Baltic herring: useful properties, cooking recipes

The main requirement for maintaining and promoting health is the safety of food consumed. Most of the dangerous components enter the human body with food. Therefore, it is very important to choose the right ingredients that will be easy to digest and will not harm your health. Herring fish is one of these products.

Baltic herring: what kind of fish it is, what it looks like and where it is found

Baltic herring is a subspecies of Atlantic herring. This species is found in the Baltic regions. Its size is rather small. On average its length is up to 20 cm and weight varies from 50 g. However, there are herring up to 35-37 cm in length and up to 100 g. For example, the largest herring was caught in the middle of the last century, its weight was 1.5 kg. This fish is found in the freshwater waters of Sweden, but can also be found in Russia.

Externally, herring is similar to Atlantic herring, the only difference is the size. The former has an elongated, silver-colored carcass and a darker back.

The fish eat small crustaceans, larvae and fry. They live 7-8 years, form small flocks. Puberty is achieved by 2-3 years. Reproduction takes place during three seasons, except winter. More than 10,000 eggs hatch on the hard ground near the shore. After spawning, the fish swim out to sea, away from the shore.

Herring are caught all year round. The main part of the catch is used for canned and preserved fish, and only a small part is sold frozen.

How herring differs from sprat and capelin

To distinguish herring from herring is quite simple. The latter variety is much shallower. Manufacturers say that for this reason sprat is much more difficult to process. Moreover, it is very fragile and requires careful handling when working with it. The body of such fish is usually no more than 16 cm in length. It is a representative of the herring.

Moiva belongs to the smelt. It has a length of up to 22 cm and weighs a little more than 60 g. This fish has very fine scales and teeth. The back is colored in a greenish shade, and the abdomen and sides are silvery in color. Males have stripes of scales on their sides which have something like a pile on them. The fish is rather oily.

Composition and calories

There are polyunsaturated acids and essential amino acids in herring, which ensure blood thinning. In addition, these substances provide a reduction of "harmful" cholesterol, protect the body from the development of strokes and heart attacks, stabilize blood pressure, stimulate the process of removal of toxic elements. These components are also characterized by the ability to increase protective functions, reduce inflammation that develops in the joints.

1. A number of essential acids found in herring are responsible for clearing the body of radicals and other dangerous compounds that lead to the formation of malignancies.
2. Minerals in the delicacy restore metabolic processes, strengthen the bone system, teeth and hair.
3. Vitamins retinol and tocopherol stimulate normal bone growth, provide healthy curls and tooth enamel.
4. Niacin has a positive effect on the dermis.
5. Ascorbic acid is responsible for strengthening the immune system.
6. Zinc stabilizes the hormonal balance in the body, it is necessary to increase the synthesis of the male hormone testosterone.
7. Iron is involved in the process of hematopoiesis, therefore, the fish is useful for iron deficiency anemia, after injuries and surgical interventions, which were accompanied by loss of large amounts of blood.
8. Iodine regulates the endocrine gland.
9. Calcium and phosphorus in the seafood are responsible for the beauty of hair and nail plate health.
10. Chromium helps to maintain optimal blood glucose levels.
11. Such a substance as cobalt is also present in herring. It affects the synthesis process of insulin and thyroid hormones.

Useful properties of herring

General benefits

The great advantage of such fish is that it has no small bones, which is very important for children's food. It increases children's immunity, provides normal operation of the digestive system, has a positive effect on heart function.

For teenagers, fish is useful because it can solve the problems associated with hormonal imbalance, cope with vitamin deficiency, increased fatigue and sleepiness.

Due to the lack of carbohydrates such seafood can be used in a diet diet, if you cook it in the oven with the addition of vegetables.

For women

Dish from herring is advised to use at low immunity, when a person often suffers from pathologies of infectious and viral origin.

As already noted, the fish concentrates many vitamins and other elements that are responsible for the health of the bone system, have a positive effect on the hair and nails.

Herring adjusts the substance metabolism and slows down the natural aging process. Moreover, it has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the endocrine system. So, to stabilize the hormonal balance, it is enough to eat three fish per day.

For men

Herring is characterized by general strengthening qualities. It can solve problems with avitaminosis and loss of strength. Amino acids in the product protect the body from harmful substances. This kind of fish is suitable for people whose work is carried out in harmful production or who live in environmentally polluted regions.

The fish contains minerals that increase the production of testosterone.

When pregnant

Pregnant women can be introduced to the diet of this fish. The high concentration of iron in it protects the body of the future mother from the development of anemia associated with a deficit of this substance. In addition, it contains folic acid, which ensures the normal development of the nervous system of the fetus.

