Spicy salting of sprat at home. How to pickle sprat at home - recipes

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 cool 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.

Long gone are the times when in our country only sprat and gobies were caught, and only zucchini were spawned - judging by the shelves of our stores at that time. Modern supermarkets have a huge selection of different fish, and the once super-popular small fish is by no means a hit in fish sales today.

But, salted with your own hands, it can become a real sensation at a picnic with friends - provided that you know exactly how to salt sprat.

Choosing a salting method

There are only 2 ways in which you can salt sprat at home: dry method or in brine. The salting method should be chosen depending on how long you plan to store the salted fish. If the fish is served on the table after a day or two, then salt it using the dry method. If you need to preserve it longer, then it is better to salt the sprat in brine.

When salting, keep in mind that the longer the fish is in the brine, the saltier it becomes.

Therefore, be sure to adjust the amount of salt according to the time the fish is stored: the longer it is stored, the less seasoning you need to put in the brine.

In addition to salt, to give the fish a special, spicy taste, you can use some spices and seasonings:

• mustard (can be either in grains or powder);
• coriander;
• powdered red pepper;
• black pepper;
• white pepper;
• allspice (both grains and powder);
• Bay leaf;
• carnation;
• Dill seeds.

What’s good about salting sprat is the opportunity to experiment, combining the amount of different seasonings and spices to your liking. As a result, the taste of salted fish always turns out different and unique.

If instead of sprat you are offered sprat or sprats for salting, feel free to take it. Tulka and sprats are two subspecies of sprat, so you can salt them according to the same recipe.

Even if you use one recipe, the taste of fish salted fresh and frozen and then thawed according to it will be different - fresh salted kale is much tastier.

Sprat intended for long-term storage should not be washed before salting: washed sprat cannot be stored for a long time. This fish should be washed immediately before eating.

If you are salting large sprat, it is better to salt the fillet by first removing the entrails. When salting small and medium-sized fish, you do not need to remove the entrails - get rid of them immediately before serving.

For salting sprat, medium-fraction rock salt is used. Fine salt will not salt the insides of the fish, but when using coarse salt, it is easy to over-salt the fish.

In order for the sprat to remain tight for a long time and not “fall apart”, you need to add a little sugar to the brine, even if it is not mentioned in the pickling recipe.

To salt sprat (or any fish), it is better not to use a plastic container: the salt can “corrode” it, and then instead of the taste of the fish you will “enjoy” the taste of plastic.

If you have to salt frozen sprat, then you need to defrost it at room temperature, otherwise the salted fish will not be stored for a long time. But, if you are expecting guests and want to please them with lightly salted fish, then dip the frozen sprat for a minute in just boiling water, after adding a few drops of vinegar to it, and then salt it. About two hours after salting, such fish can already be served.

Dry method of salting sprat

Measure out 2.5-3 tbsp. spoons of salt, add 1 teaspoon of sugar to them, mix thoroughly and pour into a large plate or other container, the size of which allows you to add 1 kg of sprat to the mixture. If desired, you can add ground pepper or mustard powder to the mixture - from a quarter to half a teaspoon. Pour the fish into this container, mix it thoroughly so that the mixture gets onto each fish as evenly as possible, and place it in a cool place.

Cover the top of the freshly salted sprat with a lid or flat plate and press down with pressure. You can do without pressure, but in this case you will have to stir the sprat every hour for the first 3-4 hours so that it is salted evenly. After 12 hours, you will have ready-made lightly salted sprat, which can be served, and a day later it will be completely salted.

Salting sprat in brine

Salting fish in brine can also be done quickly and easily if you know how to do it correctly. First, the same mixture is prepared as with the dry method, but it is not poured into a container, but dissolved in hot water. Bring the resulting brine to a boil and immediately remove from heat.

Cool it, pour it over the fish, pressing it on top with pressure. Let it brew for 2-3 hours, then taste the brine. If you think that it is not salty enough, add salt to it and send the fish to a cool place to infuse and wait for its finest hour.

