Among the variety of river fish species, the culinary specialists are especially interested in tench, which has excellent taste. It is low in calories and high quality protein combined with a range of beneficial amino acids. Before cooking fish, you should learn how to clean and gut it properly.

What kind of fish - tench

Freshwater fish, the only representative of the genus Tinca - tench - has a thick and massive body, covered with mucus, and elongated small scales, beautifully shimmering golden in the rays of the sun. The tench usually prefers to settle in coastal waters and can live in water with a low oxygen content. When exposed to air, it can change color, becoming covered with dark spots, like shedding. The size of the fish rarely exceeds 50 cm, while the weight can reach 5–6 kg. Most often, a line weighing about 600 g becomes a trophy for an angler. The life span of a tench is 18 years, it is not one of the predators.

Since the fish has a special aroma, reminiscent of the smell of silt, freshly caught tench is soaked for some time in clean water before cooking. Spices and spices are added to the cooking process that can drown out this smell.

Tench is a tasty and healthy fish

Lines contain a large amount of vitamins, as well as copper, chromium, zinc, phosphorus, potassium, fluorine, sodium and manganese. It is especially useful for people suffering from thyroid diseases and complaining of poor stomach function. Regular use of tench has a positive effect on the work of the heart and prevents the development of arrhythmias.

If you want to feast on the most delicious lines, give preference to buying or catching this fish in late April or early May.

And remember that during the spawning season (begins in mid or late May and lasts for a month), tench is completely unsuitable for human consumption.

Tench meat can be used to prepare a wide variety of dishes by subjecting it to the cooking, frying and baking process. In addition, it is customary to stuff the line, stew and marinate, and also serve as jellied meat.

During the spawning period, tench cannot be used for food.

Do I need to clean the tench and how to do it

Many housewives do not clean the tench from the scales, because during cooking it turns into an appetizing crust.... But if you still decide to clean the fish, proceed as follows:

1. Take a tench and rinse it under running water to remove mucus.
2. Pick up a container of the right size and fill it with boiling water.
3. Dip the tench in boiling water for 20 seconds.
4. Then quickly transfer the fish to cold water.
5. Using the knife, turned with the blunt side to the line, scrape off the scales from it, moving in the direction from the tail to the head.

The procedure can be done differently.

1. Place the tench in your kitchen sink.
2. Wash it off the mucus.
3. Pour boiling water from a kettle on top of it.
4. Turn on cold water and rinse the fish to remove any coagulated mucus.
5. Clean with a knife as described above.

Advice. Rub the tench with coarse salt so that the fish does not slip in your hands while you work. It will also help remove mucus.

Instead of a knife, you can use a fine metal grater. And so that the fish scales do not scatter throughout the kitchen, it is advisable to clean it by immersing the fish in a container with water.

The tench can be cleaned with a knife or grater.

If you need to clean the tench in the field, you can use coarse salt.

How to clean a tench - video

How to get rid of the unpleasant odor of ooze

Since the line is characterized by a special smell of dampness and mud, you have to get rid of it. To do this, you can use a solution of 2 tbsp. l. salt and 1 liter of water. The fish is thoroughly washed in it, and before the cooking process itself, it is sprinkled with lemon juice.

It is interesting. Fish scales contain a lot of pectin, so they can be used as a thickener in jellies. The scales and head collected after cleaning, with previously removed gills, wrap in cheesecloth, put in a saucepan with broth, intended for cooking jellied meat.

How to gut a tench

To gut fish you will need:

• cutting board;
• plastic bag.

Operating procedure:

If you do touch the gallbladder during evisceration, carefully cut out the area where the bile has spilled. Then rub the fish liberally with salt, then rinse it thoroughly in running water.

How to gut a fish without cutting the belly

If the tench is intended for a festive table, you can remove its insides without cutting the belly. This gutting option can be used for both frozen and fresh fish, in preparation for frying and baking as a whole. The tench can also be cut into round pieces.

