Delicious salted sprat. Pickled sprat. The salting process itself

It is well known that fish should be included in your diet, as it contains many useful substances. In Soviet times, Thursday was considered a fish day. Then in all the canteens you could try different fish dishes. The choice of fish in the stores was quite rich. Wealthy citizens could buy herring or mackerel, but pensioners and students most often bought spicy salted sprat. Many housewives do it at home.

Useful properties of sprat

Sprat is a small fish that can be found in the seas of the Northern Hemisphere. It is distinguished by a small body and small scales. Some people confuse this fish with bleak and sprat, as they are very similar. Sprat, like other types of fish, contains a lot of protein and little fat. The calorie content of 100 grams of salted fish is less than 140 calories. Accordingly, it is suitable for people who watch their weight.

Meat contains vitamins B, PP, A, K and E. All of them are necessary for the normal functioning of the entire body. Sprat meat is rich in the following minerals:

• sodium;
• magnesium;
• calcium;
• phosphorus;
• chlorine;
• iron.

Salted sprat does not lose its beneficial properties and can be recommended to healthy people. But for people who suffer from seafood intolerance, it is better to avoid this fish. Salted sprat is not recommended for people who suffer from kidney disease. Spicy pickle can be harmful during an exacerbation of gastrointestinal diseases.

Little cooking tricks

Almost any housewife can salt sprat at home. If you buy fresh fish, you should not have any problems with salting. Of course, it is best to pickle freshly, but it can only be purchased in coastal cities. For people who live far from the seas, you have to be content with frozen raw materials. You need to carefully inspect the fish before purchasing. The scales of fresh fish should be silver, without rusty spots. Carcasses must be whole and even. If there is a large percentage of broken fish, then it is better to refuse the purchase.

You need to salt the sprat in glass or enamel containers, but it is better to avoid plastic. Before salting, the fish should be defrosted in the refrigerator. The longer it is defrosted, the stronger and more elastic it will be after salting. There will be no benefit from fish defrosted in a microwave oven.

To prepare salted sprat at home, you need to use coarse rock salt. But it is better to refuse salt of the “Extra” or “Iodized” varieties.

Most popular recipes

Spiced salted sprat can be prepared from ordinary products that any housewife has:

• 2 kilograms of fresh fish;
• a pinch of black pepper;
• 400 grams of coarse salt;
• 4 buds of dried cloves;
• 4 peas of allspice;
• 4 bay leaves;
• 2 grams of coriander;
• 2 grams of ground ginger.

First you need to defrost the carcasses and rinse them under cold water. Some housewives place them in a colander, while others dry them with a paper towel. The spices need to be mixed well. Place the fish in a wide bowl and mix with spices. If the bowl has a lid, you can close it and shake the bowl several times.

The bowl of fish should be placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. Place a small board on the sprat and place a jar of water on it. Time preparing delicious treats ranges from 12 to 14 hours. Then it can be eaten. Lightly salted sprat should be stored in the refrigerator at a temperature of about 0 degrees. The same recipe can be used for spicy salting.

At home, recipes can be modernized by adding your favorite spices. Some housewives, on the contrary, refuse seasonings that their family members do not like. Nowadays the recipe for sprat in marinade is very popular. It is very easy to prepare, as it consists of simple ingredients:

• 500 grams of fresh or frozen fish;
• 750 milliliters of water;
• 100 grams of sea salt;
• 50 grams of granulated sugar;
• 5 bay leaves;
• 5 peas of allspice;
• 2 grams of cloves;
• 2 grams of coriander.

The fish must be prepared for salting. First, it is washed and then dried with a paper towel. There is no need to remove the head and entrails. Place a pan of water on the fire. After boiling, turn off the heat and add all the spices. The brine should cool to a temperature of 30−40 degrees. Only then can you fill the fish with it. It should marinate for 24 hours.