Popular recipes for spiced sprat

Do-it-yourself spicy salting of this small fish has long been popular among housewives: storage of the fish can vary from 2-3 days to a month, and the choice of ingredients for salting is large. To prepare spiced sprat, take:

• 1 kg sprat;
• 2.5 tbsp. spoons of salt;
• 1 teaspoon sugar;
• 10 g black allspice;
• 5-6 pcs. peppercorns;
• 4-5 bay leaves;
• 1-2 pinches of coriander;
• a pinch of ginger;
• 3-5 pcs. carnations.

Rinse the fish thoroughly, place it in a colander and leave it in it to drain off excess water. While the water is draining, chop and thoroughly mix all the listed spices into a homogeneous dry mixture. Sprinkle the bottom of the enamel pan with the prepared mixture, place a ball of fish, sprinkle this ball with the mixture, again a ball of fish, sprinkle again, and so on, continue laying until there are enough prepared ingredients. Cover with a plate on top, press down with pressure and place for permanent storage in a cold place. After 12 hours, the salted fish will be ready to serve.

Another version of this recipe: for 1 kg of fish, in addition to salt and sugar, which you need to take the same amount as in the first option, you need to take a pinch of powdered red pepper and a little dill seeds or white mustard (your choice). As in the first option, everything needs to be mixed thoroughly, but that’s where the similarities end.

The second option is more labor-intensive, since it requires first cleaning the sprat by removing its insides.

Then rub the prepared mixture onto the cleaned fish, trying to distribute it evenly on each fish. Then everything follows the pattern; cover with a plate, press down with pressure and send to a cold place for 12 hours.

Knowing what ingredients are needed and how much you will need, you can easily prepare delicious salted sprat. And even if she is not destined to become the highlight of a chic holiday table, be sure that your loved ones and friends will appreciate her taste in close friendly company.

Even such a small fish as sprat can bring a lot of pleasure if it is tasty and properly salted. I suggest preparing spicy salted sprat at home and treating your household to an appetizing fish at a family lunch or dinner.

Don’t forget to boil or fry the potatoes, as spiced sprat harmonizes perfectly with them. If you are not too lazy, you can make sandwiches with black bread and salted sprat. And sprinkle chopped green onions on top. It will be very tasty.

You don’t need any special skills to prepare spicy sprat; the main thing is that you have the right spices and, of course, fresh fish in your kitchen.

Taste Info From fish and seafood

Ingredients

• Fresh sprat - 1 kg;
• Black peppercorns - 1 tsp;
• Coriander, seeds - 2 tsp;
• Allspice, peas - 10 pcs.;
• Carnation - 5 buds;
• Dried rosemary - 1 tsp;
• Sugar - 1 tsp;
• Salt - 100 g;
• Nutmeg, ground - 1-2 pinches;
• Ground cinnamon - 1 pinch;
• Ground ginger -1-3 pinches;
• Cardamom - 3 boxes;
• Bay leaf - 2-3 pcs.

How to cook spiced sprat at home

First of all, buy fresh sprat. When purchasing, pay attention to the appearance and smell. Unspoiled fish has a pleasant fishy aroma. If the sprat is larger, if desired, it can be gutted and the head removed. If the fish is small, as in my case, it is better to salt it whole. Rinse well in cool water and leave for a while to drain excess moisture.

In the meantime, let's prepare the spices, which you can adjust at your discretion. They need to be slightly chopped. For this we use a mortar.

Place the prepared sprat in a stainless or enamel container. Add chopped bay leaf, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and mix well.

Add salt and sugar, cloves, allspice, coriander seeds, dried rosemary. Stir again until all fish layers are saturated with seasonings.

Cover with a clean cloth and place a plate and weight on top. Place in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours. If during the salting process little juice is formed, it is advisable to stir several times so that all the sprat is well salted.

Spicy salted sprat at home is ready. Store in a glass jar with a lid or plastic container, not for very long.

