Popular canned food "Sprats" - is this a fish? How to prepare sprats at home?

Fish canned food is generally perceived as something ordinary, for every day. Most of them are used for making salads and as a filling for pies. Only one is served as an independent snack, even on a festive table. This is sprats in oil. In Soviet times they were a deficit. It was considered a great success to get a jar of real Riga sprats. However, as then, many are interested in what kind of fish and how they are made? And most importantly, can you make delicious sprats at home?

Raw material for sprat

Having opened a can of these canned food, you can see small fish stacked in a row. They lie close to each other almost completely. So look like an ideal sprat. This is what a fish - the majority begins to be interested, when the picture is not so rosy. After all, for the production of appetizing canned food should be used only quality raw materials.

Modern sprats are mainly made from small fish belonging to the genus of herrings. Simply put, it's Baltic sprat or Baltic herring. Although in reality there is also a fish under this name from the Latin "sprattus". But it is from her that sprats are never made. But this is not as important as the quality of raw fish carcasses. They should be 7-9 cm long (just to fit in the jar), do not have any damage on the skin, and differ in equal color. The rest does not depend on the fish from which sprats are made, but on the way of cooking.

Production technology

To date, 2 technologies are used for the production of sprats. On one of them, the raw fish is washed under cold water, briefly lowered into a saline solution, and then, passing a thin wire through the gills, is suspended. In this form, the sprat is sent to the smokehouse for several hours. After that, her head and caudal fin are removed and stacked in a jar, and this is done only by hand. Then pour a mixture of vegetable and mustard oils, roll up, sterilize and dispatch for 2-3 months to ripen.

The second way to produce sprat is somewhat simpler and cheaper. In this case, the salted fish without additional smoking is placed in a jar. And to give it the right kind of flavor and aroma, add "liquid smoke" along with the oil . Unfortunately, this technology is used more often. And the producers say that this is how the more useful sprats are produced. This is what fish, I wonder, will be harmless after treatment with chemical reagents? The question is controversial. Otherwise, this technology is similar to the previous one.

Benefit and harm

Of course, like any other fish, sprats are rich in protein and amino acids, which are easily absorbed by the body. In addition, the available polyunsaturated fats in fish oil strengthen the heart muscle and the walls of the vessels, are recommended for use in diseases of the joints. The high content of B, A and E vitamins slows the aging process of the skin and has a preventive effect on diabetes and osteoporosis.

However, due to the technology of cooking, these sprats are not so useful. This is what fish will not become more caloric when adding oil? None. So, for 100 grams of these canned foods there are 375 kcal. And this is quite a lot, considering that on average this is half of one bank. In addition, when smoking in sprats, carcinogens are formed (mainly benzopyrene). With regular use, they can provoke cancer and other pathologies. As they say, everything is good in moderation.

Flour choice

If in Soviet times sprats were scarce, then today the shops are just bursting with different cans. Today, their production is established everywhere, not only in the Baltic and Kaliningrad. But it is better, as practice shows, to continue to choose those that are closer to Riga. For the quality of the final product, it is very important what kind of fish sprats are made from. The closer to the place of catch, the more likely it is to use fresh, unfrozen raw materials.

First of all, we should carefully consider the bank itself. It should be even, without damage and swelling. On the top cover is usually knocked out marking. It will help you choose quality sprats. This is what a fish, you can also determine with it. If the code contains the figures "137", then such canned food is made from Baltic sprat. But the presence of the code "C20" indicates the low quality of raw materials. Also, according to GOST, there should be at least 75% of the fish in the jar, and only sprat or Baltic herring, vegetable oil and salt are included in the composition.

Home recipe

Those who would like to eat delicious smoked fish without harmful additives and carcinogens, are increasingly interested in how to prepare sprats at home. And it turns out, it's not so difficult, the main thing is to choose a quality sprat and be patient.

One kilogram of small fish to gut, remove the head and tail fins. Lay in a thick layer in a deep saucepan with a thick bottom. In this case, each layer should be added, add the pepper and the bay leaf. In advance, brew a glass of strong tea (for 250 ml of boiling water take at least 3 bags of tea leaves) and cool. Add it to the stacked fish along with a glass of vegetable oil. Close the lid and put into the oven for 2.5-3 hours at 110 degrees bake. Such sprats not only do not differ in taste from store, but also much more useful.