Anchovy, anchovy, sprat - fish recipes. Sprat: the benefits and harms of a small fish

Description

Sprat- this is a fish that swims in flocks near the coasts of the sea, feeds exclusively on plankton. This type of fish is very small in size, on average, the body length of the sprat reaches 17 cm. Most often, canned sprat is eaten. But the most popular remains sprat of spicy salting, smoked sprat and salted. Domestic producers and consumers are in demand sprat of spicy salting.

Sprats of spicy salting are put on the table as a cold appetizer, filling for sandwiches or tartlets. You can buy such a sprat at any trade store in the city. But a home-cooked sprat of spicy salting can never be compared with a store-bought sprat.

To prepare this type of sprat, fish with an intact body, salt and pepper according to individual preference, bay leaf and a sprig of coriander are useful. But you can also use a ready-made set of spices for spicy salting. Spices need to be ground in a combine, blender or grind in a mortar, rinse the sprat thoroughly and mix with spices. Put the pickled sprat in a glass jar and leave it in the refrigerator for a day. Everything, homemade sprat of spicy salting is ready.

Spicy salted sprat: Useful properties.

Sprat contains a large amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which have an anti-atherosclerotic effect on the body, reduce the level of harmful lipoproteins and low-density triglycerides. Thus, if it is properly cooked, then the benefits of sprats are obvious for people with cardiovascular diseases.

The beneficial properties of sprats are due to the high content of calcium, which is necessary for the body for the full functioning of many organs and systems. After all, a person directly depends on the intake of this valuable microelement into the body, since it affects the formation of bone tissue, which, in turn, affects a snow-white smile, slender posture and bone strength.

In addition, the main use of sprat is not in fish meat, but in the ridge, scales, tail and bones. It is in these parts that contains the greatest amount of calcium and phosphorus. Therefore, the sprat must be eaten correctly, and cooked as a whole, without trying to separate the meat from the bones. There is also vitamin D in the sprat, which is so necessary for people with osteoporosis, as well as for pregnant women and children.

Sprat is useful for improving the condition of bone tissue. Therefore, it is often included in the diet of patients or convalescents who are in the process of rehabilitation. Easily digestible protein, vitamins and minerals make sprat a good dietary product.

However, the calorie content of sprat and its beneficial properties often depend on the method of preparation. Traditionally, this fish is familiar to us in the form of canned food - spicy salted fish in vinegar or tomato sauce. A variety of flavors, spices, sugar, preservatives, vinegar and sauce can significantly increase the calorie content of this fish, which is lean in principle. The calorie content of sprat in its pure form is about 135 kcal per 100 grams of product.

Spicy salted sprat: Harmful properties.

It is worth remembering that it is not recommended to use sprats for people suffering from stomach diseases, due to the presence of vinegar and food additives in the fish meat, which negatively affects the entire activity of the stomach.

Description

Sprat is the name of schooling pelagic fish that have a silvery color and small size and belong to the Herring family. There are prickly scales on the belly of the fish, which makes the fish invisible at great depths. These scales are formed like a kind of keel, thanks to which the fish got its name.

Sprats include European sprat, Baltic, Caspian, Azov-Black Sea, Arabian, Black Sea, big-eyed sprats. Sprats and sprats live in both fresh and salt water. The greatest number of them can be found in the Black, Baltic, Norwegian, Mediterranean and North Seas. Basically, Russia, Latvia, Norway, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Denmark and Ukraine are engaged in sprat fishing. Each year, these countries catch more than 600 tons of this small fish, the length of which does not exceed 15 centimeters.

Story

Spicy salted sprats are the most popular on the world market, as well as canned smoked sprats, which today are the gastronomic symbol of Tallinn. However, this small, plain-looking fish has been considered the sole brand of Tallinn for more than three centuries, and a tin can with the silhouette of the city is known far beyond the borders of Estonia.

