The Recipe for Kefali

Mullet is probably one of the most famous fish of the Black Sea. Well-known for the song of Mark Bernes about the Costa Fisher, it takes an honorable place on our tables. This small-sized marine fish (rarely reaches a length of up to 1 meter), covered with scales, lives in warm seas, usually by large flocks near the coasts, and lure fishermen to it. Fresh from our table, it comes from the Black Sea, less often from the Caspian Sea, frozen from the seas of South America and Africa. There, it is grown industrially on vegetable feed. Meat in mullet without small bones, white, tender in taste, it is customary to fry, but many recommend also smoking and salting and drying.

As this fish lives in the seas of several continents, the dishes from mullet can be found in the kitchens of different countries. But the first association that comes to mind after mentioning the mullet is Odessa.

That is why the first recipe for mullet preparation will be "in Odessa". Odessa cuisine differs from many others in the simplicity of cooking. It is simplicity, not primitiveness, which is proved by the excellent taste of dishes prepared in Odessa.

So, the preparation of mullet in batter. Fish, preferably, of course, freshly caught, cleaned, gutted, get the gills and how to rinse. Cut into portions. If not laziness, you can remove the bones and cook the fillets. The egg whipped serves as a batter. In a frying pan, heat oil, slice the fish first in the egg, then in breadcrumbs, put into a frying pan. Like any other fish, the mullet is harvested very quickly, so it is better to cook the garnish in advance. To eat fried in Odessa mullet is necessary with a potato served with butter and cut with dill.

And here is another recipe for making mullet - ear in Black Sea. Of course, what kind of talk about fish without soup? Wash and clean a couple of carrots and half a celery root. Beautifully cut into cubes, put in a saucepan with boiling salted water. After repeated boiling, add the onion in vegetable oil. Let it all leave for about 10-15 minutes. Dilute half a tablespoon of flour in warm boiled water. Mullet clean, wash and cut into large pieces. In a pan with vegetables add fish, then divorced flour. Let it boil, but not for long. Spilling an ear on the plates, be sure to pepper and sprinkle with chopped dill.

The recipe for the preparation of a salted mullet is for sure known to any real fisherman. At fresh mullet remove gills, without cutting the abdomen, remove all the insides and wash several times with salted water. Lightly dry, then cover with plenty of salt and put under pressure to the top of the belly in a cool place. For the next 6-7 days, repeat the procedure daily - wash the fish and fill it with salt again. After about a week the fish will be salted. Keep it in a cool place, placing it in salt solution (200 grams of salt per 1 liter of water). If the fish is not intended for long-term storage, then it must be washed and dried in a dark place for a day.

Another fairly traditional recipe for making mullet - mullet in sour cream. For this, a fish prepared for frying (or several fish) without a head needs to be marinated. To do this, you need a lot of onions, lemon juice, any favorite spices, greens and a glass of white wine (for a marinade yet). All this is mixed, put the fish carcass in the resulting mixture , leave it for a couple of hours, let it soak. After about an hour, grease the pan with vegetable oil. Remove the fish from the marinade, as it should be coated with the fatty sour cream that you can find. Bake the mullet in a preheated oven for about 20 minutes. You can serve with rice and white wine.

Mullet - inexpensive, affordable and healthy fish. Depending on the recipe for the preparation of mullet, a real gourmand can enjoy it, and a person who is far from culinary delights.