A simple recipe for dry salting is popular among young housewives. As a rule, it is used for cooking large fish. To pickle sprat in a quick way, you need not only to wash the carcasses, but also to fillet them. Typically the following products are used:

First, prepare the fish fillet. The head and entrails must be removed and each fish cut lengthwise. Then mix all the spices. The peppercorns must be crushed with a knife so that they impart their aroma to the fish. To the bottom of an enamel pan sprinkle some spice mixture and lay out a layer of fish. Then alternate layers until the ingredients run out. You need to place a small wooden plank on the last layer of the fish. They put any pressure on it, weighing 500-700 grams. The fish will be salted very quickly, and after 4-6 hours it can be put on the table.

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Now, knowing all the secrets, you can begin the cooking process.

How to properly salt sprat using the dry method?

This method does not involve long-term storage and after salting the fish should be eaten soon.

So, we will need:

• 1 kg sprat;
• 2.5-3 tbsp. salt;
• 1 tsp Sahara.

Stir all ingredients thoroughly so that the salt and sugar are evenly distributed. Pour into prepared dishes, cover with a lid (or a plate) and place the weight. We send it to the refrigerator. If the sprat will be salted without pressure, it must be stirred periodically. After 12 hours, the fish can be served.

If you are going to salt a large amount of sprat, then you need to put it in a bowl in layers, alternating with salt, and cover it with oppression on top. After 12-15 hours we will have lightly salted fish, and a day later salted fish.

How to properly salt sprat in brine?

To salt fish in brine, we take the same ingredients as for dry salting (sprat, salt and sugar). The only difference is that you need to prepare the brine. To do this, dissolve sugar and salt in hot water and cool. Then pour in the sprat and leave it under pressure. After 2-3 hours, you can try the product. If it seems like there is not enough salt, add it and put it in a cold place.

How to properly salt spiced sprat?

There are many options for spicy salted sprat, let's look at 2 of them.

For the first method we will need:

• sprat (preferably fresh) – 1 kg;
• black allspice – 10 g;
• peppercorns – 5-6 pcs;
• salt – 2.5 tbsp;
• bay leaf – 4-5 leaves;
• sugar – 1 tsp;
• cloves – 3-5 pcs.;
• ginger – 1 pinch;
• coriander – 1-2 pinches.

We wash the sprat well and leave to drain in a colander. Grind the spices and mix thoroughly. Pour some spices into the bottom of a dish (preferably enamel or wood), then lay out a layer of fish. We alternate until the ingredients run out. Cover, put pressure and send to a cold place.

If you need to salt a small amount of fish, you can simply mix it thoroughly with spices, cover it and weigh it down with something heavy. After 12-15 hours, the spicy-salted sprat will be ready.

For the second recipe, in addition to salt and sugar, you need to take ground red pepper to taste and dill seeds (or white mustard). We gut the sprat and rub it with spices. Then cook as in the first recipe.

How to salt sprat quickly?

To speed up the salting process, it is better to gut the fish and use the wet salting method. It is imperative to apply pressure so that the entire sprat is evenly covered with brine.

In Soviet times, pickled sprat was a special delicacy. However, even now there are many who like to try this fish with boiled potatoes and black bread. And sprat prepared at home, in your own kitchen, will be much tastier than purchased in a fish pavilion. Moreover, in addition to the low cost, high availability of the product and ease of preparation of fish, there are more than enough recipes for marinating it.

Marinated sprat at home: recipes

In spicy brine

For this recipe you will need regular coarse rock salt. It is better to leave fine salt, and especially iodized salt, for preparing other dishes. It is not necessary to gut the sprat - if desired, you can marinate it with the insides.

You will need:

• sprat – 1 kg;
• ground black pepper - to taste;
• coarse salt – 1 glass;
• dry cloves - several buds;
• black peppercorns - several pieces;
• coriander - a pinch;
• bay leaf - three pieces;
• ground ginger - one pinch.

It is important that the sprat used is dense, without unspecified stains.

