The most delicate delicacy

You can salt and dry almost any fish, be it sea or river. But in order to prepare high-quality, tasty balyk, you need to be more selective. It is the right choice that determines how tasty the dish will be. Pike balyk is considered a real delicacy.

In general, this dish is prepared exclusively from valuable varieties of fish, which include sturgeon and salmon. But pike also turns out very tasty. Since this fish in any form turns out to be unique. The main thing is to strictly follow the recipe.

Fish balyk

Few people know that it is incorrect to call such a dish made from pork or poultry balyk. It can rather be called salted-dried or dried meat. And only in relation to fish can the word “balyk” be applied. However, not all parts of a fish carcass can be called this, but only the back. Everything below is fun. Completely different dishes are prepared from this abdominal part. We are not talking about them today.

There is another type of balyk - this is a boknik. In order to cook it, the carcass must be divided in half along the ridge.

Pike balyk (hiking version)

Experienced fishermen know that the best balyk comes only from freshly caught fish, which means you need to know how to prepare balyk from pike in the wild in order to bring back a ready-to-eat snack from fishing. We take:

pike carcasses weighing from 1 kilogram,
coarse salt.

Number of servings: depends on the catch;
Cooking time: about 17-18 hours.

We do not wash the pike and do not remove the scales. It is enough to cut off her head and disembowel her. Then, using a sharp knife, we slice the fish along the ridge.

On each part of the half carcass we make cross cuts so that the fish absorbs the salt faster. After this, take a little salt and rub it evenly on the inside of half the pike. Fold each fish in half, skin out, meat in, and place on its sides or belly in a food-grade, non-oxidizing container. Sprinkle another handful of salt on top, cover with a lid and set aside. Medium-sized pike will need 30 minutes to salt themselves. And this time will be enough for us to turn on the Internet in our gadgets and see what’s new on “All about Fishing!”

After half an hour, we rinse the fish from salt and hang it by the tail on a string or homemade wire hooks. We hang the fish in a place that is not too sunny, preferably under a tree or a canopy, so that it can dry out a little in the fresh air. Leave it overnight or from morning to evening for about 10 hours. In the meantime, let’s prepare a fire in order to bring our pike balyk in nature to the desired condition.

Light the fire and let it burn well. We stock up on wood chips, as for smoking, put them on a metal tray and place them over the fire. And above the tray we install a grill with our pike carcasses, unfolded and spread out. They need to be kept in the smoke for several hours, turning them over periodically to prevent them from burning. After this, the ruddy and amazingly smelling pike balyk can be removed from the fire and tasted with a glass of vodka! By the way, while fishing you can easily prepare other delicious dishes, for example, pike fish soup, catfish kebab or spicy salted saber fish.

Why should you choose pike for cooking?

Of all the wealth of choice that our rivers, seas and lakes give us, our ancestors always treated pike with the most respect. It is not for nothing that she was glorified in fairy tales as a sorceress, the queen of the river kingdom. It was this fish that was always the main decoration of even royal feasts. They made fish soup from it, served it stewed in sour cream, stuffed with their own meat, but the most delicious dish was always considered dried fish, that is, pike balyk.

Today this fish also has quite a lot of admirers. The only thing that saddens us in our time is the state of reservoirs, in which, due to the negligence of people, not only pike, but also all other fish die.

Pike is also worth cooking because it has a lot of useful qualities:

Those microelements that are collected in the carcass of this fish help the proper functioning of the heart.
Pike is full of antiseptics, and they help the human body fight infections. That is, thanks to the consumption of this fish, immunity improves.
Pike is a godsend for those who suffer from diseases of the pancreas or liver. It is digested very quickly.
If you include fish in your diet on a regular basis, your nervous system will always be in good shape.
Fish is useful in preventing diabetes.
With the help of pike fat you can regulate the level of cholesterol in the blood. It is used in the prevention of diseases of the cardiovascular system.

That is why when preparing not only balyk, but also any other fish dish, you should choose pike. It is, in fact, a real treasure trove of useful elements for the human body.

