the stone (we cut the ridge). In practice, the knife must be very sharp, the stone must be weighty, and the impact of the stone on the knife must be confident. Disadvantages: the fish must be gutted and salted on the shore.

Before the start

REFERENCE! It is important that there are no scratches or wounds on the skin, otherwise the salt will cause severe irritation.

Fish carcasses must be washed thoroughly.
Now you need to cut off the sharp fins using scissors so as not to get hurt by them during cleaning. The head should also be cut off at this stage, unless it is needed in the cooking recipe.
Cleaning the giblets can be done at the same time as cleaning or before it. It's better to do it in one day.
If the skin is already dry, you need to wet it with water.

Crucian carp is a hearty fish that can be fried, baked in the oven, cooked in a slow cooker, and so on. There are many recipes for cooking crucian carp. In order for the fish to turn out tasty, you need to know how to clean the fish from scales, how to gut it, and most importantly, how to buy it and not make a mistake.

Removing scales

Before cleaning the fish from scales, you need to carefully cut off the fins so that they do not prick. This is convenient to do with scissors. The tail is trimmed later because it will still help in cleaning the scales. The scales themselves are removed in the direction from the tail to the head with a blunt knife, vegetable peeler, fork or a special device for cleaning fish. Cleaning crucian carp is not so difficult - its scales do not hold tightly and are easily removed. If the fish is large, then most of the scales can be removed even with your hands, without fear of breaking or damaging your nails, and only in the area of the tail, fins and abdomen will small pieces have to be removed with a knife.

Advice
The scales will be removed even easier if you first pour boiling water over the fish.

To prevent scales from scattering throughout the kitchen, it is better to clean crucian carp under running water, in a sink filled with water, or in a basin of water.

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The right choice of crucian carp

If the crucian carp is medium or small, then you can purchase a special knife for cleaning fish. This kitchen appliance is sold in any hardware department. If you need to clean the fish now, but you don’t have a knife, then any kitchen knife will do, but it should be long and sharp.

Place the fish in a container and use a knife to pry off the scales near the caudal fin. Continue prying towards the head. When cleaning crucian carp, it is not recommended to make sudden movements in different directions, otherwise scales will scatter throughout the kitchen.