Advice:

• For such “dry” salting, only ordinary rock salt is suitable; under no circumstances use iodized or “Extra” grade salt.
• If you plan to harvest a large volume, fresh fish cannot be washed; it is best to do this immediately before consumption. This way you will significantly extend the shelf life.
• Under no circumstances use plastic containers for pickling - the finished product will instantly absorb the smell and all your efforts will go down the drain.

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Lightly salted sprat in brine

Few people know that in fishing jargon, the brine used to prepare lightly salted sprat is called “tuzluk”. The preparation of a solution with such a funny name involves water, seasonings and spices that are most suitable for fish, emphasizing its taste and allowing it to prolong its shelf life. The ideal option would be, of course, fresh fish, but if your places are not replete with its presence, fresh frozen fish will do just fine. Seasonings that need grinding are best ground in a home coffee grinder or pounded in a mortar - this way the aroma of the spices will be best revealed. In addition, ready-made powders do not always correspond to the name indicated on the package. Water should only be used from spring, filtered or boiled - the presence of chlorine in the water supply system can ruin your product once and for all. By the way, the brine for spicy salted sprat is also suitable for other types of fish - herring, anchovy and even herring. Large specimens of the fish family should be cut into pieces before harvesting for better impregnation with spices and seasonings.

Required ingredients:

• Fresh or frozen sprat – 1 kg;
• Table salt – 2 tsp;
• Granulated sugar – 1 tsp;
• Purified water – 1 liter;
• Peppercorns – 5 pcs.;
• Mustard seeds – ? tsp;
• Coriander and dill po? tsp

Among the spices, clove buds, dill seeds, mustard beans or ground, various peppercorns, red ground paprika, whole or ground bay leaf, coriander seeds and Provençal herbs are perfect.

Preparation:

1. Grind peppercorns and mustard, coriander, and dill seeds using any available method.
2. Dissolve salt and sugar in boiling water, add ground spice mixture and cloves, Provençal herbs, paprika.
3. Bring to a boil, cool.
4. Rinse the fish, gut it if desired and cut off the heads of larger specimens; salt the small ones whole.
5. Pour the prepared raw material with cooled brine, place a lid or plate of suitable diameter on top and press lightly with pressure. A jar of water will do just fine for this purpose.
6. Do not overdo the load so as not to crush the fish!
7. Leave the pickles at room temperature overnight, after the specified period has passed, taste the sprat and add salt if desired.
8. This delight should not be stored in the refrigerator for very long.

Subtleties of preparing lightly salted sprat:

• A small amount of granulated sugar added to the brine significantly improves the quality of frozen fish, even if according to the recipe it is not there - sugar will add elasticity to frozen carcasses.
• For quick salting, freshly frozen fish can be placed in boiling water with a small amount of vinegar, then removed from the boiling water and placed in brine - this way the sprat will be ready for use in a few hours.

Spiced sprat with butter

An excellent replacement for industrial sprats is tender, fresh, elastic and fragrant sprat. If desired and longing for a smoked taste, you can add liquid smoked smoke to the saline solution in the amount indicated on the package.

Ingredients:

Preparation:

1. Grind the spices in a mortar or coffee grinder.
2. Pour vinegar and oil over the spicy mixture and let it brew.
3. Wash the fish and dry on paper towels.
4. Mix sugar and salt, pour this mixture over the prepared carcasses, mix gently so that the fish is salted faster.
5. Place the sprat in an enamel container, cover with a lid, leave for 4 hours.
6. Remove the fish from the resulting brine, place in another non-plastic container, and pour in the oil-vinegar infusion.
7. Leave in a warm place overnight.
8. Store the prepared spiced sprat with butter in the refrigerator.

Advice:

• After handling fresh fish, lubricate your hands with vegetable oil and leave it on the skin for a few minutes. Then wash your hands with warm water and soap - the smell will disappear.
• Do not rush to throw the peels of tangerines, oranges and lemons into the trash. Dry it and put it in a coffee jar. After working with fish or other “fragrant” products, you should set fire to a piece of dried peel and the unpleasant odors will instantly disappear.
• The herring aroma that has permeated the refrigerator can be easily removed with a sponge dipped in a weak solution of green tea or lemon juice.

