You can talk about fish endlessly, given that it inhabits most of the planet - the world's oceans.
To this can be added fresh water reservoirs.
But at the moment we dwell on one aspect: fish is one of the most important food sources for people, and in some countries its use as a food product occupies an absolutely leading position.
For example, each Japanese eats an average of 70 kg of fish per year.
In Russia, this figure is much more modest - 24 kg.
Every hour in the oceans up to one million tons of fish is caught, and this is not counting the fact that in recent decades it has been actively grown in artificial reservoirs.
The nutritional value of fish primarily lies in the special structure of the protein, which, despite its high calorie content, is easily absorbed by the human body, without aggravating consequences. The fish contains the whole complex of vitamins and minerals vital to humans, and at the same time it is the source of all unsaturated fatty acids. Such a voluminous combination, which almost completely satisfies human needs to restore strength and maintain the body’s working capacity, is perhaps rarely found in other natural products.
It is known that in the process of cooking, of course, all products to a greater or lesser extent lose valuable properties. Therefore, the primary task of professionals and housewives in the kitchen is to find the best way to prepare dishes that simultaneously preserve the nutritional value of products, while emphasizing all the best tastes of fish.
How to fry fish in a pan - basic technological principles
Even with the advent of cooking in its modern sense, the main methods of heat treatment of fish have not changed dramatically. It is allowed, boiled, stewed, baked and fried.
Each of the listed cooking methods is a rather voluminous topic, so we will focus on one of them, the most common one - frying fish in a pan.
For this method, it is recommended to use only fresh fish. Large carcasses are cleaned, washed and cut into pieces, with bones or, after removing them, they prepare the fillet, then cut it into portions. Small types of fish are cleaned, removing scales, gills and entrails, washed and fried whole, with the head.
In every world culinary cuisine, the assortment of fish dishes includes fried fish, apparently, as the most favorite way to cook it.
For frying choose more fatty varieties of fish. This is due to the fact that with a low fat content, the flesh of the fish carcass becomes dry and crumbles. But in the case when it is not necessary to choose a fish variety, and the desire to eat a nominal fried fish is too great, the housewives, who did not closely study the technology of cooking fish dishes, begin to look for the answer, why does the fish crumble when frying, how to fry the fish in a pan? In flour or batter (lezone) - this is the fastest and easiest way to solve the problem.
How to fry fish in a pan in flour
It is easy to guess that frying is the most vulnerable way of processing foods, during which a significant part is lost, especially the vitamins that make up the foods. Of course, such losses cannot be completely ruled out, but at least some of the useful properties of food can be preserved with some knowledge of cooking technology.
Breeding fish in flour before frying is one way to preserve vitamins. The crust formed from the flour during frying prevents the release of vitamins from the pulp of the fish and at the same time gives the dish the appearance and taste that everyone loves. The main thing is not to overdo it so that the flour shell does not burn.
The next important point when frying fish, which is also worth paying attention to is the choice of fat, the topic is also quite voluminous, requiring separate consideration. We will touch only on some of its aspects relating to the question of how to fry fish in a pan.
In a good frying pan with non-stick coating, you can fry fish without using fat, but there is a nuance - depending on the type of oil, fried fish gets additional flavoring shades.
Some species of fish retain their specific odor, even despite pre-treatment. If this smell is perceived with pleasure (and there are many such fish lovers!), Then use ordinary refined oil, which does not smoke at high temperatures. If you prefer the smell of olives more than the smell of fried fish - use Extra Virginia oil for frying. You can use high quality margarine. But real professionals advise using butter when frying fish. In this case, you need to put a piece of butter under the fish, turning it on the other side, after frying on one side with vegetable oil with a neutral taste. Natural butter gives a special, delicate taste. In addition, being a product of dairy origin, butter, like all dairy products, successfully removes odors due to its chemical composition.
How much to fry fish
If cave ancestors fried fish on hot volcanic stones and did not think about how much to fry fish, so as not to become infected with those harmful microorganisms that sometimes inhabit marine, and especially in river inhabitants, what are dishes and how to fry fish in a pan, then modern requirements to sanitary standards for its processing and storage is a prerequisite.
Before cooking, river fish must be kept in ice water to remove the specific smell of tina, river algae. Since fresh water reservoirs are the most favorable habitat for various invisible inhabitants of the terrestrial fauna than the salt water of the seas and oceans, the issue of pretreatment of river and migratory fish should be treated with special attention. After soaking in fresh water and removing the smell of mud, treat the river catch with strong saline. An alternative way to disinfect fish can be the treatment of alcohol-containing products: wipe large carcasses with vodka or sprinkle with alcohol vinegar, soak for half an hour (preferably in the refrigerator), rinse the fish again under running water and proceed directly to cooking without fear of unpleasant consequences.
To have absolute confidence in safety, fry the fish at a temperature of at least 150ºϹ, at least 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of the fish, followed by bringing it to readiness in the oven at a temperature of 220ºϹ for five minutes. If you are not going to fry the fish in the oven, then fry it in a pan, turning it on both sides twice. In this case, the first frying is best done with the lid closed, so that the product undergoes a preliminary and serious steam treatment. Then remove the lid and fry a second time to get a crisp.
Recipe 1. Fried pelengas with onions, in a "cheese coat"
This fish belongs to the mullet family. Pelengas is a fish that tastes delicious without any additives, and if you want to supplement the fish dish with other components, then choose neutral products to emphasize the taste of the fish itself.
