Muxun: what kind of fish, how does it look like, where does it live and what is its health value?

The muksun fish (Coregonus muksun) is a representative of the whitefish that lives in northern rivers, lakes in Russia, the United States and Canada, and has a delicate taste that ensures its popularity with locals and beyond.

With muksun, which is considered a standard of taste, they cook first and second courses, and Siberian fishermen enjoy stroganina, which became possible due to the absence of opisthorchial larvae in the meat.

Muxun: what kind of fish is it, what does it look like and where does it live?

The fish of the salmon family of the whitefish subfamily prefers fresh water to salt water. It is active and hardy; during spawning migrations it is able to cover a distance of 2,000 km. In contrast to other salmonids, after spawning females and males do not die, but begin to feed intensively, replenishing the energy expended.

The main mass of muksun herds is represented by young specimens, 0.3-0.4 m long, weighing 1.5 kg. From time to time fishermen come across trophy specimens of 5-8 kg with the body length of 0.7 m.

In terms of size, muksun occupies an intermediate position between the chinook salmon, taimen and grayling. It does not form subspecies. According to their habitat, they distinguish between Lena, Indigo, and Kolyma whitefish. They have different shades of scales, age of puberty and body weight.

What does the whitefish look like?

Features of the exterior of the northern whitefish:

• The body is elongated, compressed from the sides, the tail is elevated;
• elongated blunt snout, underneath is a small mouth with a protruding upper jaw;
• dorsum darker than grayish-silvery sides;
• abdomen light;
• fins large, triangular shape, the tail is divided;
• on the back of adult fish is located hump, fat fin;
• scales of medium size.

The camouflage coloring of the fish makes it invisible in the water. Good eyesight helps to navigate in space.

Where does it live?

In Russia, the northern whitefish lives in the freshwater areas of Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Area, Yakutia, Magadan Region, on the Taimyr Peninsula and in Primorski Krai in the tributaries of the Ussuri River.

The muksun fishery is conducted in Siberian rivers:

• Lena;
• Kara;
• Kolyma;
• Yenisei;
• Irtysh;
• Ob;
• Anabara.

In the Northeast, fish reach the lower reaches of the right and largest tributary of the Kolyma River, the Omolon.

Occurs in the bays of the Arctic Ocean near the mouths of rivers.

What does it feed on?

Young muksuns eat caviar and zooplankton. Adult muksun spend the whole day in motion, passing through the gills the bottom ground in search of food. The fish's diet includes:

• small crustaceans;
• mollusks;
• leeches;
• fry;
• eggs;
• aquatic insects.

In summer, muksuns hunt near the water surface for May beetles, beetles, moths, and other insects that have the temerity to fly low over the water surface.

How long does it live.

A hardy strong fish lives from 16 to 20 years. During this time it has time to migrate 4 times to the spawning grounds to reproduce. The maximum life expectancy is 25 years.

Natural enemies

The muksun fish is not small and has practically no enemies in the natural environment. It can be threatened only by bigger predators.

Human economic activity and mass poaching during the spawning period is the main threat to the population.

Population and status of the species

Due to irrational fishing, small number of sexually mature females, oil spills, and uncontrolled fishing under licenses, the number of the species continues to decline. The fish is on the verge of extinction and is therefore included in the Red Book of the Novosibirsk Region.

In the Red Book of the Russian Federation, a population inhabiting the rivers of Yamal is registered. In the basins of the Ob and Irtysh Rivers, the numbers have been decreasing since 2000. There are restrictions on commercial fishing in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District, Tyumen, and Tomsk regions.

In spite of the fact that the ban on Ob muksun fishing is still in force, this subspecies is not yet included in the Red Book.

According to scientists' calculations, to replenish the northern whitefish reserves, at least 270 thousand tons of adult fish must be caught annually. For this purpose, it is not enough to restrict fishing. A complete ban on the extraction of muksun is needed, as well as the struggle against poaching and increasing the productivity of factories for the artificial reproduction of the species.

Spawning

The spawning migration from the slightly saline bays of the Arctic Ocean to the upper reaches of the rivers begins in the spring after the ice melts, when sexually mature individuals 6-14 years old. Fish reach their spawning grounds by September-October. Spawning lasts until November when the water temperature drops below +4°C.