Sandwiches with sprat

You can make a tasty and inexpensive snack from homemade sprat, spiced and salted.

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• Spicy salted sprat – 4 pcs.;
• Boiled egg - 1 chicken or 4 quail;
• Rye bread – 2 slices;
• Green onions, butter, ground black pepper - to taste.

Preparation:

1. Cut the fish carcasses into fillets without the head and spine.
2. Grease the bread with butter and place a spread sprat on each slice.
3. Garnish with egg halves, sprinkle with pepper and finely chopped green onions

In Estonia, sandwiches with sprat are served with beer and sweet tea, in Russia with vodka. Spicy salted sprat will be appropriate on a buffet table and a festive table, the main thing is to serve it beautifully and tastefully.

Canapés with sprat will be the highlight of the festive table. To do this, take yesterday's baguette or black bread, cut it crosswise into pieces no more than 1 cm thick, and lightly fry. Place a small fish fillet, rolled into a ring, in the middle. On top is a circle of boiled quail egg and a circle of pickled cucumber. Secure the structure with a skewer or toothpick, and squeeze mayonnaise out of a bag or pastry bag around the “slide” with a beautiful roller. Sprinkle with chopped dill or garnish with parsley leaves.

Today I’ll tell you how to salt sprat correctly, dry, in brine and spicy pickling, without spoiling it with unnecessary additives, and at the end you will understand what the real taste of salted sprat is like. The other day I received a large portion of the freshest sprat, freshly caught in our Baltic Sea. It became clear: I will add salt! I have a lot of recipes, but I decided to look at what was offered on the Internet and was a little surprised - there were a lot of strange recipes that had nothing in common with real, salted delicacy fish.

I came across a suggestion on the Internet to add cinnamon when salting – I almost shed a tear, to be honest. Guys, cinnamon in buns is good, put it there, don’t spoil the fish. There are many seasonings that are appropriate in sprat; I will list them below. In the meantime, a little about the fish.

The wonderful fish gained national recognition and love due to its availability and low cost. But this did not happen today: the inhabitants of the Baltic coast were the first to learn how to preserve fish for future use back in the 17th century. In the era of great geographical discoveries, the question arose of creating supplies for sailors during long journeys. But I think that people learned to pickle food earlier than it was first mentioned in historical chronicles.

How to pickle sprat at home

There are two ways of salting fish: dry and in brine - what many call brine. I gave a few, if you are interested, come read it. But before you start pickling, read some tips:

• When salting sprat, use regular salt, stone salt - iodized and too fine salt are not suitable, it only salts the top layer of the fish.
• It is absolutely not necessary to clean the insides of the fish; it is better to remove the insides after cooking. But if the sprat is too large, then first cut it into fillets.
• Try to use fresh sprat for salting; frozen sprat has a completely different taste.
• We decided to salt a large amount of sprat for long-term storage, do not wash it before salting, it is better before using it, otherwise it will not last long. And in this case, add a little more salt than according to the recipe.
• Add a little sugar, even if it is not provided for in the recipe, the fish will become elastic and will not fall apart.
• If you have frozen sprat, first put it in freshly boiled water, adding a few drops of vinegar. Hold for a minute and immediately salt it. After one and a half to two hours it will be ready to eat - this is called quick salting. But the method is suitable if you don’t have to store the fish for a long time.
• For long-term storage, frozen sprat must first be thawed; it is better to do the process naturally, at room temperature.
• Do not use plastic containers for salting sprat at home: it is then difficult to wash and you will have to throw it away; in addition, such dishes are not always of good quality, and the fish can absorb the smell of plastic. When salting fish on an industrial scale, plastic containers are justified; they are cheaper and convenient for transportation, but it is better not to use them at home.

Seasonings for salting sprat:

Mustard - powder (in grains), Provençal herbs, coriander, various types of peppers, cloves, bay leaves (it gives the taste a certain bitterness, so see for yourself - it’s not for everyone. I don’t add it.). Dill seeds and ground red pepper work well.