1. Make neat incisions in the flesh along the edges of the operculums all the way to the spine.
2. Sever your spine.
3. Separate the head from the tench along with all the entrails attached to it.
4. Chop off the tail and cut off the fins.
5. Rinse out the line.

A method of gutting fish using wooden sticks without cutting the belly - video

Peculiarities of cleaning and cutting frozen tench

Linear is usually prepared immediately without freezing. If you still have to work with frozen fish, then if thawed incorrectly, it can lose a number of its beneficial properties.

Before cleaning, the tench must be properly defrosted.

Tench should be thawed exclusively in cold water with a 2: 1 ratio of liquid to fish weight. It takes about four hours for large fish to completely thaw, and no more than two hours for small fish. To prevent the loss of valuable substances, it is enough to put the tench in salted water. At the same time, for 1 kg of linen, you will need 2-3 liters of water and 15 g of salt.

When defrosting fillets, you can do without water. It is enough to spread the pieces on the table, cover with cling film and leave until completely thawed at room temperature. Thanks to the film, the amount of evaporated moisture will be reduced, which will have a beneficial effect on the taste of the defrosted product. When working with frozen fillets, you should be aware that it does not need special hygienic processing. Before cooking, trim away any spoiled edges, remove any dirt and rinse thoroughly.

Do not re-freeze the thawed tench, as the fish will lose its taste due to the loss of juice. In addition, it is advisable not to beat off or squeeze the thawed tench.

When defrosting fish, use only cold water.

• If you plan to cook the fish whole or in portions, you can leave the scales on before frying.
• If the scales need to be removed, you should use a knife, grater or special devices that make it easy to get rid of them. After cleaning is completed, the fins must be removed by cutting them on both sides and tearing them off the carcass in the direction from the tail to the head.

Before preparing the soup, the tench can be cut into large cross pieces. If you plan to fry it, we recommend slicing the fish at a 45 ° C angle. Then salt and pepper the pieces and send them to the refrigerator for 5 minutes. This will add juiciness to the fish.

Lin, cut into large cross pieces, suitable for making soups

Plating thawed and fresh tench

If you have to prepare a large tench, after eviscerating it, you can make plating or filing. This procedure is carried out in the same way for different types of fish:

How to remove skin from thawed or fresh fillets

If you want to cook cutlets or dumplings from tench, remove the skin from the fillet. In this case, you do not need to remove the scales.

1. With your left hand, hold the tail of the line.
2. With your right hand, trim the fillet with a sharp knife, pressing it firmly against the table surface, separating the meat from the skin.
3. Place the fish fillet with the ribs on top.
4. Holding the rib bones with your left palm, cut the bones with your right hand, while holding the knife obliquely so that its blade looks to your left.
5. Do the same for the second fillet.

When removing skin from fillets, it is advisable to use a sharp knife, while acting as carefully as possible.

Waste left over from tench - fins, skin, bones - can be used to make broths. However, before the cooking process, you must remove the gills from the fish heads.

Using the methods described, you can easily clean and properly cut the tench before preparing a variety of dishes. Proper cleaning of the tench, taking into account some important nuances, will avoid disappointments when tasting already cooked fish. And different cutting methods will ensure your meals are presented in a great way.

Among the variety of river fish species, the culinary specialists are especially interested in tench, which has excellent taste. It is low in calories and high quality protein combined with a range of beneficial amino acids. Before cooking fish, you should learn how to clean and gut it properly.

What kind of fish is a tench

Freshwater fish, the only representative of the genus Tinca - tench - has a thick and massive body, covered with mucus, and elongated small scales, beautifully shimmering golden in the rays of the sun. The tench usually prefers to settle in coastal waters and can live in water with a low oxygen content. When exposed to air, it can change color, becoming covered with dark spots, like shedding. The size of the fish rarely exceeds 50 cm, while the weight can reach 5–6 kg. Most often, a line weighing about 600 g becomes a trophy for an angler. The life span of a tench is 18 years, it is not one of the predators.