Before preparing balyk from pike, you need to think carefully about whether it is worth giving it this particular treatment.

Homemade pike balyk

To prepare dried and juicy pike balyk you will need a minimum of ingredients:

pike - a larger carcass, weighing from 2 kilograms,
salt - 5-6 tablespoons,
bay leaf - 2 pieces,
black peppercorns - 4 pieces.

Number of servings: 6-8;
Preparation time: 4 days.

First, the pike must be cut. This is done simply simply and very quickly: we do not remove the scales, make a small incision on the belly and gut it, cut off the head and cut out the fins, including the tail, with scissors. Next, rinse the fish in cold water and chop crosswise into portions such as steaks. Each of them will be a portion of balyk in itself.

Now the preparation for pike balyk at home needs to be salted. Finely chop the laurel leaves into a bowl, crush the peppercorns and add salt. Mix salt and spices, pour 1/3 of the resulting mixture onto the bottom of an enamel pan. Then place the pike steaks on the salt. Sprinkle them with salt again and press them with not too heavy pressure (a half-liter bottle or jar of water will be quite enough). Leave to salt overnight or all day. Then we remove the pressure, turn the pieces over and again leave them to add salt for 12 hours.

We leave the salted pieces of fish to soak in cold water for an hour or two, and then lay them out to dry on paper sheets. We place the sheets in a drafty area (balcony, window sill in the kitchen) and leave to dry for several days. During this time, we turn the pieces over several times so that the drying occurs evenly. After 2-3 days, the pike will acquire a golden hue and a rich aroma.

Is there any benefit from pike balyk?

The big disadvantage of pike balyk is that this dish has a high salt content.

Before drying fish, you need to thoroughly study the entire technology of the process, since there should be no mistakes here.

If the technology is violated at least at one stage, there is a high risk of helminth infection, which in itself is unpleasant. One type of these parasites is the broad tapeworm. It can be caught from fish in which its larvae live. The trouble is that it can live unnoticed in the human intestines for several years and grow up to twenty meters.

Outdoors

The most delicious dish is made from freshly caught fish. You won’t be able to smoke it at home, but in nature everything will be easier. This is the most flavorful recipe for pike balyk.

Step-by-step preparation:

Pike carcasses should be gutted and heads removed. The scales are not peeled off.
Cut each fish into two parts along the spine.
Make cross-shaped cuts on the fillet. This is required so that the meat quickly acquires the necessary taste.
Rub the inner parts of the layers with a small amount of coarse salt.
Then put the halves together, skin side up, and place in large containers, again sprinkling with salt.
A medium-sized fish will be salted in half an hour.
Next, the fillet must be washed and hung on a strong rope or wire. It is best in the shade of trees or under canopies. After 10 hours the product will dry out.
Now you can start smoking. You need to make a fire in advance.
Pour wood chips onto an iron tray and secure it over the fire.
Place racks with fish on top.
Smoke for several hours, turning frequently.
The finished product should be well browned.

Pike balyk recipe

This fish can not only be served at the holiday table, but also taken with you on the road, since after this method of preparation it can be stored for quite a long time.

In order to prepare pike balyk at home, the carcass does not need to be scaled. The only thing that really needs to be done is to cut off its head and remove the offal.

Then do the following:

An incision is made along the spine. It stretches across the entire carcass.
Now the fish needs to be turned belly up and “opened”. In the middle, cuts are made across. They are needed in order to achieve maximum salting. This way the salt will penetrate even the thickest places.
Next comes the salting process itself. The fish is lightly evenly sprinkled with coarse salt. If the carcass itself is large enough, then it is better to sprinkle additional salt in the places of the cuts. The culinary sense should come into play here, since it is impossible to say how much salt is needed. It all depends on the size of the fish. But there is a nuance: if there is not enough salt, the dish may spoil, and if there is too much, the meat will lose its tenderness in taste.
Now the carcass is sent to an enamel container and marinated for about half an hour.
The fish must be hung in a dry, ventilated place inaccessible to flies. She should stay there for about two days.
At the last stage, the pike is sent to the oven on a wire rack, where it must be kept at a minimum temperature for five to nine hours.