Preparation

1. First, the fish must be defrosted, and this must be done correctly - in cold water, wrapped in several plastic bags. This way, all the fish juices will remain in the bag and not mix with the water. But it’s better to defrost the sprat at above-zero temperatures on the bottom shelf in the refrigerator. In this case, one night will be enough.
2. Next, the fish should be washed and the carcasses dried. Peppercorns and cloves need to be chopped (not very finely), and then mixed with the rest of the seasonings and salt. The resulting mixture is mixed with the fish in a bowl, and a small kitchen board and pressure are placed on top (this can be a stone or a jar of water).
3. Place a bowl of pickled sprat on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for about a day, then you need to remove excess spices.

Spicy salted sprat is ready! The recipe is simple, but it turns out very tasty. During the marinating process, the fish releases juice, and it should be stored in a glass jar or plastic container, adding a couple of tablespoons of salt.

With vinegar

The next equally simple and tasty recipe is pickled sprat with vinegar. It is ideal as an appetizer if you place the fish on slices of bread.

You will need:

• fresh sprat – 1.3 kg;
• water – 300 ml;
• coarse salt - 1.5 tablespoons;
• sugar – 0.5 tablespoons;
• 20 ml 30% vinegar;
• carnation;
• black peppercorns;
• Bay leaf.

Preparation

Preparing sprat is very simple: the heads, entrails and tails of fresh fish must be removed, poured marinade over it and put in the refrigerator for a day. The marinade is incredibly easy to prepare: just boil water with salt, sugar and spices, cool it and add 20 ml of 30% vinegar. Then it remains to drain the marinade and remove the spices. If desired, after marinating, you can arrange the fish in layers with onions and pour in sunflower oil.

With onions and sweet peppers

The following recipe differs from the previous one in that the sprat has an increased shelf life, since the portion of vinegar has been increased.

You will need:

• sprat – 0.5 kg;
• onions – 3 pcs.;
• sweet green pepper – 3 pcs.;
• parsley;
• salt – 1 tablespoon;
• vinegar - 3 tablespoons;
• sunflower oil – 3 tablespoons.

Preparation

For this method of marinating sprat, you will need to remove the heads and gut the fish, rinse it, mix it with salt, put it in a bowl and refrigerate for twelve hours. Then you need to remove the ridges and lay out the halves of the carcasses in one layer.

The second layer is half rings of green pepper, the third is onion rings and chopped parsley, then sprat again and the previous layers are repeated until there is fish left. Finally, the sprat is filled with vinegar mixed with sunflower oil, so that the fish is covered with the filling. 24 hours in the refrigerator will be enough to taste the fish.

With lemon

An interesting way to marinate sprat with lemon is a useful alternative to marinades with vinegar. In addition, it is not necessary to salt the fish due to the fact that lemon juice saturates it sufficiently.

You will need:

• juice of 2 lemons;
• lemon zest – 1/2;
• coarse salt - 2 tablespoons;
• honey – 4 teaspoons;
• black and white pepper - to taste;
• bay leaf – 2 pieces;
• dill - a small bunch;
• coriander - to taste.

Preparation

All you need is to buy fresh sprat, gut it, remove the tails, heads and fins, rinse, place on a plate and pour over the marinade. All components of the marinade (salt, honey, lemon juice and zest, pepper, coriander, bay leaf) should be combined, mixed with the marinade and left in the refrigerator for two days.

After this, all that remains is to pour oil on the fish, for example olive oil, sprinkle with pepper and chopped dill.

Not everyone knows that, among other things, sprat can be marinated with vegetables - the result is a fairly easy to prepare and inexpensive dish, which will also delight you with its taste.

You will need:

• defrosted, peeled and washed sprat without heads – 2 kg;
• tomatoes – 2 kg;
• peeled carrots and onions – 0.8 kg and 0.5 kg, respectively;
• sunflower oil – 2 tablespoons;
• salt – 1.5 tablespoons;
• sugar – 200 g;
• vinegar 9% - 5 tablespoons;
• bay leaf – 5 pieces;
• black peppercorns – 20 pcs.;
• chili pepper – 1 pod.