Since the fish has a special aroma, reminiscent of the smell of silt, freshly caught tench is soaked for some time in clean water before cooking. Spices and spices are added to the cooking process that can drown out this smell.

Tench is a tasty and healthy fish

Lines contain a large amount of vitamins, as well as copper, chromium, zinc, phosphorus, potassium, fluorine, sodium and manganese. It is especially useful for people suffering from thyroid diseases and complaining of poor stomach function. Regular use of tench has a positive effect on the work of the heart and prevents the development of arrhythmias.

If you want to feast on the most delicious lines, give preference to buying or catching this fish in late April or early May.

And remember that during the spawning season (begins in mid or late May and lasts for a month), tench is completely unsuitable for human consumption.

Tench meat can be used to prepare a wide variety of dishes by subjecting it to the cooking, frying and baking process. In addition, it is customary to stuff the line, stew and marinate, and also serve as jellied meat.

During the spawning period, tench cannot be used for food.

Do I need to clean the tench and how to do it

Many housewives do not clean the tench from the scales, because during cooking it turns into an appetizing crust. But if you still decide to clean the fish, proceed as follows:

1. Take a tench and rinse it under running water to remove mucus.
2. Pick up a container of the right size and fill it with boiling water.
3. Dip the tench in boiling water for 20 seconds.
4. Then quickly transfer the fish to cold water.
5. Using the knife, turned with the blunt side to the line, scrape off the scales from it, moving in the direction from the tail to the head.

The procedure can be done differently.

1. Place the tench in your kitchen sink.
2. Wash it off the mucus.
3. Pour boiling water from a kettle on top of it.
4. Turn on cold water and rinse the fish to remove any coagulated mucus.
5. Clean with a knife as described above.

Advice. Rub the tench with coarse salt so that the fish does not slip in your hands while you work. It will also help remove mucus.

Instead of a knife, you can use a fine metal grater. And so that the fish scales do not scatter throughout the kitchen, it is advisable to clean it by immersing the fish in a container with water.

The tench can be cleaned with a knife or grater.

If you need to clean the tench in the field, you can use coarse salt.

How to clean a tench - video

How to get rid of the unpleasant odor of ooze

Since the line is characterized by a special smell of dampness and mud, you have to get rid of it. To do this, you can use a solution of 2 tbsp. l. salt and 1 liter of water. The fish is thoroughly washed in it, and before the cooking process itself, it is sprinkled with lemon juice.

It is interesting. Fish scales contain a lot of pectin, so they can be used as a thickener in jellies. The scales and head collected after cleaning, with previously removed gills, wrap in cheesecloth, put in a saucepan with broth, intended for cooking jellied meat.

How to gut a tench

To gut fish you will need:

• cutting board;
• plastic bag.

Operating procedure:

If you do touch the gallbladder during evisceration, carefully cut out the area where the bile has spilled. Then rub the fish liberally with salt, then rinse it thoroughly in running water.

How to gut a fish without cutting the belly

If the tench is intended for a festive table, you can remove its insides without cutting the belly. This gutting option can be used for both frozen and fresh fish, in preparation for frying and baking as a whole. The tench can also be cut into round pieces.

1. Make neat incisions in the flesh along the edges of the operculums all the way to the spine.
2. Sever your spine.
3. Separate the head from the tench along with all the entrails attached to it.
4. Chop off the tail and cut off the fins.
5. Rinse out the line.

A method of gutting fish using wooden sticks without cutting the belly - video

Peculiarities of cleaning and cutting frozen tench

Linear is usually prepared immediately without freezing. If you still have to work with frozen fish, then if thawed incorrectly, it can lose a number of its beneficial properties.

Before cleaning, the tench must be properly defrosted.