Classic recipe for making pike balyk

Pike balyk can be cooked in the oven. This simplifies and speeds up the process. But the classic recipe involves natural drying. In some cases, a combination of techniques is used. The main thing is to strictly follow the salting and drying technology specified in the recipe so that the dish turns out at home no worse than that of professionals.

Preparing the fish carcass

The peculiarity of pike is that you do not need to peel the scales. In some cases it can be removed, but the classic recipe involves using tuka with scales and skin. The taste of the prepared dish does not deteriorate. The pike must be gutted and divided into two parts along the ridge line. After the fillet is ready, it is better to cut it into pieces of 2-3 centimeters.

Butchering

If the carcass is small, then you can take a whole pike, but the meat cut into pieces is salted and dried faster.

Ingredients

To prepare pike balyk at home, for each kilogram of fish you will need:

salt – 150 gr.;
sugar – 1.5 tbsp;
spices to taste: bay leaf, cloves, thyme, black pepper, allspice, etc.

Spices should be used sparingly so that they do not drown out each other and spoil the taste of the dish. You can apply ready-made seasoning to fish, but it is better to choose a set of ingredients yourself so that the balyk matches the taste preferences of all family members.

Description of preparation

Having prepared the carcass at home, we proceed to salting. To do this, the pieces are rolled into a mixture of sugar, salt and seasonings and placed in a container. It can be plastic, enameled, but not metal. The workpiece is placed under pressure and sent to the refrigerator for a week. During the day, the pieces should be turned over so that the released juice is evenly distributed over the surface of the fish.

Important! A lack of salt will result in the pike not being salted and quickly disappearing. Excessive amounts will make the balyk too dry and tough.

After the meat has been salted, it is placed for ventilation. Before this, the fillet is thoroughly washed under running water or soaked for an hour. The duration of drying depends on the size of the pieces. For small ones, 2 days are enough, for large ones it will take 4 to 7 days. To get the perfect pike balyk at home, you need to try it every two days. This makes it possible to create a dish that everyone will enjoy.

Follow the drying technology to get excellent results.

Dry the fish in a well-ventilated place protected from flies. If this is not possible, and insects interfere with cooking, then the balyk is wrapped in pieces of gauze folded in several layers. To repel pests, it is soaked in vinegar.

The easiest way

Pike is a rather dry fish, but this is not at all noticeable in the recipe. During cooking, the meat becomes tender and juicy.

one kilogram of fish;
150 grams of salt;
1.5 – 2 tbsp. l. granulated sugar;
spices: laurel leaves, freshly ground black pepper and allspice peas, cloves (add sparingly).

The carcass is completely cleaned of scales and entrails.
The next step is to get rid of the head and tail. Using a sharp blade, divide the fish into two layers (along the ridge).
Carefully separate the fillet from the backbone.
Cut into equal pieces no more than three centimeters thick.
Rub each with a mixture of salt, sugar and spices.
Place everything in a deep container with a lid (you cannot use aluminum containers, it will ruin the look and taste of the product).
Press down on top with something heavy.
Salt the pike in the cold for about a week.

Now remove the pieces from the container and rinse. To remove excess salt, place the fish in fresh cold water. Remove and allow excess moisture to drain. The final stage is drying in the wind or draft. The place should be dark and clean (no insects).

Advice! The product must be checked every two days. Thin pieces will be ready earlier than bulky ones.

Pike balyk

I received this recipe during an experiment. I've been using it for a long time. So far I have never seen such a recipe anywhere else.

So let's get started.

The pike must be fresh, otherwise it will not have time to salt. We gut the pike and cut off its head. There is no need to remove the scales. I don't wash the fish. Next, we spread it along the spine all the way to the tail, making cuts throughout the body without damaging the skin. The cuts are needed for better penetration of salt into the fish meat. We do this with all fish.

Next, take coarse salt and lightly, evenly sprinkle the fish with salt. If the pike is quite large, then stuff a small amount of salt into the cuts. The main thing here is not to overdo it. If there is not enough salt, the balyk will disappear. If there is a lot, it will be very salty. Over-salted balyk can then be soaked in water. Next, fold the pike meat-to-meat and place them, backside down, in an enamel or plastic bowl. That's all for now. You can rest for about twenty minutes. Now, we hang the carcasses spread out by the tail with hooks on the street, in a well-ventilated place protected from flies, but not in the sun. If there is no such place, you can hang the fish in the bathroom, first throwing some old newspapers on the floor so that it does not drip onto the floor. In the corner we put a Chinese-made fan on a leg, point it at the fish, turn on low speed and go to sleep. In the morning we check the condition of our semi-finished product.

The fish carcasses should already be slightly dry and weathered. We remove the driest ones and take them to the kitchen. Let the rest wait their turn; they won’t all fit in the oven anyway.

We open the oven of the gas stove and remove from it all the pans and other utensils that were previously stored in it. We leave the grill on which we place the carcasses unfolded, scales down. Light the gas in the oven and close the door. But we don’t close it tightly. Leave a centimeter gap by placing something non-flammable between the door and the oven. Set the gas regulator to low heat and turn on the hood over the gas stove. The hood is necessary for two reasons. The first is that without it, the kitchen will soon turn into a sauna (it will get hot). Secondly, there is a chance of choking on saliva from the smell of the cooking balyk.

All! All that's left to do is wait. It takes five to seven hours, depending on the temperature in the oven and the size of the fish carcasses. While the balyk is languishing, you can run for Baltika or Okhota. When the meat on the carcasses turns yellowish, the balyk is ready! Wrap the finished balyk tightly in cling film and store in the refrigerator. Without the film, it gradually dries out. Although, I’m sure you’ll eat it before it even dries!

My friends and acquaintances really like it. Some people don't believe it's made from pike.

Photo of the finished balyk.

Bon appetit!

Fish balyk - cook at home

There are two types of fish balyks: hung (without heat treatment) and cold smoked, which are produced within 3-4 days. To prepare a delicacy, you first need to choose the right fish.

It should be fresh , not frozen, and caught from a clean reservoir, preferably in the autumn. If these conditions are met, the dish will turn out tasty and healthy.

Everyone's favorite delicacy is usually prepared from large fish with a fat content of 5 to 30%. Suitable varieties include:

sturgeon, weighing from 2 to 5 kg;
salmon - from 3 to 5 kg;
carp - from 6 kg;
asp - 2−3 kg;
silver carp - 8 kg;
som - from 4 kg;
trout - 4−5 kg;
nelma - 3 kg;
pike perch - from 2.5 kg;
pike - 6 kg.

The quality of the dish will depend on what percentage of fat the fish contains. Balyk will turn out to be especially aromatic and juicy from silver carp, sturgeon, salmon, asp, carp, halibut, and catfish. These breeds have a lot of fatty layers , which makes the taste of the delicacy simply wonderful. Pike perch, perch, and pike are low-fat varieties, so it is best to cook them in a dried way.

The process of preparing a delicacy

Balyk from fish at home is not difficult to make, you just need to follow a certain technology, which includes: cutting the carcass, salting, cold smoking or drying and proper storage.

Ingredients used: fish, weighing from 3 kg, with a high percentage of fat content; sugar (per 1 kilogram of meat - 30 grams); salt (per 1 kilogram - 150 grams); spices, seasonings - to your taste.

Cooking:

