Menyok fish: photo, description, useful properties and recipes

Menyok, lesser or sea burbot (lat. Brosme brosme) is a fish that is known both for its pleasant taste and its interesting appearance, unique way of life and peculiar habits. This species is of great value to humans, so it is actively mined and studied.

Menyok: what kind of fish, what it looks like, and where it lives

What does it look like?

The body is dotted with small scales that have a light yellowish coloration. The abdominal part is colored in a lighter shade, the dorsal - in a darker shade. Sea burbot has a single dorsal fin, which is located along the dorsal line and passes smoothly into a rounded tail.

Menek is a ray-finned fish. This name is due to the presence of the so-called "bends" in the fins of the fish. Because of the elongated and elongated body shape, the shrimp is often compared to the eel, but the burbot is less long and narrow in shape.

The body of the minnow is wedge-shaped, so the head is much wider than the back of the torso. In addition to the dorsal and caudal fins, the burbot has several wide pelvic fins (also with bends) and an anal fin that is separate from the dorsal fin.

Where does he live

The minnow's main habitat is the northern and northwestern Atlantic Ocean. Burbot can be found off the coast of some European countries, mainly Norway and England. This fish species is also found off the coast of Ireland, Iceland and even sometimes Greenland. However, in too cold water burbot can not be found, because for him a comfortable temperature is not below 0 and above 10 degrees. Also sea burbot rarely swims close to shore, mostly he lives in deep water. Fish of this species are not prone to frequent relocations and change of places, they are more inclined to sedentary life.

What it eats

Basically, the diet of the burbot includes smaller fish, as well as other non-predatory representatives of the underwater world. These include mollusks and crustaceans. Often the minnow eats younger fish of its own species.

Reproduction process

Because the sea burbot develops a little slower and grows much longer than other fish, the right period for spawning comes later - about 7-8 years old. The main spawning period is in late spring and summer. Reproduction of offspring is one of the few reasons why minnows migrate.

Female burbot are very fertile - they can produce over a million eggs per spawning session. The males at this time show "attention" to the females, "groom" them, and then fertilize the eggs.

Fry spend the first few days of their lives in shallow water, and then move to deeper water. A fish that reaches the age of 5 or sometimes 6 years is considered an adult. Usually burbot live no more than 18 years.

How to catch burbot: when, where and on what?

When to catch

The most favorable time to catch sea burbot - from late fall to mid-spring. If we talk about the time, the best way to catch burbot is to fish late in the evening or early in the morning. It is also worth noting that burbot lives closer to the bottom, so the rod with bait should be lowered as much as possible.

Where to catch

The most common trout are caught off the coast of Norway, sometimes off the coast of the Barents Sea, less often - the Baltic Sea (where this fish appears in late spring).

What to catch

Small fish such as gobies or gudgeon, ruffs, bleak etc. are recommended to fish for the burbot. Some anglers use wobblers or trollers as bait.

Composition and calories

Of the fat-soluble vitamins in menioc fish, only vitamin A is present. Of water-soluble vitamins - vitamins B1, B2, B3 (PP), B5, B6, B9 and B12.

Macronutrients:

• Potassium - 392 mg.
• Calcium - 10 mg.
• Magnesium - 31 mg.
• Sodium - 31 mg.
• Sulfur - 189.9 mg.
• Phosphorus - 204 mg.

Micronutrients:

• Iron - 0.83 mg.
• Manganese - 0.015 mg.
• Copper - 18 mg.
• Selenium - 36.5 mg.
• Zinc - 0.38 mg.

Fats per 100 grams of food - 19, 0.7, 0 g, respectively. The caloric value is 87 kcal.

What is the use of menek fish?

Menek is a type of fish that is known not only for its very good taste qualities, but also for its positive effects on the human body and health. The following cases of improving the human condition thanks to this fish have been highlighted:

1. Improves the cardiovascular system, prevents the development of its diseases and defects (for example, heart attacks or strokes).
2. Prevents vision deterioration.
3. Helps to strengthen the immune system and increase productivity and energy capacity.
4. Positive effect on brain activity.
5. Improves metabolism and absorption of nutrients in the body.
6. Saturate the body with vitamins, necessary for healthy growth of the nails and hair, and to improve the skin.