Products:
Pelengas 2.5 kg
Grated cheese (any hard variety) 600 g
Oil 82.5% 120 g
Shredded onion 0.5 kg
Breading flour
Salt
Cooking Oil 150 g
Order of preparation:
Clean the large carcass from the scales, remove the gills, make an incision on the abdomen and remove the insides. Rinse the abdomen. Large fish can be divided in half along the ridge. In this case, you need to make an additional incision on the back and separate the flesh from the ridge, which, together with the fins, tail and head, are used to prepare the fish soup. Cut the portions into pieces, put them in a stainless metal dish and sprinkle with salt. Leave for fifteen minutes to salt. Heat the pan and pour plenty of oil so that the pieces of fish are half immersed in it. Roll the fish in a bowl with flour, and place in a pan when the oil starts to smoke slightly. Fry on both sides and place on parchment. Take another pan, reheat and let the shredded onion in butter. Put slices of bearing on top and sprinkle with grated cheese. Cover and keep on low heat until the cheese melts. Optionally, add chopped dill and chopped garlic.
Recipe 2. Pike perch with creamy wine sauce
Products:
Lemon juice 200 ml
Pepper
Pike perch fillet 6 steaks each 150 g
Salt
Butter (butter and vegetable) for frying
Breading flour
To make the sauce:
White wine, dry 150 ml
2 eggs
Cream, fat 225 ml
Salt
Sugar
Nutmeg, ground 3 g
Cooking method:
Put the prepared steaks in a container, pour lemon juice for twenty minutes. Combine the breading flour with salt, nutmeg and pepper. Remove their liquid steaks and dry them with a napkin. Roll in the prepared flour mixture and start frying: first, in heated refined oil, and then, turning over, put 20-25 g of butter under each piece. When frying on the other hand, cover the pan with a lid. In a saucepan, heat the cream to 40-50ºϹ, dissolve salt and sugar in them, season with spices. Pour the beaten eggs in a thin stream, stirring continuously and warm the sauce to a boil. Pour in the wine and cook another 5-6 minutes. Removing from the stove, you can add greens if desired. Serve hot to fish.
Recipe 3. Milk Hake with Tomato and Vegetables
Product Composition:
Hake carcasses (without head) 4 pcs.
Carrot 150 g
Flour (including for passivation) 180 g
Tomato juice 300 ml
Ground coriander
Pepper
Ground cloves
Sugar
Dill, chopped 100 g
Onion 250 g
Salt
Spread (72.5%) 200 g
Cooking:
Salt the prepared carcasses of a small size and dry them with a napkin in twenty minutes. Fry on preheated fat on both sides, pre-roll in flour. Chop the peeled onions, cut the carrots into small cubes. Strain the vegetables until soft, add flour.
Bring tomato juice to taste with sugar, salt and spices; pour it into passivated vegetables and bring to a boil. Pour the fried fish with the prepared sauce and simmer for 30-40 minutes, adding greens and bay leaf at the end.
Serve mashed potatoes or boiled rice at the side dish.
Recipe 4. Pollock in batter
Ingredients:
Pollock fillet 1.2 kg
Salt
Honey 50 g
Apple cider vinegar 100 ml
Soy sauce 25 ml
Rosemary 3-4 sprigs
Sauce:
Sour cream (25%) 200 g
Flour 150 g
Chopped thyme 50 g
Salt 10 g
White ground pepper 5 g
Sesame seeds, fried 100 g
Spread for frying 200 g
Cooking:
Cut the pollock meat into strips or cubes, put in a bowl and marinate with honey, salt, vinegar and soy sauce. Mix the pieces with the marinade, transfer them into a plastic bag, and put fresh sprigs of rosemary in it. You can leave the bag overnight in the refrigerator by tying it tightly.
Just before frying, combine sour cream with flour, beat with a blender, adding spices, thyme and fried sesame seeds.
Drain the pickled fish pieces with a napkin, breaded in flour and, dipping each piece into the cooked batter, spread the tongs into boiling fat, frying until cooked.
Recipe 5. Fried Trout with Lemon and Olives
Ingredients:
Olives 100 g
Trout steaks 2 pcs.
Slices of lemons 4 pcs.
Butter, melted 60 g
Olive oil (for frying) 75 ml
Ground Almonds 50 g
Flour 120 g
Salt, ground pepper mixture
Cooking:
Sprinkle trout steaks washed and lightly dried with napkins and sprinkle with lemon juice and roll in flour, combined with spices, nuts, salt. Heat oil and fry steaks, 10 minutes on each side. Cover the pan with a lid for 5 minutes to steam the fish, and then fry it again on both sides for 2-3 minutes with the lid open, until a crust forms.
Serve with slices of lemons, chopped rings with olives, pouring hot oil.
How to fry fish in a pan - useful tips and tricks
Before frying the fish in a pan in flour, wash it and sprinkle with lemon juice to remove the smell.
After preparing the fish, knives and dishes after cooking the fish, rub with lemon peel or vinegar.
Waste after cleaning the fish is best removed from the premises immediately after processing. This is an extremely dangerous source of infection.
Fish can and should be included in the children's diet, but children should not eat fried fish. Especially for them, boil a piece of pulp. If the child refuses to eat fish because of its smell, add lemon zest, bay leaf, a lot of greens to the fish broth, or combine the fish broth with chicken so that the baby does not notice anything, and make meatballs with rice from fish meat.
