How to pickle pike caviar at home, recipes, video

My husband loves fishing very much and often brings back various trophies from it. Once he caught a huge pike, and I had a problem: how to prepare caviar without spoiling it ? At first I couldn’t figure out how to do this, but it turned out that salting pike caviar at home is really simple. Then the whole family enjoyed sandwiches and pancakes with caviar for a couple of weeks. Now I sometimes specifically buy whole fish just to salt pike caviar at home. And the meat itself turns out very tasty.

About the benefits and harm

This homemade “royal” snack is not just a delicacy, but also a storehouse of necessary and beneficial elements for health.

Due to its low fat content, it is better suited for dietary nutrition than black or red caviar;
it contains a large amount of protein, beneficial microelements, vitamins A and D;
rich in amino acids - this is a real aphrodisiac that helps maintain and strengthen the immune system;
iodine, which is contained in caviar, helps restore its deficiency in the body;
cleanses the blood and improves its composition with regular use;
high omega-3 content is a means of preventing cancer.

There are no special contraindications for consuming such caviar. It should be used with caution only by people prone to allergies or with personal intolerance. It can only be harmful if consumed in excessive quantities. You should also not serve this dish to children under three years of age.

How is pike caviar useful?

Due to the fact that pike caviar contains a very low amount of fat (only 1.5%), it is considered a dietary product. It contains easily digestible minerals and lecithin, so it is recommended for inclusion in the diet of weakened people and patients in the postoperative period. In addition, the main beneficial properties of pike caviar include:

strengthening the immune system by saturating the body with biologically active substances;
beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system, improving blood circulation, normalizing blood pressure, increasing hemoglobin levels;
improving the functioning of the nervous system, having a positive effect on the functioning of the brain;
improving the condition of the skin (dermis), strengthening nails and hair;
protecting the body from premature aging.

Preparing for pickling

The first step is to cut the fish and remove the caviar from the pike. Then you need to remove the film to release it. It is also necessary to remove all debris and cleanse the blood.

Here are a few life hacks from fishermen on how to separate caviar from the film:

Using a meat grinder. The only negative is that the film will wrap around the knives, and if they are too sharp, you will have to clean the caviar from the ground film, and this is extra work;
you can use a mixer, then the film simply remains on the whisk and is easy to remove;
You can remove the film using a coarse grater and then the film and veins will simply remain in your hands;
a good option is to use a sieve, the result will be similar to a coarse grater;
Another option is to pour boiling water over the caviar and stir thoroughly for 5 minutes until the film separates. Then rinse the eggs with cold water to remove all debris. The procedure must be repeated several times.

Salting methods at home

It may seem that salting caviar at home requires a lot of time and many additional ingredients. And why bother with such a complicated matter when there is such a large selection in stores. However, no special ingredients are required for salting pike caviar; all of them are already in the housewife’s kitchen; to reduce the time, you can use a quick recipe.

How to pickle pike caviar

Due to its taste characteristics, it is not for nothing that pike caviar is considered a royal delicacy. It takes its honorable third place, after red and black caviar. It is considered a dietary product due to its low fat content. It is a source of valuable product such as protein.

In addition, it contains a sufficient amount of microelements and other useful substances. It is quite natural that one pike will not be enough to annoy the calves. Therefore, you need to catch as many predators as possible.

Cold salting method

This is an old method of salting caviar; our ancestors used it, but even now the cold method has not lost its popularity. According to this recipe, caviar is salted without heat treatment, so its quality must be high. This method can be used while hiking or fishing.

Ingredients

1 kg pike caviar
6 tablespoons salt

Recipe

First you need to cut the fish and remove the caviar from the abdomen along with the bag. Cut it into large pieces and remove the film with a fork or knife.
Place the caviar in a deep bowl and add hot water, this way we sterilize it to kill all the parasites. It is necessary to stir periodically. It is important to drain the water as it becomes cloudy. Repeat the procedure 2-3 times.
After this, you need to lightly dry the caviar for 15–20 minutes; for this you can use a colander, shot with several layers of gauze.
Sprinkle the dried caviar with salt and stir. During mixing, foam will begin to form, which must be skimmed off.
Transfer the caviar to a clean, sterilized container and refrigerate for 48 hours.
After this time, the foam will dissolve and the caviar will become aromatic. You can generously spread it on pancakes or fresh rye bread and enjoy the taste of homemade bread.

Quick salting of pike caviar

The easiest way, which requires only fresh fish and salt.

Ingredients:

Preparation:

Cut the fish and carefully, so as not to damage the film, remove the eggs from the abdomen.
Wash and cut into several pieces with a sharp knife.
Use a knife to lift the film and remove the eggs in thin layers.
The film should remain in your hand, and the eggs on the board.
Transfer the peeled caviar to a large bowl.
Pour hot water, stir, let the eggs settle to the bottom and drain the water.
Repeat the procedure several times, only rinse with cold water until the liquid becomes clear.
Add salt to clean caviar and stir until the crystals dissolve.
Let it salt for a few hours.

Serve the finished caviar on sandwiches with butter or in tartlets on a festive table.

Hot salting method

This method is similar to the cold one, the only difference is that the caviar is thermally processed and does not require long-term storage.

Ingredients

0.5 kg caviar
1.5 liters of water
3 tablespoons salt
1 spoon of sunflower oil

Recipe

First you need to remove the caviar and rinse it well.
Get rid of the film using one of the convenient methods and transfer it to a deep container.
Rinse with hot water 2-3 times, stirring occasionally.
Bring 1.5 liters of water to a boil, and add 3 tbsp. l. salt. Remove from heat and leave to cool to 80 degrees.
Pour hot water over the caviar and leave for 5 minutes. The water will become cloudy, but there will be no foam.
Place gauze, folded in several layers, into a colander. Pour the caviar into it and let it stand for 20 minutes.
After that, transfer it to a bowl and pour in sunflower oil. Start whisking with a fork for 3-5 minutes until it lightens.
Transfer the finished mixture into a container or jar, close and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or preferably overnight. And in the morning you can have breakfast with delicious sandwiches with homemade caviar.

Recipes for salting pike caviar

Simple technology based on sunflower oil

Product composition:

pike caviar – 0.5 kg;
salt – 3 tbsp. spoons;
vegetable oil – 100 ml.

Salt is poured into cleaned and well-washed caviar. Take a fork and beat the contents until white foam appears. After this, 2/3 of the prepared vegetable oil is poured into the salted caviar and mixed thoroughly, after which the caviar is placed in the refrigerator. While the caviar is in the refrigerator, it's time to prepare jars for storing the caviar.

Since there is not a lot of caviar, it is better to take small containers, for example, for baby food, mustard or horseradish. Before use, the container must be sterilized with steam or in the oven for 15 minutes. The same procedure should be done with lids.

The caviar is poured into jars, and a 1 cm thick layer of sunflower oil is poured on top of it. The jars are tightly closed, and the caviar is placed in the refrigerator for 5 days. After this period, the caviar can be eaten.

Method of “hot” preparation of caviar

The following components will be needed:

pike caviar;
sea salt (for 0.5 kg of caviar you will need 2 tablespoons);
sunflower oil.

This option involves cooking caviar in boiling salt water. If you add 400 g of salt to 1 liter of water, you will get a fairly salty solution called brine. After boiling such a solution for 2 minutes, caviar is poured into it. Literally immediately the caviar is removed from the heat and filtered. Before serving caviar, sunflower oil is added to it for taste. Such a delicacy can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 3 days, although it is unlikely that it will be able to stand in the refrigerator for that long: it will simply be eaten.

Five-minute recipe

Cooking process:

Take 1 liter of water for every 200g of pike caviar.
Water is placed on the fire along with sea salt (fine). You need to take 2 tbsp of salt. spoons for every liter of water.
Water with salt is brought to a boil, various seasonings are added to this composition.
Prepared caviar is taken and poured with this marinade, after which the product is left for 10-15 minutes. In this case, only part (half) of the solution is used in order to disinfect the caviar and better clean it.
After this, the water is drained and the caviar is filtered through cheesecloth. The remainder of the solution is put on the fire and brought to a boil, after which the caviar is poured over it again, but for half an hour. You can stir with a fork. After this time, the caviar is filtered again.
The product is salted to taste.
For 100g of caviar you should take 100 ml of sunflower oil.
Beat the mixture of caviar, salt and butter with a fork until white foam appears.
The caviar is placed in a transparent container and placed in the refrigerator for 4 hours. That's all, the homemade delicacy is ready.

Pickling with vinegar

Ingredients

500 grams of caviar
3 tablespoons of vinegar and the same amount of sunflower oil
1 onion, several green onions and spices to taste.

Recipe

Remove the caviar from the cut fish, remove the film and divide it into grains
Leave it in boiled water for 10 minutes until the grains turn white.
Add diced onion, oil and vinegar. Spices, salt, pepper are added to taste.
Leave to infuse in the cold for 1.5-2 hours. Use green onions as a garnish when serving.

How to fry pike caviar

There is a way to prepare fried pike caviar that does not require lengthy cleaning.

You will need the following ingredients:

pike caviar in film - 500 g;

flour - 3 tbsp. l.

salt - to taste;

vegetable oil for frying.

The preparation of this dish is quite simple, although it has its secrets:

Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan.

Roll pike caviar in salted flour and fry on each side for a couple of minutes.

Cover with a lid and steam until done over low heat.

The finished dish should not be hard or dry. To do this, the main thing is not to overexpose it over high heat. Serve caviar with finely chopped fresh herbs.

If you want to use it as a filling, you will need to clean it first using one of the methods described above. By thoroughly frying it in vegetable oil, you will get a delicious filling for pies or rolls.

Whipped caviar

Ingredients

400 grams of caviar
2 liters of water
4 tablespoons fine salt
1 cup vegetable oil and spices as desired

Recipe

Release the caviar from the film in a convenient way.
Boil water and add salt.
Pour the salty solution over the caviar and leave to marinate for 15 minutes.
Line a colander with several layers of gauze and strain out all the liquid, but do not pour it out.
Boil the marinade again and marinate again. Let sit for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Drain off excess water, add spices and salt
Add oil and beat until white foam forms.
Place in containers and refrigerate to marinate for at least 4 hours.

Salting with butter

Ingredients

Kilogram of caviar
10 tablespoons salt
A stick of butter

Recipe

Remove the caviar along with the film from the fish and do not rinse. Cut into medium pieces.
Pour in warm water, stirring it. Rinse 2-3 times.
Fold the gauze into several layers and line a colander with it. Pour the washed caviar onto cheesecloth and let the water drain for 15 minutes.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add salt at the rate of 300 g. caviar - 2 tbsp. l. salt. Mix well until foam forms and skim off the foamy top.
Melt the butter in a water bath and mix with caviar
Place in the refrigerator for 15–20 minutes, after it hardens you can taste it.

Step-by-step preparation of salted pike caviar in a cold way

1. Before salting pike caviar at home, the product should be subjected to simple processing. First we wash it, then remove the top film and grind it through a metal sieve with medium mesh size. This manipulation allows you to remove all the films.

2. According to our recipe, it is recommended to salt pike caviar that does not have unnecessary inclusions. The starting raw material must be homogeneous.

3. Before salting pike caviar according to our step-by-step recipe, you need to add finely chopped onions to the mass. But this moment is not for everyone, i.e. you don't have to add it.

4. Add salt and vinegar to the mixture, mix thoroughly.

5. After this, sterilize a glass jar of a suitable size and transfer the entire product into it. Cover with a lid and place in the refrigerator. The minimum period for salting pike caviar is 12 hours. Over time, the taste becomes slightly richer.

6. Finding out how to salt pike caviar is half the battle; you also need to know how much and how to store it. The product is prepared with the addition of simple preservatives. According to our cooking recipe, it is best to salt pike caviar using a small amount of salt and vinegar, available in any kitchen and not prohibited for use in cooking. Therefore, its shelf life is relatively short - about 2 weeks. Moreover, storage is carried out only in the refrigerator at a temperature no higher than +3 degrees.

7. Salted pike caviar is ready! It is usually served as a filling for white bread sandwiches with butter, and is sometimes added to salads.

1. How to pickle pike caviar

2. Proven recipe for salting pike caviar

How can you use ready-made snacks?

Pike caviar is a great appetizer. It can be spread on sandwiches with butter, served with pancakes, or cooked with fish soup or cutlets. And if you mix it with green onions and sour cream you get a delicious salad. You can also make a delicious pate, this is a favorite dish of Canadians. It is also served as an addition to egg treats and used for stuffing fish. The product goes well with other seafood, oils, herbs, cheese and vegetables cooked over a fire.

Pike caviar pancakes

Ingredients

Pike caviar - 400 gr.
Egg - 1 pc.
Sour cream – 40 gr
Soda - 1 tsp.
Flour - 60 gr.
Vegetable oil - 60 ml
Salt, spices - to taste

Recipe

Add egg, salt, pepper to the prepared pike caviar and mix
Add sour cream and then soda and mix everything well again
Add sifted flour
Mix everything with a blender until smooth
Fry on both sides in hot vegetable oil until golden brown.

Pike caviar cutlets

Ingredients

Caviar – 600 gr
Eggs - 2 pcs.
Flour - 1 tbsp. l.
Oil for frying
Salt, pepper - to taste

Recipe

Mix caviar, eggs, salt, spices and a few tablespoons of flour.
Knead the minced meat, place it on the heated oil using a spoon and fry on both sides until golden brown.

Pike caviar soup

Ingredients

300 grams of pike caviar
5–6 heads of pike
100 grams red fish fillet
4 medium potatoes
1 onion
1 medium carrot
Fresh herbs, spices

Recipe

It is necessary to remove the eyes and gills from pike heads, rinse well and cook over low heat until cooked. Add spices, salt
Cut vegetables into large cubes.
Divide the fish fillet into small pieces
After the broth is ready, you need to strain it and cook again.
Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for another 10 minutes.
When serving, garnish with herbs

Saline method

In previous methods, it was necessary to add salt directly to the caviar. To do this, you need to beat it with a fork, which disrupts the structure of the eggs and spoils the appearance of the product. If you use a saline solution called brine, the grains will remain round and whole.

Cooking process:

Caviar in bags is taken from the fish carcass, cleaned of films and placed in a deep vessel. Next, it is washed several times under hot and cold water to destroy parasites.
A saturated saline solution is prepared in a separate container. For 1 liter of water you will need several tablespoons of salt. It is better to use boiling water to further disinfect the caviar.
Pour the prepared solution into pike caviar and let it steep for 30 minutes. Next, the mixture is poured into a sieve to remove excess liquid. Caviar is ready to eat.

You can add a small amount of vegetable oil to the finished caviar. Additional ingredients include green or onions and spices to taste.

Recipes for salting pike caviar are not much different. This is due to the fact that pike caviar has its own rich taste and aroma and does not require the addition of spices. The main purpose of salting it is to get rid of parasites and other microorganisms that may be in it and transmitted to humans. Caviar can be served on the table in a separate container, and pancakes can be placed on a nearby dish. There are also recipes for sandwiches and tartlets with butter and pike caviar. It goes well with fresh vegetables and green onions.