The first mention of the sprat dates back to the 70s of the 17th century, when Hann Ayrman, a Swedish diplomat, described in his book a trip to Muscovy and quoted the words of a famous Livonian song: if the sprat is transferred to the sea, then the Swedes will face death. The Swedes, who until 1710 owned the entire Baltic water area, were the first to notice the benefits of sprat and its nutritional qualities.

And the appearance of canned fish has a direct connection with the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries, because it was long journeys across the seas that led people to create food stocks with a long shelf life. In those days, Europe was known for its canned meats, as well as canned fruits and vegetables. Russia, in turn, became famous for canned fish. In the 19th century in Russia, canned food was produced from sterlet, burbot, nelma and stellate sturgeon. And during the reign of Nikita Khrushchev, the famous canned sprats in tomato appeared in the USSR. Khrushchev personally tasted the novelty of the Kerch fish factory and commented that you couldn’t imagine a better folk product.

But to a greater extent, the fish received universal popular love and recognition due to its low cost and availability.

Sprat composition

The chemical composition of sprat determines its high nutritional qualities. It consists of proteins, fats, water, ash compounds, vitamins and mineral elements. It contains quite a lot of vitamin D, which allows calcium to be absorbed; phosphorus and direct calcium itself.

calories

100 grams of sprat contains on average about 135 kcal.

The energy value of the product Fish sprat (Proportion of proteins, fats, carbohydrates):

Proteins: 17.1 g (~68 kcal)
Fat: 7.6 g (~68 kcal)
Carbohydrates: 0 g (~0 kcal)

Energy ratio (b|g|y): 50%|50%|0%

sprat properties

It is a very popular food fish. It is mined in the largest seas, such as the Baltic, Norwegian, North, Black and Mediterranean.

Sprat is divided into 2 types, these are sprats and sprats. The most famous are the following sprats: Arabian short, anchovy, Abrau, big-eyed, Black Sea sprat and Baltic sprat.

The color of this fish is silvery, scales with small spikes are located on the belly. Fish is sold both fresh and spicy salted, canned and smoked. If we have sprat - one of the most common, cheap and affordable fish, then in some Western countries it is the most delicacy.

Large quantities of caught fish are used to create fishmeal.

The benefits of sprat

This small fish contains many useful substances. Like other fish, sprat contains polyunsaturated fatty acids, and in large quantities. These acids prevent the appearance of atherosclerosis and reduce the level of bad cholesterol and low-density triglycerides. Accordingly, sprat is most useful for people with diseases of the cardiovascular system.

The sprat also contains a large amount of calcium, which is important for every body for the functioning of many organs and systems, the formation of bones. In addition to calcium, it contains: cholesterol, ash, vitamins B1, B2 and PP, zinc, fluorine, chlorine, nickel, molybdenum, magnesium.

Interestingly, the benefits of sprat are not only in its meat, but in the tail, bones, ridge and scales. In them, the amount of phosphorus and calcium is quite large and is many times higher than their level in meat.

This fish also contains vitamin D, which is important for such a disease as osteoporosis, as well as during pregnancy, and, of course, children.

Sprat is often included in the diet of sick people and people who are in the recovery stage. It can also be regarded as a dietary product, because in addition to easily digestible protein, there are only 135 calories in sprat. However, to achieve the desired effect, cooking must be as gentle as possible (for example, steaming fish).

The use of sprat

Today, sprat is sold in stores in a wide variety of variations: classic fresh-frozen fish, salted and pickled fish. If the last two types are considered ready-made food that remains to be unpacked, then fresh-frozen fish can be processed as your heart desires. True, sprat ear is considered not at all the best option. However, it can be salted or pickled according to your own recipe, made into sprats, or simply fried in a pan in vegetable oil. Often it is pre-rolled in flour. Such fish can go well with vegetables or mashed potatoes.

Cooking sprat is quite convenient and simple, along with this, it has a low calorie content, and this is a plus for many housewives.

It is worth noting that the sprat has a specific smell that not everyone likes, therefore, before processing, it is recommended to hold the fish in a hydrochloric-vinegar solution.