It is no secret that most women gain extra weight during this period. If you include herring in your diet several times a week, you can get rid of excess weight, without harming the future baby.

The main condition is to refuse salty product, otherwise there will be edema.

When breastfeeding

During lactation, it is also possible to consume fish products. This will allow you to saturate breast milk with a lot of vitamins and nutrients that are necessary for the growth and development of the baby.

With the regular consumption of herring, the child will be protected from rickets, in addition, his bone system will be properly formed, and the probability of CNS diseases will be significantly reduced.

For children

In children's diet, fish dishes can be introduced only after three years. And in this case, the fish should be in boiled form. This will strengthen the immune system. Moreover, the consumption of herring provides normal functioning of the digestive tract and has a beneficial effect on the activity of the heart muscle. The presence of sulfur and phosphorus improves brain activity.

It is recommended to eat fish in adolescence, because omega-3 acids help to get rid of pimples, blackheads and black spots, which usually appear in the younger generation. It will also help to stabilize hormonal balance and improve overall health.

When losing weight.

Salak is recommended to be added to the diet of people who have decided to lose excess weight. For this purpose, the products should be stewed, boiled and cooked in a steamer. In this case, nutritionists advise to eat only this product for 1-3 days. Along with lettuce, you can use vegetables as a side dish. The daily rate should not exceed 300 grams. Eat at the same time should be 2-3 times a day.

For preventive purposes as a dietary product, herring should be on the menu at least once.

Is smoked herring useful?

It should be noted that with a fairly low degree of caloric content, smoked herring perfectly satiates the body. This is due to the useful minerals and other important compounds that are included in such a seafood. Smoked herring is dominated by protein, which is characterized by high nutritional qualities, as well as the ability to quickly regenerate tissues.

The benefit of smoked fish consists also in the content of saturated acids, which regulate the cholesterol index in the body.

The caloric value of this variety is equal to 150 kcal per 100 g of the delicacy. Such a product can be used when drawing up a dietary diet. Smoked herring is used in food without fear for the figure.

However, it is worth noting that smoked fish has quite a lot of salt, so it should not be consumed with heart disease, as well as with high blood pressure and kidney disease.

Harms and contraindications

Including herring in your menu, it is important to consider some negative qualities of this product.

1. If it is salted or smoked, it should not be eaten by ladies in a position and people with hypertension.
2. Such a delicacy contains a high level of cobalt. In 100 grams of herring there is almost double the dose of the human daily requirement of this substance. Therefore, the uncontrolled use of fish can cause poisoning.
3. Frequent use of herring as food can be observed the development of skin diseases, as in this case the high content of chromium is accumulated in the body.
4. From an environmental point of view, herring is not a clean product because it is found in one of the most polluted seas, so it can contain dioxidine and other harmful substances in unacceptable quantities.
5. The delicacy is contraindicated to people who are allergic to seafood. The introduction of herring to children's diet can provoke an allergic reaction.

How to choose and store

To buy a quality, tasty and fresh herring, you should pay attention to some points in the choice.

First of all, you should study the appearance of the fish.

1. The color of the carcass should be uniform, the body of the fish - dense and firm, not loose, without mold, mechanical damage and dents, the eyes - bright and shiny, not cloudy, with a silver coloring.
2. The head of the sea creature must not have any damage, be with a tightly closed mouth.
3. Fresh product smells nice, but if there is no aroma, it means the fish is not fresh. Also, fresh herring has bright red gills.
4. If the fish is sold without a head, it probably indicates that the product is not the first freshness.
5. The packaging must be tight. If the fish is frozen, there should not be an ice crust on it. The presence of ice indicates improper storage of the product.
6. You should also pay attention to the cut on the belly. The meat should be light and slightly pinkish in color. If the fillet is dark or brown in color in this area, it is better to refuse from such a product, because it is stale.

Lettuce is stored at 0 degrees if it is fresh. In frozen form, the fish should be stored at -18 degrees.

How to cook herring deliciously: recipes

Dietitians advise to include herring in your diet on an equal basis with other fish products. However, you should know how to cook it correctly. If you need to lose weight it is recommended to bake the fish in the oven, adding vegetables and herbs, as a side dish will do boiled rice. The rest of the herring lovers can be offered salted, marinated or simply fried in oil fish. Under the beer the smoked fish will suit perfectly.

In the oven

We need 500 grams of herring, half a lemon, 100 ml of sour cream, salt and black pepper to taste. To bake the fish in the oven, you must first put it in a small bowl, and then squeeze the juice of a lemon on it and season it with spices. After stirring the herring with your hands, add 2 tbsp of sour cream and stir again. Then leave the fish to marinate for 30 minutes.