Preparation

Onions and carrots must be chopped and fried in sunflower oil. Tomatoes should be minced or chopped using a food processor. Combine fish and vegetables, add bay leaf, black peppercorns and chili.

In this composition, the sprat is stewed for 1.5 hours. Vinegar is added 10 minutes before the end of cooking. Then the fish needs to be cooled, transferred to a glass container and refrigerated. This way it is possible.

Pickling sprat yourself is quite simple; it will be no less tasty than store-bought, but at the same time fresher and prepared without the addition of any harmful preservatives.

We will need the following ingredients:

1 kg. sprat

3 tbsp. spoons of salt.

5 pieces of cloves.

A pinch of ginger.

4 pieces bay leaves.

5 black peppercorns.

Preparation:

First you need to rinse and clean the sprat well, separating the head and entrails. Then put the fish in a colander to drain completely. Then you need to grind the spices, but not very finely, and mix them with salt. You need to grate our sprat with this mixture and transfer it to an enamel bowl. Next, you need to put a weight on the fish and put it in the refrigerator for 12 hours. After this time, the sprat can be served with freshly boiled potatoes.

Due to the fact that the sprat fish is small, it salts very quickly and, most importantly, easily. Sprat is a very healthy fish, it contains a lot of useful microelements, and it is useful to eat during pregnancy and heart disease. Here is a recipe for how to pickle sprat.

Take the sprat in your hands and wash it with water under the tap. Then place it in any saucepan. Add a little salt (about a couple of spoons per kilogram of sprat), of course, stir it in the saucepan and leave it to stand for a while. Add everything else to taste - whoever will like what ready in a few days.

Sometimes I salt fish at home myself. Place the sprat in any container convenient for you, throw it at 1 kg. fish 2 tablespoons of salt, 7 peppercorns and a couple of bay leaves. For flavor, you can also sprinkle lightly with dried dill. You can serve with a light drizzle of sunflower oil.

There are many recipes, but you can try it in a marinade, it turns out very tasty:

1kg sprat

For the marinade:

To obtain salted sprat, you need desire and minimal conditions. First, the fish must be fresh, otherwise its taste will not be what is expected. Second, the fish must be thoroughly washed in running water. Third, you can choose any set of spices you want, but keep in mind that the spices are NOT SUITABLE for frying. But Provencal herbs are a very good option. Fourth, salt the fish well and keep in mind that without shingling it will not be salted evenly in the dish. Good luck and bon appetit!

Sprat salts quickly. You can salt the peeled one, or you can salt the ungutted one. If you like spicy salting, buy spices for fish. Personally, I love Provençal herbs and add them to everything. For a kilo of fish, take two tablespoons, with a small slide, of salt and a teaspoon, without a slide, of sugar. Mix herbs, salt, sugar and coat the fish. Keep the fish under pressure for about five hours, then put it in the cold.

For instant salting. Dip the frozen fish into boiling water and vinegar, leave a few drops for a minute, take it out and immediately add salt. After an hour, the fish is ready.

wow - I did it...thank you honey

To salt sprat, you first need to select the sprat itself, it must not be old, the carcasses are whole, otherwise it will affect the taste of the final result. Wash the fish. For 1 kg of sprat - 2.5 tablespoons of salt (not iodized), if you like it spicy, then add seasonings (any you like), or the most traditional ones are bay leaf, pepper, cloves. Place in a container, sprinkle with salt and spices, cover with pressure and put in a cool place for 12 hours.

Seafood is a delicacy that is especially popular in restaurants all over the world. One of the types of such seafood products is sprat, a small, oblong-shaped fish, which doctors recommend eating in various forms at least once a week. How to pickle sprat at home using different methods and what is needed for this is of interest to many.

The reason for such a great passion and interest in this product lies in the fact that this small fish is endowed with a simply huge range of minerals, vitamins, fats, proteins and other compounds that are easily absorbed in the body and have a beneficial effect on vital human organs. Due to such an abundance of useful substances, this seafood is often present on the menus of unhealthy people, as well as those who are on a particular diet.