Tench should be thawed exclusively in cold water with a 2: 1 ratio of liquid to fish weight. It takes about four hours for large fish to completely thaw, and no more than two hours for small fish. To prevent the loss of valuable substances, it is enough to put the tench in salted water. At the same time, for 1 kg of linen, you will need 2-3 liters of water and 15 g of salt.

When defrosting fillets, you can do without water. It is enough to spread the pieces on the table, cover with cling film and leave until completely thawed at room temperature. Thanks to the film, the amount of evaporated moisture will be reduced, which will have a beneficial effect on the taste of the defrosted product. When working with frozen fillets, you should be aware that it does not need special hygienic processing. Before cooking, trim away any spoiled edges, remove any dirt and rinse thoroughly.

Do not re-freeze the thawed tench, as the fish will lose its taste due to the loss of juice. In addition, it is advisable not to beat off or squeeze the thawed tench.

When defrosting fish, use only cold water.

• If you plan to cook the fish whole or in portions, you can leave the scales on before frying.
• If the scales need to be removed, you should use a knife, grater or special devices that make it easy to get rid of them. After cleaning is completed, the fins must be removed by cutting them on both sides and tearing them off the carcass in the direction from the tail to the head.

Before preparing the soup, the tench can be cut into large cross pieces. If you plan to fry it, we recommend slicing the fish at a 45 ° C angle. Then salt and pepper the pieces and send them to the refrigerator for 5 minutes. This will add juiciness to the fish.

Lin, cut into large cross pieces, suitable for making soups

Plating thawed and fresh tench

If you have to prepare a large tench, after eviscerating it, you can make plating or filing. This procedure is carried out in the same way for different types of fish:

How to remove skin from thawed or fresh fillets

If you want to cook cutlets or dumplings from tench, remove the skin from the fillet. In this case, you do not need to remove the scales.

1. With your left hand, hold the tail of the line.
2. With your right hand, trim the fillet with a sharp knife, pressing it firmly against the table surface, separating the meat from the skin.
3. Place the fish fillet with the ribs on top.
4. Holding the rib bones with your left palm, cut the bones with your right hand, while holding the knife obliquely so that its blade looks to your left.
5. Do the same for the second fillet.

When removing skin from fillets, it is advisable to use a sharp knife, while acting as carefully as possible.

Waste left over from tench - fins, skin, bones - can be used to make broths. However, before the cooking process, you must remove the gills from the fish heads.

Using the methods described, you can easily clean and properly cut the tench before preparing a variety of dishes. Proper cleaning of the tench, taking into account some important nuances, will avoid disappointments when tasting already cooked fish. And different cutting methods will ensure your meals are presented in a great way.

Hello, my name is Anna. I am 37 years old. Higher management education. Divorced, raising a daughter. (4 votes, average: 2.8 out of 5)

Tench is a widespread fish. It is found in lakes, small rivers, reservoirs, where there are silted, overgrown areas of the bottom. This very valuable and healthy fish has fats and proteins that are quickly absorbed. Tench can be used to prepare a huge number of tasty and healthy dishes that will delight any gourmet with their unsurpassed taste, but before starting the cooking process, you need to clean the carcass in advance. Since this activity is not the most pleasant one, in this article we will tell you how to clean the tench from scales without any problems and time consuming.

Who is tench?

In natural living conditions, tench feeds on larvae, small crustaceans and worms, which are found only on silted areas of the bottom. The depth of the fish is 1.5-2 m. The optimal living conditions for tench are thickets of reeds.

For this reason, the body of the tench is rather awkward, covered with small scales and a thick layer of mucus. Some individuals can reach 60 cm in length and have 3 kg of live weight, but most often there are representatives up to 30 cm in size.

Important! The fish got its name due to the fact that the mucus that covers the fish, when it comes into contact with air, begins to darken quickly. The resulting dark spots, spreading throughout the fish, give the impression that the fish is “molting”. Subsequently, the darkened areas peel off, and yellowish spots can be seen under them.

