How to salt coho salmon at home

The silver salmon belongs to the ancient and very numerous family of salmon. It is a valuable commercial fish with tender meat, few bones, and excellent taste. It is considered a rare trophy for the fisherman; in industrial scale it is caught throughout the year with a small break occurring at the peak of spawning to replenish the number of species. It is considered a delicacy and is consumed mainly in salted form. At home you can prepare it in different ways.

What does the silver salmon look like and where does it live?

Fish of the salmon family have a clear similarity in appearance, as well as similar habits. Thus, most are quite large, with a dense body and a powerful head with bent fragments of jaws, similar to a beak. The coho salmon has a wide forehead and a short raised tail stem. The body length can reach 105 cm and weight - 15 kg.

Because of their coloration, coho salmon are sometimes called silver salmon. Adult fish flaunt blue or dark green flanks and silver back with black spots. Juveniles differ significantly in appearance. They are striped, with many dark spots, which creates a natural camouflage for protection against predators. The female is capable of laying an average of 4.9 million eggs, but only a very small portion will reach adulthood.

The fish goes to the rivers to spawn, but grows and fattens up in the sea, where it is harvested. The coho salmon is the most scarce species among salmonids, so its value on the counter is impressive.

Before spawning the body of the male changes, the bright color is clearly visible, the jaw stretches and a hump appears behind the head. Females retain their color and shape.

In artificial conditions is grown only on Chilean fish farms. The fat content of meat of this fish is less, the size of individuals is more modest, but all the useful properties are preserved. The main part of the catch is wild specimens.

Interesting: In terms of fat content, the fish ranks 3rd among salmonids.

The diet consists of:

• larvae;
• algae;
• fry of other fish;
• krill;
• squid;
• crustaceans;
• waterflies;
• river bugs.

As the fish grows, it switches to larger prey, leading a semi-predatory lifestyle.

Its habitat is quite vast, but it is limited to relatively warm waters around +5-16 degrees Celsius. This species does not like cold weather, so it is found mainly in the Pacific Ocean, on Kamchatka and the Commander Islands. It is harvested in the Sea of Okhotsk, on Sakhalin and in Canada.

Peculiarities of the life cycle

Like most salmonids, the fish pays for the continuation of the species with its life. In all, adults live about 3-4 years, spending a year and a half at sea and then returning to the mouths of rivers to their birthplace. Before spawning, all instincts atrophy except the main one - to give life to a new generation.

Juveniles grow quickly, before they leave the freshwater reservoir for the sea, they change their coloration to that of an adult. Unfortunately, the number of this valuable commercial fish is gradually decreasing, spawning tracks are disappearing, and its habitat is narrowing. Attempts are being made to establish its cultivation in fisheries.

How is the silver salmon useful?

In terms of taste, the fish is considered one of the best in the family of salmon. It contains:

• vitamins A, E, PP, C, B;
• magnesium;
• calcium;
• nickel;
• iron;
• phosphorus;
• iodine;
• fluorine;
• saturated omega-3 fatty acids;
• antioxidants.

Regular inclusion of fish in the diet helps to normalize the central nervous system, activates the thought process, reduces the risk of strokes, heart attacks and cancer, supports the elasticity of blood vessels, thyroid function, visual acuity. Due to the fact that the meat is very tender, it is easily digestible, it is recommended even for gastrointestinal diseases. Red fish strengthens performance and immunity, strengthens bone structure. You can prepare many delicious dishes for children with coho salmon fillets without fear that the child will swallow the small bones. There are practically no bones in the fish.

There are almost no carbohydrates in the fish, the caloric value of 100 g. of the product does not exceed 140 kcal, so it belongs to the dietary, recommended in programs for weight loss. Contraindications for the product to a minimum. These include individual intolerance, liver pathology, hepatitis, allergy to seafood, exacerbation of diseases of the digestive system.

How to choose a coho salmon for pickling

Any seafood spoils quickly, their poisoning is very severe, so it is necessary to buy only that fish, in the quality of which there is confidence of 100%. After catching and cutting the carcasses are quickly frozen according to a certain technology. It guarantees the transportation and preservation of the taste properties of fish until the moment of purchase. If the product has been defrosted several times, the quality is out of the question.

When choosing coho salmon, it is necessary to pay attention to the color of the meat on the cut, if the carcass is without the head. It should be clear, bright red-orange in color. Brown and brown spots indicate that the fish has begun to spoil. If you press the hole with your finger, it should quickly disappear, the meat does not come off the backbone, and the scales are shiny. If the fish has cloudy eyes, there is slime on the surface and a musty smell, it is better to refuse to buy.

