Many people liked sprats from Soviet times, but after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the main producer of this product was abroad. Smoked small fish in cans began to close not only well-known enterprises with a solid reputation, but also small firms, many of which do not value their name, being interested only in receiving momentary gain. As a result, many of our compatriots, buying sprats, are like playing the lottery: they never know what is hiding in a tin can. If you're lucky, there will be an appetizing-looking and tasty fish, whose carcasses are tightly pressed against each other. No luck - under the lid there will be a fish gruel that you don’t want to eat and ashamed to put on the table. If you are not a supporter of this kind of "gambling", you should learn how to make sprats at home. Then the result will be predictable, and such a snack will be relatively inexpensive.
Cooking Features
Cooking sprats at home is a relatively simple, but long process. The fish is not smoked at the same time, but stewed in a sauce with the addition of a large amount of butter. It acquires a characteristic color through the use of natural dyes: strong brewing, onion peel decoction. Whether or not to use artificial flavors, the hostess has the right to decide independently. As a result, you can get not only delicious, but also a useful product, prepared without adding any chemistry. However, in order for the result to meet expectations, it is necessary to know a few points.
- If you use tea to color the fish, it should be strong. For a glass of water take a tablespoon of large-leaf tea or 3-4 bags of packaged.
- Tea is brewed before it is added to fish. A decoction of onion peel, too, should be prepared in advance.
- Tea gives sprats a brownish-bronze color, onion peel decoction is golden. By combining these ingredients in different ratios, you can get the shade that is more like the chef.
- For preparing homemade sprats, you can use any small fish without scales. Usually they are made of sprat, sprat, and herring. Gourmets say that especially delicious sprats are obtained from smelt.
- The larger the fish, the more time it takes to prepare it, because it is necessary that its bones become completely soft. Usually the process of extinguishing fish takes 1, 5-2, 5 hours.
- Even the smallest fish must be gutted and beheaded before cooking.
- Spices for cooking homemade sprats can be used to your liking. Usually put bay leaf, black and allspice.
Homemade sprats are placed in a clean (preferably even sterilized) jar, poured with oil, in which they were stewed, tightly closed. In this form, the product can be stored in the refrigerator for a week or even longer.
Sprat with smoked flavor
Composition:
- sprat, capelin, hamsa or other fresh-frozen fish - 0.5 kg;
- vegetable oil (refined) - 100 ml;
- water - 0, 25 l;
- black tea bags - 3 pcs .;
- smoked meat bouillon cube - 1 pc.
Preparation Method:
- Let the fish thaw out under natural conditions, avoiding temperature changes. If you try to speed up the process using a microwave, the fish will become loose and dry. This will negatively affect the appearance and taste of the finished dish.
- Wash the fish, cut off their heads, gut carcasses, drain them with napkins.
- Boil water, make tea using 3 sachets and a glass of water. After 20 minutes, squeeze the bags and discard.
- Pour oil into a cauldron or thick-walled pan, deep frying pan.
- Mash a bouillon cube, sprinkle fish on it, place it in a cauldron (or in the container that you use instead).
- Fill with brewed tea.
- Put on low heat and simmer until all liquid has evaporated.
It remains to shift the fish into the prepared container, pour the oil remaining on the bottom of the cauldron, seal it tightly and put it in the refrigerator.
Sprat in the oven
Composition:
- small fish (without scales) - 0.5 kg;
- black tea with bergamot - 4 sachets;
- water - 0, 25 l;
- olive oil - 100 ml;
- salt, black peppercorns, bay leaf to taste.
Preparation Method:
- Thaw the fish. Wash, gut, remove heads.
- Put the fish in a cauldron, cast iron or heat resistant form. Sprinkle each layer with salt and spices.
- Fill all with tea, add butter.
- Put the mold in the oven. Turn it on. Cook for the first half hour at 160 degrees, then reduce to 120 degrees and cook for 1, 5-2 hours. If the liquid from the form will evaporate too quickly, it can be covered with foil.
The sprats prepared according to this recipe should also be stored in a can filled with oil. Should stand the bank in the refrigerator.
Sprats with added liquid smoke
Composition:
- small fish - 1 kg;
- black tea - 10 g;
- onion peel - a half-liter jar filled loosely;
- salt - 40 g;
- sugar - 40 g;
- vegetable oil - 100 ml;
- water - 1, 25 l;
- liquid smoke - 5 ml;
- vegetable oil - 100 ml;
- black pepper, ground and peas - to taste;
- leaves of laurel - to taste.
Preparation Method:
- Pour onion peel with a liter of hot water, boil for 20 minutes, strain.
- Brew strong tea with the remaining water, strain it in 15 minutes, mix it with onion broth.
- Into the resulting mixture, add sugar and salt, add oil and spices. Stir.
- Put the prepared fish (washed, gutted, headless) into the pan.
- Fill with liquid mixture.
- Put the dish with the fish on a slow fire. Stew it 1, 5-2 hours depending on the size of fish carcasses.
- Pour in liquid smoke 10 minutes before readiness.
It is impossible to stir the contents of the pan while cooking sprats, otherwise the fish will turn into a little appetizing porridge.
Sprats in a multicooker
Composition:
- sprat or similar fish - 0.5 kg;
- coarse salt - 20 g;
- soy sauce - 20 ml;
- strong brewed black tea - 0.5 l;
- seasoning for fish - to taste;
- vegetable oil - 80 ml.
Preparation Method:
- At the bottom of the multicooker pour in oil.
- Place the cleaned fish tightly.
- Sprinkle the fish with spices and salt.
- Strong tea strain, mix with soy sauce. Fill them with fish.
- Turn on the unit by selecting the “Quenching” program. Set the timer to 2 hours.
Put the finished fish in glass jars. Store in the refrigerator.
Sprats with onions
Composition:
- small fish - 0.5 kg;
- onions - 0, 2 kg;
- onion peel - glass;
- packaged tea with bergamot - 3 bags;
- water - 0, 5 l;
- vegetable oil - 120 ml;
- bay leaf - 3-4 pcs .;
- black and allspice peas, coarse salt - to taste.
Preparation Method:
- From the onion peel, prepare the broth using a glass of water. Strain.
- A glass of boiling water brew tea, squeeze the bags.
- Mix onion decoction with tea.
- Peel and chop the bulbs.
- Pour oil on the bottom of the cauldron, fry the onion until golden brown.
- Put prepared fish in the cauldron, sprinkle it with salt, cover with a mixture of tea and onion broth. Add spices.
- Extinguish the hour, remove the leaves of laurel, continue to extinguish the same time. If the liquid boils out earlier, you can pour a little warm boiled water.
Onions give the sprats a unique taste and aroma, turning them into a self-contained snack.
Homemade sprats can be served as a separate appetizer or main course, complemented with a side dish, or used to make salads, sandwiches. They can completely replace the purchased product, and you can not doubt their quality and naturalness. Having learned how to make this useful dish, you will surely gain the glory of a skilled cook, although the process of cooking sprats at home is not very complex.