Before making balyk, you need to thoroughly clean the fish from scales. Then it must be gutted and washed well. After this, make an incision along the spine, completely separate the loin from the bones and divide the carcass so that you get 2 pieces of meat.
Now you need to cut the fish into portions. To do this, take 1 piece of fillet and cut it lengthwise into several pieces. Then take one of the meat strips and, with a sharpened knife, cut off small pieces of fish, about 2 cm thick. Thus, cut all the meat. Keep in mind that the cut pieces must be without skin.
Start salting the fish fillets. Place the chopped meat in a saucepan, add salt, sugar and stir. Then take the appropriate seasonings, treat the pieces of food with them, then roll them into rolls and place them in the same container. The best combinations with fish are the spices intended for it, as well as ground black pepper and suneli hops, which will give the future balyk a pleasant taste and appetizing aroma.
Place the pan with semi-finished products in the refrigerator for 3-4 days so that the meat is well saturated with salt and spices. During this time, you can stir the fish pieces once a day. If the carcass is large and there is a lot of meat, then salting will last longer, for example, about 1 week.
After this time, the container with meat must be placed in the freezer for 2 days so that possible microbes and parasites are killed by the cold. If you want, you can first freeze the fish fillets for a few days, and then start salting.
The last step in preparing balyk is drying (drying) the fish. To do this, remove the pan from the freezer and string the pieces onto a strong thread, leaving small spaces between them. First, it is better to hang the meat for 3-4 hours in the bright sun so that each part of it is covered with a light crust. Then it should be dried in a warm and dry room, without the presence of insects. The drying process usually lasts from 3 to 7 days.

The finished balyk has a pink-yellow color and an appetizing smell of a fish delicacy. It can be used to make sandwiches, added to salads and consumed as a snack with alcoholic drinks. The treat should be stored in the refrigerator, wrapped in cling paper, for no longer than one week.

Useful properties of homemade delicacies

Since culinary processing does not involve boiling or frying the fish, it retains many useful substances, so this delicacy is very healthy.

100 grams of homemade balyk contains the following vitamins : A - 0.057 mg; E - 2.5 mg; B 2—0.2 mg; PP - 1.8 mg; B 1—0.05 mg.

The product also contains minerals necessary for human health:

magnesium - 23 mg;
calcium - 40 mg;
sodium - 3475 mg;
phosphorus - 180 mg;
sulfur - 205 mg;
chlorine - 164 mg;
iron - 0.8 mg;
zinc - 0.6 mg;
fluorine - 432 mg;
chromium - 56 mg;
nickel - 7 mg.

Fish meat also contains saturated fatty acids, which have a beneficial effect on the appearance of skin and hair, a small amount of cholesterol, water and ash. Therefore, by consuming a home-made delicacy, you can not only enjoy its rich taste, but also provide your body with vitamins and minerals .

The most delicate delicacy - pike balyk

Calorie content of the product

Despite the fact that pike is a fairly fatty freshwater fish, it is low in calories. 100 gr. dried balyk contain from 140 to 190 kcal, depending on the selected carcass. At the same time, the product is very nutritious, containing a large amount of protein, vitamins and minerals. Pike is considered a dietary and healthy product, but only if it is fresh and caught from clean waters.

Pike balyk, prepared at home, is distinguished by its tenderness and exquisite aroma. This dish will be an ideal appetizer and complement any menu.

It can be consumed frequently and will not cause harm to the body. A simple recipe will allow you to create a unique dish with a unique taste and aroma.

Pike is a rather dry fish, but in balyk you completely forget about this quality: during balyk its meat becomes very tender and retains its juiciness. And you can prepare balyk from pike at home (a longer process) or in the field directly while fishing (quick balykov).

In the oven

Previously, balyk was almost impossible to get. Today this is much easier. And if your fisherman brought home a pike, you can do it yourself.

You will need one carcass (with skin and scales, only the tripe and head with tail part are removed).
The fish is cut from the inside (so as not to damage the skin).
If the specimen is large, not very deep transverse cuts should be made in the pulp.
Rub the salt crystals into the meat.
Transfer to an enamel bowl and keep in the cold. Depending on the size, this will take from 30 minutes to an hour.
After this, place the pike in the water. When the excess salt has dissolved, you can dry it.
Secure carcasses with rope or hooks.
A fan set to medium power will help save cooking time. In this case, the entire drying process will take from 5 to 6 hours. And you will have to spend a day in the wind.
Now the dried balyk needs to be placed on the top rack in the oven.
Place a sheet underneath (in case excess moisture drips).
Leave the cabinet door slightly open (about a couple of centimeters).
It will take at least 4 hours to cook balyk in the oven. If the pike is large, it will take more time.
When the fish acquires a golden honey color, the product is ready.