To spawn, females whose weight has reached 1.5 kg choose areas of reservoirs with a fast stream and a pebbly-sandy bottom, where fish make holes with their tails. During the spawning period, females lay from 60 to 170 thousand eggs, depending on size. Hatching occurs after 5-6 months. The fry are gradually carried to the river mouths by the current. The spawned muksuns return to their usual feeding grounds, where within 3-4 years they regain their strength to reproduce again.

What is the difference between muksun and silverfish?

The silver carp, also known as silvercracker, bears a striking resemblance to the muksun, but it is still possible to distinguish the two different species.

1. The body width of the muksun is moderate, proportional to its length, while that of the chirp is large.
2. The scales are weakly set, medium-sized, silvery gray than those of the chirp - large, dense-skinned, silvery-bronze.
3. The pointed mouth of the muksun, with its upper jaw projecting forward, differs from that of the chirp, which has a small mouth, located under the snout with a hump.
4. These fish can also be distinguished by their belly: the muksun's is straight or slightly concave, the cheer's is convex.

The fish differ in the number of scales in the lateral line. The muksun has 97 of them, the teal has 7 less, but the fish or buyers are unlikely to count the number of numerous scales.

How to catch muksun

The most delicious meat in the muksun in winter. Amateur fishermen catch the fish in Siberian rivers at a depth of 4-5 m, where you can catch trophy specimens over 2 kg. You will need a spinning rod with a short rod (up to 0.5 m), equipped with a reel, braided cord with a diameter of 0.12 mm.

Because of the small mouth of the muksun for fishing choose miniature baits and balancers with gold and silver sides. To make the bait whitefish noticed from afar, the hook is tied with brightly colored threads or strung with red balls.

The bait is thrown into the water at 10 cm from the bottom. Gently jerk up and down in the same place. The nibble occurs more often when stopping.

Another way to catch muksun - on a mormyshka. As a tackle using a short rod with a reel, a nodder and a line width of 0.14-0.2 mm (depending on the weight of the intended catch). The bait - worms, moths, worms or just bright beads.

In summer the muksun is caught in places where tributaries flow into rivers, in deep holes in the river bed meanders or in shallow waters near rifts and spits. Caught by fly fishing or spinning ultralight with spinners and oscillators weighing up to three grams. In the first case, use rods 5.6 classes and a variety of flies, imitating insects, which feeds on whitefish.

Composition and calories

Vitamins and minerals contained in 100 g of edible fish:

Vitamin PP - 2.9 mg.

Micronutrients:

• Chromium - 0.06 mg;
• Copper - 0.11 mg;
• Bromine - 0,03 mg;
• Fluorine - 0.43 mg;
• Molybdenum - 0.004 mg;
• Zinc, 0.7 mg;
• Nickel, 0.006 mg.

Macronutrients:

• Sulfur - 175 mg;
• Chlorine - 165 mg;

The caloric value of the product is 121 kcal. GI - 18,5, 5,2, 0, respectively.

What is useful about muksun fish?

Muksun is less caloric than pork, but close to meat in nutritional value. Fish protein is assimilated in 2 hours by 98%. The fat contains unsaturated fatty acids that inhibit the synthesis of the stress hormone cortisol, which suppresses appetite. White meat gives instant energy, and because of low mineralization is not contraindicated for people with impaired metabolism, kidney pathology.

When included in the diet whitefish:

1. Protects cell membranes from external influences.
2. Increases immune status.
3. Develops thinking, improves cognitive abilities of the brain.
4. Accelerates metabolic reactions, fights obesity.
5. Normalizes the work of the gastrointestinal tract.
6. Strengthens the walls of blood vessels, widens the lumen, preventing the development of atherosclerosis.
7. Supports the work of the heart, reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
8. Reduces the period of rehabilitation after surgery, serious illnesses and injuries.
9. Increases physical endurance.
10. Improves the function of the reproductive organs.
11. Activates the metabolism.
12. Participates in hematopoiesis.

Muksun reduces the toxic load, stimulates reflex activity, normalizes the central and peripheral nervous systems. White dietary meat is useful for women's and men's health, people with digestive problems.

Can I give children

The unique chemical composition and a small amount of intermuscular bones makes the fish safe and healthy for growing children's bodies in the absence of food allergies to this product.

In a child's diet, muksun prevents the development of cardiac pathologies and obesity. The whitefish is especially useful for schoolchildren because of high loads in educational institutions. The fish gives children fast energy, increases stamina, learning ability, reduces the negative effects of stress.