Harms and contraindications

Menek is quite a useful fish, which has no examples of harmful effects on the human body. However, to protect yourself, you should adhere to the following recommendations:

1. It is categorically forbidden to eat sea burbot people with an allergy to cod fish or seafood in general.
2. It is not recommended to eat in case of exacerbation of gastrointestinal diseases.
3. It is necessary to monitor the quality of purchased fish, as well as treat and cut it in accordance with all existing regulations to avoid the emergence of serious diseases and the development of parasites in the human body.

Important! The daily consumption of shrimp, as well as any other marine fish can lead to unpleasant consequences (e.g. nausea, vomiting, headache, etc.).

Where to buy and how much to pay

You can buy menek fish in almost any large supermarket, market or online store. The price ranges from 150-250 rubles/kg.

How to cook delicious menek fish: recipes

As mentioned above, sea burbot has excellent taste properties, which are manifested in any type of cooking.

In the oven

The most common cooking of menyok in the oven, namely, baking fish in a sleeve with vegetables.

List of ingredients required to prepare this dish for a large number of servings (5-6):

• sea burbot - 1500 g;
• 2 carrots;
• 3 sweet peppers;
• bulb of onion;
• garlic clove;
• half a lemon;
• greens dill, parsley и basil;
• olive oil (can be replaced with sunflower oil).

Also for the preparation you will need a sleeve for baking, which can be purchased at almost any supermarket.

So, to prepare this dish:

1. First, you need to prepare the fish for cooking: wash, clean it and splash it with lemon juice. Next, before baking the burbot, it needs to be marinated.
2. The next step, cut the vegetables: onions in 4 parts, and carrots and peppers - in slices. Then the fish together with chopped vegetables and herbs should be placed in the baking sleeve, adding a little oil as well. Be sure to pierce the sleeve with a few small holes, so that during cooking it will not burst or tear.
3. Bake the fish for 60 minutes in an oven heated to 180 degrees. After about 45 minutes you should cut the baking sleeve from the top - then the fish will become a beautiful golden color and the crust will form.
4. Baked fish should be placed on a long plate in one piece, garnished with the remaining vegetables and, after waiting for the dish to cool, proceed to the meal.

Greens combined with your favorite spices will give a pleasant flavor, while peppers and carrots give the dish a sweetish taste.

In a pan

There are many variations of cooking burbot in a pan, but one of the easiest and tastiest ways is the classic frying of fish in breading.

To prepare this dish you will need the following ingredients:

• Fillet of burbot - 500 gr.
• Flour - 3-4 tablespoons.
• 1 egg.
• Bread crumbs - 3-4 tablespoons.
• Vegetable oil for frying.
• Salt, pepper to taste.

The procedure is ingeniously simple. First, you should make a breading of eggs, flour, breadcrumbs and spices by mixing these ingredients together. The fish can be sprinkled with lemon juice if desired - this will add flavor and a little sourness to the taste. Then you should take fillets in small pieces, dip them in breading and fry on a pan until golden brown.

Q&A

What does sea burbot taste like?

It has been described as a fish with tender meat with a sweetish flavor.

Is it fatty or not?

There is only 0.7 g of fat in 100 g of the diet product, which makes the fish suitable for inclusion in a menu for weight loss.

Are there many bones in the fish?

One of the main advantages of this type of fish is that it has almost no bones, except for the backbone, which can easily be separated, which makes sea burbot easy to cook and well suited for many fish dishes.

Interesting Facts

1. Unlike most other fish, the menek hibernates in the summer and lives a fairly active life in the winter. For this, in some regions of Russia, it is nicknamed "werewolf".
2. Many people would envy the vision of this fish: it can see its prey at a distance of more than ten meters even in muddy or dirty water.
3. Burbot are fastidious to the quality of water: the water must be clean.
4. The burbot is able to recognize and respond to sounds.
5. The liver of the sea burbot is very useful, because it contains a large number of vitamins necessary for the human body.