Today, sprat can be bought in tomato, in oil, salted, or you can prepare it yourself at home in a wide variety of ways, and one of these methods is salting. At home, you yourself regulate the amount of salt, spices, water, etc., and therefore the seafood turns out much tastier, more aromatic, piquant, and fattier than the store-bought version.

How to pickle sprat at home: secrets and tips for salting

Many people are concerned with the question of how to salt sprat at home in a tasty way, and we have the answer to it. To ensure that the seafood delicacy meets your taste preferences, is beautiful in appearance, aromatic and appetizing, it is important to know a few simple rules:

1. When salting fish, you should use only coarse rock salt; it perfectly saturates the product from the inside, which fine extra salt cannot do.
2. Large sprat should be gutted and filleted before salting. This will allow the fish to be better salted, plus after the salting process it will be more convenient to consume the seafood.
3. Only fresh sprat is suitable for salting; it is better not to use a frozen product, as in the end, if it has been stored for a long time, you can feel a specific smell and taste. If you have to salt a frozen product, first subject it to the natural defrosting process.
4. In order for salted sprat to be stored longer, you need to add more salt when preparing it, and you should not wash the fish before salting, even when you gut it.
5. It is best to use sugar in recipes along with salt; it makes small fish more elastic.
6. It is best to use enamel or glass dishes for salting; it is better not to use plastic containers, they can transmit an unpleasant, persistent smell of plastic to the fish.

Seasonings and spices for salting sprat

To know how to salt sprat deliciously at home, it is important to know how much and what spices you need to add. The main ingredient in any salting of fish is salt. In addition to it, depending on the recipe, you can add coriander, mustard powder, cloves, cinnamon, rosemary, nutmeg or pine nuts, pepper, dill, Provençal, as well as other herbs and spices to the sprat at the time of salting.

The amount of seasonings and spices is selected depending on the taste preferences of the person and the people who will consume the product. As for salt, everything is clear here: the more of it and the longer the fish is in it, the more salty the seafood will be.

On a note! In stores you can purchase a special set of spices for salting fish. This bag will contain a list of seasonings that are most suitable for fish dishes. On the package you can also find the amount of seasoning recommended for a specific weight of fish product, which means you will not overdo it with the use of one or another spice in the process of salting the sprat.

How to pickle sprat at home in brine quickly and tasty

1. This is a classic, one might say traditional Russian recipe, it does not require any effort or expense, all you need to do is purchase fresh sprat, salt and sugar to prepare a delicious appetizer.

To salt a kilogram of fresh or previously defrosted sprat you will need:

- 2.5 full tablespoons of table salt (without a slide);

- 1 teaspoon of sugar;

- 400-450 ml. fresh cold water;

- enamel bowl.

Cooking process:

Stir salt and sugar in warm water until these products are completely dissolved. Allow the resulting mass to cool to room temperature; the brine should be neither hot nor warm.
Place the fish in a bowl, fill it with the resulting brine, and put it in a cool place for 2-3 hours.

Stir the fish, cover it with any object - a cutting board, a lid, etc., place a jar of water on top. In other words, the sprat should be put under pressure for a while. In such conditions, you should keep your seafood for a day and you’re done. Salted sprat can be served.

This method will be good for those who do not plan to store salted fish for a long time. If you want to add some zest to the dish, you can add some spices to the brine to suit your taste, for example, pepper, cloves, etc.

2. Salting at home with spiced brine.

Ingredients:

— A kilogram of sprat.

- Salt must be coarse - 2 heaped tbsp. spoons.

- Granulated sugar - 0.5 tbsp. spoons.

— Lavrushka – 3 pcs. (can be used either whole or chopped).

— Dried coriander – a third of a tablespoon.

— Carnation in buds – 3 pcs.

- Allspice - half a tbsp. lie

— Chopped garlic clove or half a spoon of granulated product.

— Filtered, distilled, pure water – 0.5 l.

How to pickle sprat in spicy brine.