Harm and contraindications

Raw muksun without pre-freezing can be a source of worm infestation. Fish is contraindicated in case of intolerance to the product, allergic reactions to protein.

Doctors do not recommend eating unlimited amounts of fried and smoked whitefish. Food cooked this way harms the pancreas and liver, is harder to digest, and contains toxic carcinogens.

Salted, dried and smoked fish contains more sodium chloride, which disturbs kidney function.

How to choose and store

Important points to focus on when choosing muksun:

1. If the ice glaze is thicker than 2 mm, the fish has been re-frozen and has lost most of its healthy properties.
2. Gills should be red, eyes convex, transparent, not sunken and cloudy.
3. Not suitable for eating fish with an unpleasant odor, mechanical damage, dents, violations of the integrity of the skin, fins, tail, spots of unknown origin.
4. The presence of a certificate for the product is compulsory.

It is better to buy muksun in specialized fish stores with special equipment.

Fish retains its consumer properties in domestic freezing chambers for up to three months, and the cooled carcass on the refrigerator shelf at t- 0-2°C for up to three days. If the temperature is higher, the shelf life is reduced to one day.

Hot-smoked muksun placed in refrigerator does not lose its taste qualities for 3 days. Fish cooked cold-smoked, stored twice longer.

Where to buy and how much costs

Muxun is sold in supermarkets, fish stores, or online marketplaces. If you are lucky, you can buy fresh whitefish not far from the fishing grounds.

Prices for muksun:

• fresh-frozen Taimyr - 500-700 r., Yakutian - 990-1200 r. per 1 kg;
• Cold-smoked gutted muksun with head - 1700 r. per 1 kg;
• Smoked fillet, packed in 150-gram packs - 380 rubles;
• Lightly salted in oil - 400 p. for 200 g;
• Dried - 900 p. per 150 grams.

High prices are explained by the restriction of fishing places and catch quotas.

What kind of fish is sold as muksun?

Because of ignorance, but more often for the sake of profit, the sellers pass off cheaper fish as more expensive valuable muksun, going to all sorts of tricks, so as not to expose the fraud. They sell headsless, skinless, cut into fillets.

The top three imitators are Khanos, Pangasius и bighead salmon .. Hanos or milkfish are bred in China in desalinated estuaries. The unpretentious pangasius, which live in polluted water, are raised throughout the Southeast in irrigated fields.

Fatheads belong to the carp family, are characterized by rapid weight gain, and are the object of pond breeding.

The whitefish is distinguished from the cheaper species primarily by the presence of a fat fin on the back.

How to cook muksun fish

Professional chefs say that muksun can not be spoiled. But there are some nuances of cooking. The fish does not need to add vegetable or animal fats, does not require a lot of spices that overpower its natural flavor.

One can make a rich soup out of muksun that one would not be ashamed to offer to the guests. Whitefish is boiled, baked in the oven and on coals, smoked, salted, and dried. The trademark of the cuisine of the peoples of the North is fish pieces marinated in lemon juice with onions and called sugudai.

In the oven

Fish is cooked in the oven with spices and herbs, or the recipe is complicated by adding vegetables, fruits, mushrooms.

Mucson baked with apples in foil
Ingredients:

• 1 kg of fish steaks;
• 2 pcs. sour apples;
• one onion;
• seasonings, spices for fish.

Cooking algorithm:

1. Cut a cleaned, gutted muksun across the carcass into 2 cm thick pieces. Season with salt and spice mix.
2. Turn on the oven to preheat to 180 degrees.
3. Peel and core the apples, cut out the core, chop them to a purée using a blender.
4. Chop the onions in half rings.
5. Place one steak at a time on pieces of foil. Spoon the fruit puree over the fish, arrange the onions on top. Wrap muksun in foil, put the tray in the oven.

In half an hour the dish is ready.

In the pan

Tastier fried muksun turns out, if it is cooked with egg in breading.

To fry a carcass weighing 1.5 kg you will need:

• 150 grams of flour and breadcrumbs;
• 2 eggs;
• salt, pepper;
• 50 ml oil.