Harm and contraindications of sprat

Sprat is a fairly harmless fish, so it can be safely consumed by all fish lovers. However, you should be careful when buying ready-made sprats in stores. So, this fish canned in tomato can be harmful to people with diseases of the digestive system. The fact is that in this fish there are various additives, such as vinegar, which can further irritate the already damaged intestines.

Sprat shelf life

The shelf life of sprat is a question that will be of interest to many people. In general, on such canned food, the date of manufacture is usually indicated. But the sprat shelf life should be looked for on the paper sticker itself, that is, on the label.

Typically, the shelf life of sprat is 12 months. It is always necessary to pay attention to this indicator. After all, this product is very popular and loved by many. The sprat is considered a close relative of the European anchovy. It, in principle, is salted in the same way, preserved, added to a variety of salads. They also eat sprat just like that.

You need to know that the chemical composition determines its high nutritional qualities. Sprat consists of fats, water, proteins, various ash compounds, mineral elements, vitamins. These canned foods contain a lot of vitamin D. It allows calcium to be absorbed.

As for fats, they contain precisely polyunsaturated fatty acids. Their main value is that they can reduce the amount of triglycerides, lipoproteins. The composition of sprat also has a very beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system, has an important preventive effect on blood vessels. The composition of the sprat also prevents atherosclerosis.

There is evidence that sprat is very useful for improving the condition of bone tissue. It is very often included in the diet of convalescent, sick people, as well as people who are in the process of rehabilitation.

In general, the average shelf life of sprat is exactly 12 months. But you need to know that the shelf life, calorie content and useful properties of sprat very often depend on the method of preparation. Traditionally, this fish is familiar to all of us in the form of canned food. This is a spicy salted fish in vinegar, in tomato sauce. Various flavors, sugar, spices, vinegar, sauce can significantly increase the calorie content of this low-fat fish.

As for the preparation of hot-smoked sprats, this process occurs by processing fish with products of decaying wood. Ultimately, we get fish meat with a very specific smell. The shelf life of sprat after hot smoking is almost doubled. And all due to the fact that during smoking, preservative substances increase. Also, with the right smoking process, the fish does not lose its natural taste at all. It is baked with its own juice, only some specific flavor is added. It is also worth knowing that it is better not to store hot-smoked fish in the refrigerator for more than 72 hours.

How to use sprat

Spicy salted sprats and canned sprats are in the greatest demand. The sprat preserved in oil is an unspoken symbol of Tallinn, because the locals have loved it for more than three centuries, and the sprat tin, which depicts Tallinn, is recognized all over the world. The first to describe the Tallinn sprat was the Swedish diplomat Hans Airman, who published a book about his journey to Muscovy in the 70s of the 17th century. The Swedes were the first connoisseurs of this delicious fish, and until 1710 they were the absolute owners of the Baltic sprat area. There was even a saying that if the sprat disappears into the sea, then death awaits the Swedes.

Canned fish appeared at the time of the Great geographical discoveries, when it became necessary to stock up provisions for long voyages. If in Europe meat, vegetables and fruits were mainly canned, then in Russia canned fish became the most popular. Already in the 19th century, canned sterlet, stellate sturgeon and burbot were produced in Russia, and thanks to Nikita Khrushchev, “sprat in tomato” became popular in Soviet times, which the Secretary General tried at the Kerch fish factory. Among the people, this fish has always enjoyed success and reverence, both for its cheapness and for its pleasant taste. It is worth noting that, in terms of usefulness, sprat in tomato loses to freshly caught salted or fried fish.

Sprats in tomato sauce received the status of a national delicacy in Soviet times, along with sprats in oil. One of the advantages of sprat, thanks to which it quickly won the love and honor of the population of the Soviet Union, was its low cost. This fish remains a traditional and favorite dish on our tables to this day.