1. Pour sugar into hot water, then salt and all the spices listed in turn, carefully place the ingredients until the salt is completely dissolved in the water. Place the brine on the fire, bring to a boil, remove the pan from the stove and leave the liquid under the lid to cool. The brine must cool completely.
2. Pour the fish into the salting dish; if necessary, it should first be defrosted and cleaned. Distribute the seafood over the entire bottom of the container.
3. Pour the prepared brine into a bowl, and distribute the spices that float in it evenly throughout the sprat.
4. Cover the bowl with a lid of a smaller diameter or a plate, press down with any weight, keep the dish in the room for 2 hours, and then take it out to the balcony or put it in the refrigerator to pickle. After a day, the sprat can be eaten.

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Dry salting of sprat

Salting sprat at home can be different; one of the salting methods is dry. The main difference between this method lies in the fact that the seafood is salted without adding water, exclusively in salt and seasonings, which means the dish is prepared much faster than in brine.

To prepare we take:

• — 1.5 kg. small fish (sprat).
• - 0.5 spoons of granulated sugar.
• - spices for salting seafood (can be purchased) - 20 gr. (one package).

How to salt sprat using the dry method, step by step recipe.

1. Thaw the fish product if it is frozen. This should be done in a natural environment, that is, you first need to take out the sprat, put it out of the bag in a bowl and put it in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning the seafood will be ready.
2. Mix salt with seafood seasoning and sugar.
3. Pour the spices into the bowl where the fish will be salted, carefully with your hands so as not to damage the small fish, mix the contents. Try to distribute the salt and spices evenly throughout the sprat.
4. Leave the fish to salt in the room for two or three hours, and then put it in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours and you’re done. After 5-6 hours, your fish will be salted and can be served.

Spicy salted sprat at home

Spicy salted sprat, recipe No. 1.

Take for preparation:

• - 2 kg sprat;
• - 100 gr. black pepper (you can grind it yourself, you can buy ready-ground);
• — 350-400 gr. salt;
• — 6-8 buds of dried cloves;
• - 3-4 peppercorns;
• - 100 gr. dried ground coriander;
• - 4-5 bay leaves;
• - optional ground ginger, a small pinch.

How to make spicy lightly salted fish at home.

1. Clean the fish if it is large in size. If the product has been defrosted, squeeze it out a little so that all the water drains out.
2. Mix and grind peppercorns, coriander, cloves and bay leaves in a mortar.
3. Add salt and a pinch of ginger to the above spices, mix the pickling ingredients again.
4. Place the sprat in a salting container, add your spices to it, using your hand very carefully so as not to damage the integrity of the seafood, distribute the mixture of salt and seasonings throughout the fish.
5. Cover the bowl with the fish, place a weight on top, and put it in a cool place to salt for at least 12-14 hours. The longer the seafood is salted, the correspondingly saltier it will be.

- 6-8 bay leaves;

- 0.5 teaspoon ground nutmeg;

- a pinch of cardamom;

- 0.5 spoons of sweet paprika.

On a note! The spices in this recipe can be replaced with a package of special seasoning for salting fish.

Salting process step by step.

Rinse the fish under cold water, drain in a colander and let all the liquid drain well.

Mix all the spices in one bowl.

Place a third of the seasonings on the bottom of the dish where the fish will be salted.

A layer of sprat is placed on top of the spices and covered with another part of the spices, then again a layer of fish and again spices.

Place the load, the sprat should be salted under pressure and remove the dish for 14-15 hours in a cold place. After this time, the fish will be ready.

Attention! Sprinkle the seafood with seasonings and use your hands to spread them over the entire layer of fish.

Now you know, how to pickle sprat at home, any of the described pickling methods is good in its own way, and to understand which one is more to your taste, you need to try each one. It is best to serve salted fish as an appetizer with strong alcoholic drinks, as an addition to boiled potatoes or on a sandwich made of black bread, coated with butter. You can also use sprat salted at home to prepare salads, as well as other cold holiday appetizers.

How to pickle sprat at home, video: