Very juicy fish cutlets - a recipe for making pike
To prepare such minced meat cakes, I usually use pike, it has white meat. My husband is an avid fisherman; we process the catch ourselves. Other large species, such as cod, are also suitable. They can be sea, river or lake fish, but always the freshest. There are several ways to determine their degree of freshness - a pleasant aroma, pink or red gills, mucus that is clear and not cloudy and sticky. Large fish without skin should be cut into small pieces and chopped several times so that there are no bones.
Tip: You can also use frozen product, defrost it and then lightly squeeze out the excess water with your hands. Check for bones and chop as usual.
Ingredients:
- - pike fish fillet (any white fish will do) - 600 gr.
- - corn starch - 2 tbsp.
- - yogurt or sour cream - 2 tbsp.
- - salt, pepper - to taste.
- — onion — 1 pc.
- — carrots — 1 pc.
- - tomato paste - 2 tbsp.
- - water 1,300 ml.
- - vegetable oil for frying
Cooking steps:
1. Grate the carrots, cut the onion into cubes, mix together in a bowl.
2. Before chopping the fillet, I cool it, then the cutlets will have an ideal shape. I blend it in a blender and transfer it to a large bowl.
3. I mix the resulting minced meat with starch, yogurt or sour cream, onions and carrots, salt and pepper. I knead all the ingredients long and thoroughly. I do it in the same way as when preparing classic minced meat. The mass should not be too liquid; for these purposes, starch can be added to bind it. The minced meat should have a perfectly smooth consistency, and the cutlets should not fall apart when frying. Before I start making cutlets, I put the mixture in the refrigerator for a while to cool. With wet hands I form flattened cakes.
4. I prepare a frying pan, take it of sufficient size, and start heating it. I add oil for frying, I use a little of it, since the flatbreads absorb little of it. I start laying the cutlets, frying them on both sides until a nice golden color for 5 minutes. I fry the rest in this way. I don’t use breading, I do without it, so I fry the flatbreads in well-heated oil, keeping a distance between them of at least 1.5–2 cm.
5. Be careful not to burn the dish too quickly. If necessary, reduce burner power. The cutlets should not fry too quickly. They can take longer to cook, it all depends on the pan, its thickness and the power of the burner. They absorb little fat, so you probably won't have to add any to the pan.
6. Mix tomato paste with water, pour the cutlets into the carcass for 5 minutes under the lid, they turn out juicy and tender, ready to be served.
The traditional side dish for fish cutlets is potatoes, stewed vegetables, rice and pasta. To enrich the taste of the dish, you can add sauce, then it will turn into a real delicacy. Most often, lemon juice, mayonnaise, ghee, tomato paste, herbs and white wine are used to prepare the sauce.
How to cook?
Cooking delicious, juicy fish at home is not difficult at all. The main thing is to choose the right carcass so that it is fresh, whole, without bruises or other mechanical damage. Pay attention to the smell - it should be characteristic fishy, without fragrances or additional flavors.
Before cooking, kaluga must be thoroughly rinsed under the tap, gutted, and the fillet parts dried - after which you can begin frying, baking, and stewing.
Fried kaluga in olive oil is especially popular among gourmets. It is also served with creamy or mushroom sauce, in combination with which the fish reveals its taste to the fullest. In addition to olive oil, of course, you can use vegetable oil. It is better to bake in the oven with butter - an appetizing golden crust will form and a pleasant milky aroma will appear.
What to add to minced fish for cutlets to make them juicy and soft
If desired, add cream, raw potatoes or bread to the mixture for juiciness. As an additive you can use eggs, onions, herbs and spices, lemon juice. Some recipes allow you to use small quantities of chicken. If desired, you can season with a level teaspoon of your favorite herbs, such as marjoram, rosemary, tarragon and sage. Many recipes recommend adding garlic to cutlets, but experienced housewives consider it unnecessary because it overpowers the delicate, delicate taste of the fish.
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Calories and nutritional value
The energy value in 100 grams of the raw product is 167 kcal, proteins contain 18 g, fats - 10 g. A significant place in the composition is given to water - there is 71 g of it. By the way, there are no carbohydrates. True, the calorie content depends on the chosen method of preparing the fish. For example, fried in vegetable oil will contain 249 calories, boiled - only 187.
As a dietary component, experts advise using meat that is steamed or baked in the oven.
Frying in oil will add harmful fats and carcinogens, which will have a detrimental effect not only on your diet, but also on your overall well-being.
The energy ratio (BJU) as a percentage of a 100-gram serving looks like this - 22: 15.4: 0.
The glycemic index, like all seafood, is kept to a minimum, or rather, to zero. Doctors allow people with diabetes and excess weight to eat kaluga dishes without fear of spikes in blood sugar or increased feelings of hunger.
How to fry fish cutlets in a frying pan
This mince is more liquid than meat, so it is best to cook it breaded so that the cakes remain juicy and in shape. You can roll the cutlets in flour. If you don't like the breading, it's better to refuse. And in order for the products to keep their shape, they need to be fried in well-heated oil. In the first minutes, the cutlets should be cooked over high heat and without a lid, and as soon as a crust forms on both sides, the heat is reduced and the pan is covered with a lid.
This is not only healthy, but also a very juicy and tasty product. You can prepare it in different ways. A well-cooked fish cutlet turns out juicy and tender, even those who don’t eat it will like it. The dish is suitable for everyday meals and family celebrations. Many of us still remember with nostalgia the special taste and aroma of this classic, which was offered on Thursdays at a nearby cafeteria.
What kind of fish is suitable for cutlets?
In principle, cutlets can be made from any fish - residents of the Black Sea coast in the fall, when anchovy, a small fish of the anchovy family, comes, manage to make delicious cutlets even from it. You can use both sea and river fish for cutlets, as long as it is fresh. This is perhaps the most important secret of delicious fish cutlets. If this is a high-quality fresh product, the unpleasant smell that scares many people away will be guaranteed to be absent, and the cutlets themselves will turn out aromatic, tender and very tasty. For minced meat, of course, meaty varieties of fish are more suitable, from which there is almost no waste left when cutting. Cutlets made from pike perch, pike, catfish, cod, salmon, catfish, etc. are good. When purchasing, check the fish for freshness and, putting aside any embarrassment, be sure to smell it. Fresh river fish should not smell like mud, and sea fish may have a faint smell of fresh cucumber, which is especially characteristic of salmon. To make the cutlets tasty, you need to know some secrets.
Lush fish dish with the addition of semolina
If you want plump and tender cutlets, cook them from cod meat with semolina and vegetables. For a treat, you should choose a chilled fish carcass that has not been frozen. Then the meatballs will be especially tasty.
Cooking time: 1 hour
Number of servings: 7
Energy value
- calorie content – 112.6 kcal;
- proteins – 12.4 g;
- carbohydrates – 3.2 g;
- fats – 5.8 g.
Ingredients
- cod carcass – 0.75 kg;
- onion – 73 g;
- carrots – 60 g;
- thyme – 3 g;
- coriander – 4 g;
- savory – 2-3 g;
- allspice – 2 g;
- semolina – 67 g;
- walnuts (crushed) – 100 g;
- egg – 1 pc.;
- salt – 7 g;
- garlic – 1 clove;
- oil (for frying) – 70 ml.
Step-by-step preparation
- Clean and gut the cod. Then remove the bones and rinse well. Cut the resulting fillet into large pieces, load it into a meat grinder and turn it into minced meat.
- Wash the peeled onion, divide it into several parts, put it in a blender and grind.
- Cut the skin off the carrots, rinse under running water, then pass through a medium grater.
- Remove the peel from the garlic clove and chop into small pieces.
- Mix minced cod with vegetables, beat in an egg, add spices and add salt. Add semolina and knead vigorously with wet hands. Leave the prepared mixture covered for 12-17 minutes (to allow the cereal to swell).
- In order for cutlets without bread to retain their shape during cooking, the minced meat must be beaten. To do this, the meat mass must be thrown with force onto a flat surface, then lifted and repeat the procedure about 8-10 times.
- Make oval pieces from minced fish, trying to keep them the same size.
- Pour crushed nuts into a plate and bread all the products.
- Heat a saucepan with sunflower oil, fill its bottom with cutlets and fry them for four minutes on all sides. Then add water (70 ml) to the meatballs and simmer in a closed container for another 5-6 minutes until the liquid completely disappears.
This is interesting: any large fish is suitable for making minced meat. It is easier to remove all the bones from a large carcass, and if they are completely absent, you can chop the fillet with a knife.
Distribute the finished meatballs onto plates and offer to try them warm. Each serving should be decorated with lettuce leaves and lemon slices.
A very tasty recipe for minced halibut without a loaf in the oven
Baked balls of sea fish and ripe vegetables will lift your spirits and fill you up perfectly after a hard day. You can quickly prepare such a dish with your own hands using affordable and inexpensive products that can always be found on store shelves.
Cooking time: 55 minutes
Number of servings: 6
Energy value
- calorie content – 103 kcal;
- proteins – 10.6 g;
- carbohydrates – 3.1 g;
- fats – 2.8 g.
Ingredients
- halibut pulp – 0.5 kg;
- leek – 110 g;
- Chinese cabbage – 90 g;
- quail eggs – 3 pcs.;
- small crackers (homemade) – 40 g;
- sour cream (25%) – 30 g;
- garlic – 2 cloves;
- sea salt – 7 g;
- paprika – 2 g;
- marjoram – 4 g;
- hot pepper – 1 g.
Step-by-step preparation
- Wash the halibut meat, dry with a towel, cut into pieces. Place the fillets in a food processor and grind thoroughly.
- Rinse the leeks with tap water and chop finely.
- Wash the cabbage, then turn it into a paste using a blender.
- Peel the garlic cloves and pass through a press.
- Place the chopped vegetables into the minced meat, add eggs, lightly add salt and add spices. Then add the crackers and stir vigorously with wet palms.
- Now you need to form the minced meat into balls. To do this, you need to scoop up a little fish mass with a tablespoon, and then turn it into a neat ball. Using the same principle, mold the rest of the products.
- Place the semi-finished products on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place it in the preheated oven.
- Bake the products for half an hour at 195 degrees until light brown.
Tip: for juiciness, you can add 100-120 g of grated raw potatoes to the minced fish. Meatballs baked in the oven will be even tastier if they are pre-lubricated with mayonnaise.
Place this delicious treat on a beautiful plate, cover with finely chopped herbs and serve. It is better to eat it with boiled pasta and pickles.
How to remove fish smell
It should be noted that such cutlets should smell like fish, but some people don’t really like it. You can resort to various methods of disguise. Stew fried or baked cutlets in sour cream, cream or tomato sauce. The gravy can also be mixed.
The smell can be masked directly during the production of minced meat, and for this they use:
- nutmeg;
- different types of peppers, such as black, white, red, bitter and allspice;
- spices;
- parsnip;
- parsley;
- dill;
- basil;
- thyme;
- green and onions.