Marinated seafood to put on a baking tray, on which previously lay parchment paper. Then grease the fish with the remaining amount of sour cream and send it to the oven heated to 180 degrees. The dish will be ready in half an hour. Serve herring, baked in sour cream, can be accompanied by a side dish or as a separate dish. Also fresh vegetable salad would be suitable for such fish.

In the pan

Ingredients: 300 g of herring, 3 tbsp of flour, salt and ground pepper to taste, 0.5 tsp each of paprika and provincial herbs, as well as 50 ml of vegetable oil.

You should first prepare the fish, clean it, cut off its head and wash it well. It is important to pay attention to the black film inside the fish, it must be removed, otherwise the dish will turn bitter. Wash the product and dip it in a paper towel to remove the excess liquid. After that, marinade the carcasses. To do this, salt and pepper them and set aside for 25 minutes.

During this time, you can prepare the breading mixture. Mix the flour with paprika and herbs. Now roll each lettuce in this mixture and send it to a pan with hot oil. Fry on both sides until crispy. It is recommended to put the fried fish on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.

In multicooker

It is necessary to prepare 0.5 g of sea fish, 50 g of tomato paste, 1 carrot, 0.5 l of water, 1 onion, bay leaf, pepper and salt.

First of all you need to defrost the herring. It is better to do this in the fridge. After that, cut off the heads and clean the insides. Next, thoroughly wash the fish from the outside and the inside.

Now you need to peel the onion and cut it into cubes. Peeled carrots grate on a grater. Next, in a bowl of the multicooker put half of the fish, salt, sprinkle half of the onions and carrots. After that, repeat the layers with the remaining amount of products. Also add here the bay and black pepper in the form of peas. Dissolve the tomato paste in water. With the resulting mass pour the contents of the multicooker. Now stew the dish in the device for three hours in the "Stew" mode.

In the smokehouse.

First remove the guts from the herring, rinse and dry with paper towels.

Now prepare the marinade. Such a mixture is made at the rate of 1 tbsp of a mixture of pepper, coriander, 40 g of salt, 60 g of oil on a vegetable basis, you can add your favorite herbs for 1 kg of fish. Mix the herring with these components and leave it to marinate for a few hours. You can use only salt and exclude all spices. This will preserve the characteristic taste of fish.

For smoking there are special devices, but if there are none, you can smoke fish at home. For such a smoker requires a cast-iron cauldron with a lid, foil, metal grate.

For the sawdust, you will need 1 tbsp of rice, 1 tsp of dry tea brew, 1 tsp of sugar.

In the bottom of the dish, pour first the grits, then the brew, and in the very center lay the sweetener. Next, cover the whole thing with a double layer of foil, which you pierce with a needle in several places. Next, place a metal rack over the foil so that it is 4-6 cm below the edges of the pot. Now place the herring on this lattice. Then you need to cut a circle out of foil paper, the diameter of which is larger than the lid. Then cover the pot with this cut-out of foil, and close the lid on top. The fish should be smoked on low heat for 30 minutes. This can be done on a gas stove or use an oven.

After the specified time the wok should be removed from the stove. The dish should cool right in the smoker.

On the grill

For this method of herring processing, 1 kg of fish, 2 tbsp of lemon squeeze, salt and pepper mixture to taste, unrefined vegetable oil are needed.

The herring should be cleaned and washed. So, you need to cut off the head, the dorsal fin, as well as gut the fish. Now pour salt and spices, pour lemon juice and oil and leave for a couple of hours to marinate. After that the herring can be placed on the grill.

This fish is cooked very quickly. It is important to turn the grid with herring more often and constantly oil it. To do this you can use a cooking brush. It is important not to over-dry the fish, so you need to periodically check its readiness with a knife. The result is juicy, fragrant and delicious fish.

How to salt

Herring can be salted at home. In this case, the carcasses of about 20 cm in size should be cleaned from the giblets, skin and bones. To do this, gently pick up the edge of the skin and, using a knife, separate it from the carcass.

Then, starting from the tail, cut off the flesh with a knife. Put the resulting fillets in a container and pour the marinade. To prepare such a solution, pour into boiling water so much salt that the liquid is over-salted, pepper in the form of peas, cloves, coriander and bayroot. Boil the mixture for a quarter of an hour. Strain the cooled mixture and pour it over the herring. The dish will be ready to eat in a day.

What can be cooked from herring: recipes

As mentioned above, most often this variety of sea fish is used to make canned and preserves. They are very popular. Some are even used to cook them at home.

Salak can be used to prepare various salads and appetizers, it is used to obtain first courses, from it fried cutlets or simply stewed with vegetables. Such a product is well combined with potatoes, onions, bell peppers, tomato paste.

Sprats

For such a snack you will need 0.7 kg of peeled fish, 1 l of water, 50 g of prunes, 2 tbsp. dry black tea, 2 tbsp. salt, about 100 ml of vegetable oil, bay leaf, a few grains of cloves and black pepper.

First you need to prepare a tea brew. To do this, boil tea leaves for 5 minutes, and then filter and cool. At this time, put a layer of herring in the saucepan. Next, chop prunes and alternate each subsequent layer of seafood with them and seasonings. Add salt to the cooled tea and mix the mass until this component has completely dissolved. Pour the resulting liquid over the herring so that the fish is drowned in water.

Sprats can be cooked in an oven or on a stove. In the first case, send the dish with a billet in the oven at 200 degrees. After boiling, reduce the temperature to 120 degrees. Under these conditions, simmer the dish for two hours. If the sprats are cooked on a stove, it is only necessary to reduce the fire to a minimum and stew the dish for a couple of hours.

After that, pour out all the liquid from the pot and add vegetable oil to it. It should cover the entire fish. Then put the herring back in the oven or on the fire. From the moment it boils, it should simmer for another quarter of an hour. After that, the sprats are ready to eat.

Cutlets

Cut into fillets fish should be passed through a meat grinder. Add an onion, an egg, soaked bread, salt and spices and then boiled rice. Make cutlets out of the stuffing and lay them on a baking sheet. Pour tomato sauce with onions and carrots over the cutlets. Now put the cutlets in the oven for half an hour at 180 degrees. Serve with mashed potatoes, buckwheat or barley.

Pâté

Ingredients: 0.5 kg of smoked herring, 150 g of butter, 2 eggs, 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise, 1 pinch each of paprika and Italian herbs mixture.

Cut the butter into small pieces. Remove the heads, spines, tails and giblets from the herring. Clean the hard-boiled eggs from their shells, cut them into cubes. Now combine all components in one bowl, salt and add spices to taste. Then use a blender to beat the components until a homogeneous mass is obtained. The resulting pâté transfer to a jar.

Uha

To prepare the fish soup you will need 130 g of herring, 200 g of potatoes, 1 onion, a piece of butter, herbs, spices and sour cream to serve.

Cut the cleaned and washed fish into pieces, boil it and take out of the broth. Strain the liquid, then pour the potatoes and salt in it. Boil the mass until the potatoes are half cooked. After this, add to the dish the passaged onion, as well as a bay leaf and other spices. Cook the dish until it is ready. Before serving, put the fish in a plate, as well as herbs with sour cream.

Shkara

To prepare the shkara you need to prepare 300 g of herring, 1 onion, 1 tea bag, 1 tbsp. soy sauce, 30 ml of sunflower oil, 2 bay leaves, a few peppercorns, ground pepper and salt to taste.

First you need to prepare the marinade. To do it, mix pepper, bay leaves, salt in a bowl and pour 50 ml of water over it. The resulting mixture should be placed on the fire and boil for 4-5 minutes, and then cool. Prepare in advance a strong tea, at the rate of 1 bag per 100 ml of boiling water. Pour the drink into the cooled marinade. Add soy sauce.

Onion cut into half rings. Divide the amount received into two parts. Put half of the onions on a pan, and put the herring on top of it. Next, pour the fish with the prepared solution. After that, lay out the second part of the onion. Now put the billet on a small fire and stew for 50-60 minutes. When all the liquid is absorbed and boiled, the dish can be removed from the stove. Next, put the fish on a plate and garnish with herbs.

Can we give herring to animals

Seafood is enriched with protein, polyunsaturated fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins that the pet needs for normal body function. However, if animals are fed raw fish, it can cause intestinal upset and cause severe gas. Therefore, such a delicacy can be given to the animal, but only in boiled form.

It must be remembered that all seafood are strong allergens, so introduce them to the diet of the pet should be with caution, each time observing the reaction of his body.

For example, puppies under six months of age are contraindicated sea delicacies, as feeding the pet with this product can lead to malfunctions in the endocrine and immune systems.

Interesting facts

1. The fattest herring is considered to be herring caught in winter. For example, it contains no more than 5 grams of fat throughout the year, and rises to 8 grams in winter.
2. In Sweden, the end of summer is the start of the surströmming season, a process of making fermented herring fish that has been fermented for a long time. Such a product has a strong smell of rot and hydrogen sulfide. Such a dish can be eaten only in nature, away from other people, as a can during the opening is capable of a strong "shot", and the "flavor" will be very strong.
3. The Dutch are so appreciative of the taste of herring that they hold a special festival every year, where everyone can taste this type of fish.
4. In Russia, most prefer to eat herring in smoked form.

Photo of herring