The whole fish carcass is preferred because its quality is easier to determine by its eyes and gills, but this variant is unlikely, as the fish is large and usually sold in pieces. In this case, when buying pay attention to clean cut, elasticity of meat and absence of mucus.

How to salt coho salmon at home

Thermal processing significantly reduces the value of any product, because under the influence of high temperature a number of vitamins disintegrates. Pickling preserves the properties of the product almost unchanged, and it is best to prepare the dish yourself so as not to guess about the composition, and to have firm confidence in its quality and naturalness.

A classic recipe

There is nothing unnecessary in the composition, only fish, salt and sugar. For 1 kg. silver salmon you need 2 tablespoons of coarse salt and the same amount of sugar without sugar. It is not recommended to use fine, extra and iodized.

Important: Frozen fish in this case do not salt, you need to let it thaw in natural conditions.

Then the piece or carcass is quickly rinsed under cool running water and immediately dried with a towel. You can make a fillet or salt it without cutting it. Equal amounts of salt and sugar are mixed in a deep bowl, the amount is recalculated according to the weight of the fish. Fill 1/3 of the mixture to the bottom of the container in which the fish will be salted. It is best if the size of the container coincides with the length of the slices, so that they are immersed in the brine as much as possible. On a sugar-salted cushion, lay the fish skin side down, and then fill the top with the rest of the salting mixture. Tightly closed container should be left in the refrigerator for 24 hours, then turn the pieces and return the container to the cold for another day. Then it is taken out of the brine, dried with a towel and stored in parchment paper in the refrigerator.

Salted silver salmon

The proportions are a little different from the classic salting. 3 tablespoons of sugar and sea salt per 1 kg. of fish are needed, but the process is faster too. The carcass is cleaned of scales, freed of the head and innards, washed under running water and quickly dried with a towel. The spine and large bones are removed, the fillet is placed in an enamel or glass bowl, where previously poured 1/3 of the mixture of sugar and salt. The rest of the salting mixture is poured on the densely packed fish, smoothed out and slightly pressed with a small weight. This way the fish will take exactly as much salt as it needs, and the meat will be denser. In 12 hours, turn the pieces over, and after a day the dish is ready to eat.

In oil

In this case, the taste is complemented by new shades, revealing fully. First, the fish is salted in the classic way at the rate of 2 tbsp. salt and 1 tbsp. sugar per 1 kg. of silver salmon. For spice add 10 grains of mustard, 5 peas of black pepper and a small bay leaf. Then the salted fish is dipped into a mixture of olive oil and onions chopped in half rings. After 24 hours, you can serve it.

How to Store

Most often, this question does not arise, because the fish is eaten very quickly. However, if guests are expected or the dish is prepared for a festive event, you can remove the skin from the fillets, cut the fish into pieces and store in oil, the level of which is 5 cm above the last layer of silver salmon. With an airtight lid the product can be stored for 30 days.

Lightly salted fish can also be wrapped in a flap of cotton cloth soaked in apple cider vinegar and packed in a plastic bag. It should fit tightly to the product. This method will preserve the fish for 10 days. Longer it does not make sense to leave it, it is better to keep a piece of fresh fillet in the freezer and salt some as needed.

Tips for cooking coho salmon

To make the fish dish tasty and healthy, it is worth considering that:

1. Defrost both the carcass and fillet can only be thawed naturally, in a dry container covered with a towel or napkin, do not put the fish in water.
2. Do not use metal pots and bowls for salting as they oxidize.
3. It is necessary to observe the order of cutting: first the insides are removed and only then the scales are peeled off.
4. There are almost no small bones in coho salmon, but sometimes there are some on fillets and it is better to remove them with forceps so as not to damage the delicate structure of the meat.

Interesting facts about silver salmon

1. During spawning, the fish changes color from silver to blood-red.
2. Adults die after the continuation of the species.
3. The silver salmon lives an average of 3-4 years.
4. The fry grow in fresh water and migrate to the sea as adults.
5. For spawning, the fish returns to its birthplace.
6. The fat content of coho salmon meat ranks among the top three in the salmon family.
7. In captivity this species is practically not bred.
8. When fishing with a spinning or fishing rod, a special permit must be obtained.
9. The species belongs to the ancient rayfishes.
10. It is a valuable commercial species.

Salted coho salmon will become a real decoration of the table, if you prepare it at home with observance of the recipe and a good mood.