A wide variety of dishes are prepared from tench, combining fish with other foods, such as vegetables. In ancient Russia, the fish was served at the tsar's table, but to improve the taste of the tench, it had to be kept in cold water for a long time, sometimes up to 12 hours.

Do I need to clean the tench?

Removing the scales from the tench is not an easy task, since the fish is very slippery. The body is covered with mucus, and therefore it is difficult to keep it in the hands. In addition to mucus, the body of the fish is covered with thin and small scales, which are difficult to remove using the usual traditional method (that is, with a knife).

Many fishermen do not actually clean the tench, since the small and very thin scales are perfectly baked during cooking, and as a result they become crispy and very appetizing.

Thus, it is possible not to clean the tench and then the main task is to remove the mucus. This is the most difficult stage when cutting fish. It is necessary to carry out this procedure under the tap, as follows:

1. Place the fish in the sink.
2. Rinse the fish from the mud under running cold water.
3. Pour boiling water over the bait (pour hot water) - the mucus will coagulate, like an egg white.
4. Rinse off any coagulated mucus with cold water.
5. Wipe the fish dry with a kitchen napkin.

Important! Sprinkle with coarse salt to prevent slipping.

How to clean tench fish?

If you still decide to get rid of the scales, then prepare the following:

• Cutting board.
• Coarse salt.
• Steep boiling water.

Line cleaning involves the following steps:

1. 1. Place the fish in the sink.
   2. Rinse thoroughly under running water.
   3. Pour boiling water over the fish for about 30 seconds, and then immediately immerse it in ice water.
   4. Use a dull knife or spoon to remove the scales. Do this from tail to head.
   5. Turn on cold water and rinse the fish thoroughly. To prevent the line from slipping, sprinkle it with coarse salt or rub it on your hands.
   6. Place the carcass on a cutting board
   7. Get rid of the internal organs of the fish:
      • Gently stick a sharp knife 1 to 2 cm into the abdominal area.
      • With a knife, draw a line to the anus of the fish to the head.

Important! Make the incision very carefully so as not to touch the gallbladder, otherwise the fish will become bitter after cooking.

1. 1. • Remove all entrails from the belly and discard in the bucket.
   2. Cut off the gills and fins. Throw them in the trash can.
   3. Rinse the cut fish under running water.
   4. Lin is ready to cook.

Important! If the bait smells of mud after cleaning, then get rid of it using the following recipe: dilute 2 tbsp in 1 liter of cold water. l. salt and rinse the fish thoroughly in the solution. Pour lemon juice over the tench just before cooking.

• You can clean the tench using a grater with special sharp teeth.
• It is best to clean live bait in a sink filled with water. This will keep the kitchen clean.
• Use only fresh, recently caught fish for cooking.
• When cleaning the inside of the live bait, put it in a plastic bag, tie it tightly and only then throw it into the trash can.
• When cooking tench, add a variety of spices and herbs to improve its taste.
• To rid the live bait of the river taste, add fish spices to the pot during cooking.
• The most delicious tench dishes are boiled and stewed. When stewing, we recommend using dry white wine to make the fish tastier.

Lin: cooking recipes. How to clean a tench properly

A delicious fish like tench is very useful and nutritious. It includes fats and proteins that are perfectly absorbed by the human body. Most often, such a fish is fried or baked in the oven, certainly with spices, since the meat of the tench smells of mud.

Lin goes well with all spices - you can sprinkle the fish with lemon juice before cooking and let it soak for fifteen minutes. After that, rub the carcasses with salt and fry in sunflower oil with garlic and herbs, a pinch of black pepper. Fried vegetables will be an excellent side dish for such a dish.

When frying such a fish, you can use bread crumbs, flour. You can pre-mix the crackers with your favorite spices - it will turn out to be insanely tasty. Lin is a valuable food product that rivals the best meats in nutritional value. It is absorbed by the body much faster and therefore is used with success in dietary nutrition. The meat of this fish is low in calories, so for those who want to lose excess weight, this is a suitable treat.

