How to clean the line? Do I need to clean the line?

Lin belongs to the class of river and lake fish of the Cyprinidae family. His name, he most likely received from the ability to change color: in air or in small dishes with a small amount of water on his thick, awkward body appear patches of dark color - he begins to "shed". Lives for a long time, sometimes more than 15 years: because of a passive lifestyle and habitat (at the bottom), it rarely becomes a victim of predators. The adult can reach large sizes: about 6-7 kg of weight and more than 50 cm in length.

Flavors and nutritional qualities

Lin has a fairly tender fat meat, in which there are many useful vitamins and trace elements that are perfectly absorbed by the human body. And it is not very caloric, so it's ideal for a diet menu. Dishes from this fish were served on the royal table.

Lin is better to fry or bake, but you can cook (a good option - in milk). It makes an excellent ear. Pleasantly surprised smoked tench. So the success of the dish is provided almost always, because the fish is delicious in itself and with the correct treatment you will not spoil it.

With a mass of merits, this representative of the river fauna almost all causes one question: "How to clean the line?"

Why do not everyone like this fish?

Not knowing how to clean the line, many people, including fishermen, simply ignore such a catch. The fact is that his body is covered with small, tightly fitting scales and a thick layer of thick mucus. This makes it difficult for the primary processing of fish: it constantly slips out of the hands. At the same time, mucus is not washed off, and fine scales are difficult to remove and scatter in all directions. But it is not all that bad. You just need to listen to the advice of people who know how to clean the fish , and the problem will be solved.

Is it obligatory to shoot scales?

It should be said that the tench is somewhat unusual fish, because under the influence of high temperature, the smallest scales have the property of "dissolving". After cooking, a delicate and delicious crispy crust is formed on its surface. As a result, scales are not felt at all.

In general, it is preferable to have a crude line: in this case it retains the maximum of useful substances. If, however, the fish in this form is not accepted, you can simply take off the skin before use. And the question of whether you need to clean the line before cooking, will be practically solved.

It is interesting

By the way, fish scales contain quite a lot of pectin and can completely replace gelatin when preparing various jellies. Sometimes it is specially collected during cleaning, wrapped in a piece of gauze, which is then lowered into a pan with a broth being prepared for a cold or pouring broth. There also send fish heads and bones. With this method of preparation, jelly will not require much effort and additional costs. In addition, only a natural product will be used.

How to clean the tench from mucus

If scales before cooking can be left, then from slippery plaque must be eliminated necessarily. Usually, mucus covering the entire body of fish, there are quite a lot, so first you need to reduce its number with, for example, a knife. Then the line is washed well with water, preferably flowing. It remains to get rid of the remains of mucus. To do this quickly and simply, it is enough to lower the fish first into boiling water, and then into cold water. From the effect of hot temperature, the mucus will begin to curl and then easily wash off. Such a contrast "shower" can be repeated several times. And that the tench does not slip at this time in their hands, they (and fish, by the way, too) can be sprinkled with a large salt.

Some fishermen and mucus are cleaned with salt: just rub it with carcass, and then rinse well. Several procedures - and lin clean.

Scale removal

Of course, not everyone is ready to eat fish, cleared only of mucus. With all the usefulness of scales is often confusing, and it still wants to get rid of. Here are a few tried and tested ways by avid fishermen how to clean the line.

The first option: put the fish in boiling water for a few seconds (most importantly - do not over-rest!), Then dip into cold water. Then lay it on the cutting board and gently scrape off the scales, moving from the side of the tail to the head, the blunt side of the knife. Some anglers use a self-made tool to clean the line. It is a piece of a hacksaw blade for metal, to which a handle is attached on the side of the bevel of the teeth. So that the scales do not scatter, the fish can be cleaned in a deep container with water.

Another tip about how to clean a tench fish is to use a small grater instead of a knife, preferably a square grater. A wide base is very comfortable to hold, especially in the case of a slippery line. In addition, with such cleaning, scales scatter less. The only condition: the grater must be sharp. You can build a comfortable grater yourself. To do this, you need a wooden bar the size of a knife, at one end of which is a handle, and to the other is fastened a metal plate (an old can of coffee) with often punched holes. To ensure that the grater is safe and easy to wash, the wood must first be sanded.

Another clue about how to clean the line (it is appropriate in nature) is to rub it with a large salt. For convenience, it can be poured on a sheet of paper or a piece of cloth, which you need to wrap the fish and rub the crystals on the scales. Or just pour the salt into a wide bowl, put the line in it and rub it well with salt on both sides. Small scales are removed together with the remains of mucus.

How to properly gut the peeled line

If the answers to the question of whether to clean the line are ambiguous, then everything is simple. Gut this fish just like any other: rip the abdomen with a sharp knife and take out the insides, cut the fins and, if necessary, head. The only caveat: in any case, it is impossible to damage the bladder with bile when cutting, so that the fish meat does not become bitter. If this happened, you need to carefully cut a piece, which got bile, and carcass rubbed with salt and rinsed well. And one more tip: when cutting it is recommended to remove the dark film on the abdominal walls from the inside.

How to get rid of unpleasant odors

Lin spent most of his life in a tranquil state at the bottom of a river or lake (hence his household names "quiet" or "laziness" - from the word "lazy"). He looks for food in the mud, there he spends the whole winter, so he has a strong smell of mud, which can be preserved during cooking and impair the taste of the ready dish. To get rid of a smell it is possible, if to take the gutted carcass of a line in saline solution: on liter of water a couple of tablespoons of salt. Also before cooking, fish should be sprinkled with lemon juice. Remove the odor and seasonings added to the dish during its preparation.

Someone withstands live fish for several hours in clean fresh water - this also helps to get rid of the smell of silt. That's what they did in the old days: before cooking, they gave her a few hours to swim.

After you have coped with such a difficult task as cleaning the line, you can send the fish to heat treatment. The easiest way - to rub a small amount of salt, you can combine with your favorite seasonings, oil the surface with oil, put a twig of greens in your abdomen - and into the oven or on the grill. Either cut into pieces and fry in a pan.

Observance of the necessary processing and cooking conditions becomes the key to the fact that this river fish quickly falls into the number of favorite dishes.