How to fry:

1. With thawed muksun remove the scales, insides, cut off the fins, head and tail (for the soup).
2. Cut the fish into equal portions, salt and pepper it.
3. Prepare three bowls for breading. In the first whisk a couple of eggs, in the second put the breadcrumbs, in the third pour the flour.
4. Roll each steak in flour, put it in a bowl with eggs, then dip it in breadcrumbs.
5. Place the fish in a frying pan with heated oil, fry for 5 minutes on each side, until a delicious crust is formed.

Battered muksun is served hot with rice, buckwheat, vegetables. Before the pieces are placed on plates, they are laid out on paper towels to remove excess fat.

How to make stroganina from muksun

Residents of Russia's northern regions consider stroganina a delicacy, which is a common treat for guests.

To prepare the dish you will need a whole freshly frozen muksun, an onion, salt and black pepper in equal proportions.

Cooking procedure:

1. Take the fish out of the freezer, put it in a dish with a thick bottom.
2. While the whitefish is defrosting, chop half rings of onion, in a shallow dish mix seasonings.
3. After 10 minutes, when the skin on the muksun is melting, proceed to remove it. To prevent the fish from melting from the heat of your hands, wrap the tail part with a cotton napkin or towel. Trim the fins, make an incision along the backbone and with the help of a knife try to remove the skin in one piece.
4. In the direction from the tail to the head with a sharp knife slice some meat into thin slices. Put the rest of the carcass in the freezer. Serve the stroganina immediately on a dish taken out of the freezer. Add the topping after the original portion has been eaten.

In the basic stroganoff recipe, the seasoning mix consists solely of salt and pepper. Onions are served separately. Numerous culinary experiments have resulted in "mokalka" with the addition of soy sauce, lemon juice, ajika, vinegar, and even mayonnaise.

It is believed that the most delicious meat of muksun is located in the area from the anus to the fin of the same name.

Muxun caviar

The roe of the northern whitefish is a valuable product, melting in the mouth. After salting it retains all its useful properties.

Can I eat it and what color is it?

Caviar is not just edible and caloric, the salty product of red-brown color is considered a delicacy. One sandwich is enough to satisfy the hunger.

How to pickle

You can take the ovaries from frozen females, but the caviar from fresh fish is tastier. For its salting, a salt solution is made. In a liter of water add a tablespoon of salt and a teaspoon of sugar, boil for a couple of minutes, cool to room temperature.

Eggs, freed from the film, pour brine for a quarter of an hour. In a colander, spread a piece of gauze, folded in 2-3 layers, and put the salted caviar on it.

To keep the product longer, it is necessary for the water to drain completely. To do this, the gauze bag with eggs hangs over the sink for a few hours. Store the delicacy in a glass container, pouring rolled on a pan and cooled vegetable oil.

Q&A

The most frequently asked questions by fans of fish dishes about the characteristics of muksun meat, its boneiness.

What does muksun taste like?

Thanks to the fat layer that helps the fish survive in the northern cold rivers, the meat tastes juicy and tender. The amines in the composition give the fish the smell of fresh cucumber. In deep freezing, the flavor is partially lost, but the useful substances are retained in full.

Can I eat it raw?

Raw meat of muksun that has passed veterinary control and after deep freezing from -35 degrees is safe. Low temperatures kill parasites and their larvae, and whitefish opisthorchiasis is not affected.

What color is the meat?

The meat of muksun is white with red streaks, which is due to the lack of carotenoids in the diet. Boiling, frying, pickling and baking preserves the original color of the fillet. Changing color to golden yellow during smoking and darker after salting.

Is muksun fat or not?

Muksun belongs to the types of fish with medium fat content, but it is fat enough and does not need to improve the taste of oil, fatty sauces.

Are there many bones in the fish?

Small bones are present in the fish, but in small amounts. It is not difficult to remove them with tweezers before cooking. The skeleton is based on the spine and large rib bones, which easily come off the meat when cutting the carcass into fillets.

Interesting facts

Cognitive facts about muksun:

1. The largest caught specimen weighed 13 kg with a body length of 0.9 m.
2. The muksuns were called Tomsk people because of the abundance of fish in the Tom River.
3. In Russia, since 1965, muksun is artificially bred.
4. The whitefish, raised on a fish farm, is less tasty and useful than the wild one because of its sedentary nature and different diet.

The meat of muksun is a valuable dietary product. To get the maximum benefit from it, it is worth preferring whitefish boiled, stewed and baked to fried and smoked fish.

Photo of muksun