Pink salmon is one of the smallest, but no less useful and delicious species of Pacific salmon. The fish got its name because of its appearance: a hump appears immediately after spawning in males before spawning.
Appearance
Ocean pink salmon has a slightly blue back, silvery sides and a white abdomen. It is worth noting that after spawning, the fish becomes less attractive: a dirty yellow or greenish abdomen, a gray shade of scales. A distinctive feature of individuals of this species is a white mouth and the absence of teeth on the tongue. The fat fin is quite powerful, located between the dorsal and caudal.
Oval black spots on the body of the fish and the presence of the anal fin will indicate the marine origin of salmon.
Spawning
Mass reproduction in pink salmon occurs in July or early November. To do this, the fish rushes to the rivers, which is why it becomes vulnerable to poachers. The process of laying eggs in females of this species is very entertaining. First, they make indentations in the sand, then put eggs there, sprinkling them on top with sandstone. It turns out such a tubercle in which small salmon fry are waiting for their development.
Cooking
Due to the simplicity of preparation and the maximum usefulness of pink salmon, it is currently the most bought salmon fish in the world. It is smoked, salted, marinated, boiled, fried and baked, and also added to salads, rolls and other dishes. Many are interested in whether hot pink salmon is losing its beneficial properties. With proper preparation, any fish remains as useful as possible.
For example, as the main dish, baked pink salmon with lemon and rice can be served for any occasion. And what delicious and aromatic appetizers from salted pink salmon will turn out!
It is also original to invite friends to grilled salmon steaks, decorating all this splendor with vegetables.
The beneficial properties of pink salmon
They are as follows:
- A large amount of omega-3 acids. Although many nutritionists believe that eating fish several times a week is necessary to replenish the body with useful unsaturated amino acids, most people do this much less often.
- The fish contains enough fluoride to maintain the strength of the teeth and bones.
- Regular use of salmon favorably affects the condition of the skin, hair, nails.
- The composition of pink salmon includes substances that improve metabolic processes in the body.
- A large amount of protein and a minimum fat content make fish an indispensable product in dietetics.
Hot Smoked Pink Salmon: Recipe
Before you start smoking, fish must be prepared. If necessary, thaw, wash, gut and pickle. Marinade is made to taste: some like more salty, others vice versa. If the fish is too large (1.5 kg and above), then it is better to make incisions along the back - so it will salt better and faster.
For marinade, add 200 g of salt, 100 g of sugar and spices to taste in a liter of water. This volume is designed for fish weighing about 1 kg.
Hot smoked pink salmon at home should turn out to be aromatic and tasty, so it’s better to let it salt for about 12 hours. Most often, the housewives salt the fish in the evening, and in the morning you can put it in the smokehouse.
Before you start processing fish with smoke, you need to rinse and dry it well, you can let it hang in the open for several hours.
Hot smoked pink salmon is in the smokehouse no more than an hour, so you can easily surprise friends and acquaintances who suddenly come to visit.
In order to make the salmon tender and with a crust, you need to use pre-soaked chips of alder or fruit trees. Be sure to place a tray in the smokehouse to collect liquid and fat so that the fish does not burn and does not have an unpleasant aftertaste. But the bitterness of the finished delicacy can give condensate or carbon deposits on the lid of the smokehouse. Therefore, you need to ensure that they are always clean.
Hot smoked pink salmon is not only a tasty, but also a healthy product. Her calorie content is somewhat increased due to fats, but this does not prevent her from staying dietary. Some advise the use of hot smoked salmon to people with diseases of the stomach and intestines.
Many housewives know that salmon makes not only excellent main dishes, but also excellent salads, snacks.
Hot smoked pink salmon salad : recipe and decoration
If you decide to smoke a delicious fish at home and prepare snacks and salads from it, then it is better to choose a larger individual. It has more meat and fat, which means your dishes will be even tastier. Hot smoked salmon for salad is very simple to prepare, the main thing is not to overdo it with salt and spices.
For the salad you will need boiled eggs of 5-6 pieces, jacket potatoes in the amount of 3 large or 4 small pieces, as well as onions, vinegar, mayonnaise, salt and pepper.
Hot smoked pink salmon for salad should be chopped finely and gently. First, separate the meat from the seeds, even the smallest, and then go over to the cut.
The next step is chopping pickled cucumbers. This can be done on a grater or finely chopped - a matter of taste, as they say.
Then we crumble the eggs, for decoration you can leave one yolk. Many housewives prefer to rub this ingredient on a coarse grater - this does not matter.
It is best to cut boiled potatoes into small cubes, otherwise it will stick together and the salad will lose its shape. After all the necessary components of the salad are chopped, you need to properly form it. You can serve in separate portions or one large. At the bottom of the form we spread potatoes, eggs and pickled chopped onions (half a head), then cucumbers, and the last layer is fish sprinkled with onion leftovers. Each layer needs to be smeared with mayonnaise in the amount in which you like. You can decorate a culinary masterpiece with egg yolks, greens or slices of boiled carrots.