The suggested recipes, friends, are somewhat arbitrary. With the same amount of salt, the sprat turns out different every time - sometimes lightly salted, sometimes more salted. But the longer the fish sits, the saltier it becomes.

How to quickly salt sprat using the dry method

This method is good if the sprat will not be stored for a long time and will immediately end up on the table.

1. For a kilogram of fish, take 2 - 2.5 tablespoons of salt and a teaspoon of sugar. Stir until it is distributed throughout the sprat, and put it somewhere cool for a couple of hours.
2. Cover with a plate and place pressure on top, then the fish will be salted evenly. Decide to do without oppression; during salting, stir the fish well several times.

As for the spices, if desired, you can add any type of pepper - this will add zest. Just chop it first.

How to deliciously salt sprat in brine

You can prepare spicy pickled sprat and simply salt it at home in brine, i.e. in brine.

1. Use the same amount of salt and other seasonings as for dry salting. The difference in the method is that you first dissolve the salt and sugar in hot water, add the rest of the seasonings, and bring the brine to a boil. There is no need to boil the brine, but it is necessary to cool it.
2. Pour the chilled brine over the fish, press down on top and leave on the table for several hours.
3. After a couple of hours, taste and add salt if you see fit. Store the finished sprat in a cool place.

Recipes for spiced sprat at home

Recipe No. 1.

Take:

• Sprat, fresh – 1 kg.
• Black and allspice – 10-12 pcs.
• Salt – 2 tbsp. spoons with a small slide.
• Bay leaf – 2 pcs.
• Cloves - 2–4 pcs.
• Sugar - a teaspoon.
• Coriander, ginger - a pinch each.

How to prepare spicy salted sprat according to this recipe:

1. Rinse the fish and drain off excess water.
2. Grind the cloves and black pepper, add sugar and salt, and add the remaining spices. Stir well. I advise you to grind the spices yourself rather than buy ready-made ones, they have a completely different aroma.
3. Add the mixture to the fish and mix thoroughly. Cover the sprat with a plate and place pressure on top. After 12 hours the fish is ready. Do it in the evening, you can try it in the morning.

Recipe No. 2. It is made by dry salting.

• For 1 kg. take 2 - 2.5 tbsp sprat. spoons of salt, a teaspoon of sugar, a pinch of ground red pepper and dill seeds; they can be replaced with white mustard seeds.

How to pickle:

1. Mix seasonings.
2. Clean the fish by removing the insides.
3. Rub the seasoning mixture onto the sprat, trying to distribute it evenly.
4. Cover with a lid, place pressure on top and place in the refrigerator overnight.

I usually do this: if there is a lot of sprat, then I salt it all in brine, i.e. in brine and the simplest salting, without adding spices. Well, maybe I add black pepper sometimes.
Then, when the fish is ready, I divide it into 2 parts. I transfer the one that goes into storage into a glass container and fill it with brine. So it can be stored in the refrigerator for a long time.

I immediately cut up the part intended for food, pour it with oil and put a lot of onions. It keeps well for several days.

Another option: I fill the cut sprat with water and a small amount of vinegar. Recently I started adding apple juice, it is softer and does not have a pronounced vinegar smell. I pour in a little vinegar at first, you should get a slightly acidic solution. Then I try it, and if it’s not enough, I add more.

I put a lot of onions, if desired I add black and allspice, sometimes I add dill. In general, put whatever your darling wants.
The sprat should stand for half an hour to an hour, then it will be ready. If you haven’t finished eating it, it will be stored in the refrigerator for several days without losing quality or taste.
You can marinate sprat immediately, without pre-salting. Keep the recipe:

Pickled sprat - recipe

I honestly gave out all the secrets on how to pickle sprat at home. If you have any questions, ask in the comments, I will answer everything honestly. I’m not saying goodbye to you, my dears, I’m looking forward to your visit, we’ll pickle something else. With love... Galina Nekrasova.

Step 1: clean the fish.

Step 2: marinate the fish.

Step 3: remove the ridges.

Step 4: Add oil to the fish.

Step 5: serve the pickled sprat.

Both fresh and frozen fish are suitable for cooking.