Of course, the fish needs to be peeled before cooking. And here there are difficulties - not every housewife knows how to properly clean a tench, which means that it's time to learn this.

How to properly clean your tench?

For cleaning, you need: a sharp knife, a cutting board and a sufficient amount of salt, as well as boiling water.

1. We clean the tench from mucus and mud - wash the fish under running water.

2. After washing, we leave the tench in the sink - after a few minutes, pour boiling water onto the fish. As a result of this heat treatment, the remaining mucus will coagulate like testicular protein. Now, to get rid of unnecessary residues, again rinses the tench with cold water.

3. Sprinkle the carcasses with coarse sea salt - the tench will not slip out of your hands.

4. To remove the insides, take a knife, stick the blade into the abdomen two centimeters and cut to the end of the carcass. The incision must be done carefully so as not to damage the gallbladder - damage will lead to the bitter taste of the fish.

5. When all the insides have been removed, be sure to cut off the fins and gills.

What to do with tench scales?

Many people ask the question of whether it is necessary to clean the scales of this fish? In fact, this is not required, although some still cleanse the fish from the scales.

If you want to get rid of the scales, then first immerse the fish in boiling water for twenty to a maximum of thirty seconds. After that, immediately send the fish into cold water, after which you can scrape off the scales using the blunt side of the knife - move in the direction from the tail to the head area.

You can also clean the scales from the tench using a fine, pointed-toothed trowel.

How to get rid of the mud smell?

If you feel a persistent unpleasant odor of mud while cleaning fish, prepare a special solution. We dilute two tablespoons of salt in one liter of water, rinse the tench in it, then dry it with a towel. Sprinkle lemon juice on the fish before baking the tench in the oven or frying it in a skillet. Remember that you need to buy such fish only live, freshly caught.

Now that you've learned how to peel fish, it's time to cook something delicious out of it.

Lin - cooking recipe:

We need a tench weighing a kilogram, three liters of water, one egg, a carrot, five large potatoes, two onions, peppercorns, three bay leaves, five stalks of parsley and dill, salt and ground black pepper.

Cut the potatoes and carrots into small slices. Cut the onion into rings. Of course, it is better to cook such a dish over a fire, but you can also cook it on the stove at home. Heat water to a boil and add boil potatoes, carrots and onions.

Before boiling, do not forget to add salt to the water and toss in a few peppercorns.

Add ground pepper and lavrushka to the boiled vegetable broth. Let the broth boil, remove the foam. The potatoes and carrots should be softened. Cut the tench into portions - about four to five pieces are obtained. Don't forget to remove the head and tail fins. We put the tench in the bubbling broth, pour in the egg and add salt to your taste - cook for about five to seven minutes, until the fish meat turns white.

Before serving the fish soup, add finely chopped dill and parsley. It turns out very tasty.

Lin stewed with green onion

You will need a tench carcass, fifty - a green onion, forty - a white bread, five - ghee. You will also need one hundred and fifty grams of milk or one hundred and twenty - broth, thirty - sour cream, one hard-boiled egg, pepper and herbs.

We clean and wash the tench, chop medium-sized carcasses into portioned pieces, you can leave them whole. Sprinkle the fish with pepper and salt, send it to a cold place for a couple of hours. Finely chop the green onion, add grated stale white bread, finely chopped parsley or dill - mix everything. Put half of the mixture in an even layer in a skillet, oiled, put the fish on top, fill it with the remaining mixture and fill it with hot milk or fish broth with sour cream - simmer, covering the dishes with a lid, for sixty minutes. Serve on a plate, put onion on the fish, then sprinkle with chopped hard-boiled egg.

Bon Appetit!

Similar recipes:
http://vk.com/wall-36888803?q=Ling

This article was automatically added from the community