Sprats are called small schooling fish of the Herring family, which are distinguished by a silvery sheen of scales. A distinctive feature of the appearance of the fish is the presence of spiny growths on its abdomen, making its body more streamlined. With the help of these growths, the sprat "hides" in the depths. It was for these growths, resembling a ship's keel in their shape, that the fish was called the sprat. In addition to European sprat, kilka is also called kilka (Azov-Black Sea, Caspian, Black Sea, Baltic, Arab, Abrau and big-eyed). These fish are found in both fresh and fresh water, living mainly in the Norwegian, Baltic, North and Mediterranean seas. In terms of sprat production, Russia, Norway, Denmark, Latvia, Ukraine and Bulgaria are in the first place. Each year, these countries produce up to 600 tons of sprat.

How to use sprat

Composition and useful properties of sprat

Sprat contains vitamin D and minerals such as phosphorus and calcium. Together, they have a positive effect on the state of bone tissue, so sprats are recommended to be eaten by pregnant women, children and the elderly. Sprat, rich in easily digestible proteins and vitamins, is also often included in the diet of sick people.

Sprat meat contains polyunsaturated fatty acids that can reduce the content of lipoproteins and triglycerides. They have a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system, and have an anti-sclerotic effect.

The calorie content of 100 grams of sprat is about 135 kcal.

Harm and contraindications

Canned sprat should be used with caution by people suffering from gastrointestinal diseases, as canned food contains vinegar, other mucosal irritants and various additives.

Sprat is a favorite type of seafood for many gourmets. This is a universal raw material for preparing various types of preserves. Also sprat is used fresh, salted and smoked.

The use of sprat was first noticed among the Swedes at the beginning of the 18th century. As for canned fish products, Russia was the first to start producing them. It was Soviet technologists who created the well-known and beloved sprat in tomato.

Today, sprat is one of the most accessible and useful types of seafood.

Calorie content and nutritional value of sprat

Despite the wide variety of sprat types and methods of its preparation, this product belongs to medium-calorie food. The average energy value is 169 kcal. The least high-calorie sprat of spicy salting is considered - 88 kcal. Sprat in its composition does not contain carbohydrates at all (0 g), fats (6.5 g), and most of all proteins (19.9 g). In addition to the main nutrients, the useful substances of the sprat include ash compounds, vitamins of various groups, micro and macro elements.

What benefits does sprat bring to the body?

The rich chemical composition of sprat gives it many useful properties. The high concentration of aminocarboxylic and fatty acids in its composition prevents the accumulation of low-density cholesterol and triglycerol in the body. Which in turn excludes the possibility of developing atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular pathologies.

Also, sprat is very useful in the formation of bone tissue, ensuring the full functioning of all body systems. This is an indispensable product in the diet of pregnant women, children, people who adhere to the dietary and medical menu.

How harmful is sprat to the body

Fresh and properly cooked sprat by its very nature is an absolutely harmless product. But it is worth noting that certain types of gastronomic dishes, smoked, salted and in the form of preserves, can have a negative effect on the organs of the urinary and digestive systems. In this case, the main thing is not to abuse this type of product. When buying it, pay attention to expiration dates, as food poisoning with fish has a very negative effect on health.

Product	Kcal	Proteins, g	Fats, g
Baltic sprat salted	137	17,1	7,6
Sprat Caspian, common	191,9	18,5	13,1
Sprat Caspian, anchovy	191,9	18,5	13,1
Caspian sprat	192	18,5	13,1
Baltic sprat	137	14,1	9
Hot smoked Baltic sprat	162	21,3	8,5
Sprat Baltic spicy salting, autumn preparation	88	17,5	2
Sprat Baltic spicy salting, spring-summer harvesting	88	17,5	2
Sprat Baltic spicy salting	88	17,5	2

What kind of fish can claim the title of "the most Jewish"? Not at all stuffed pike - this is a fish for the holidays, with a good life - for Shabbat. The most Jewish fish, of course, is the herring. It was herring that was the most frequent guest on the fish table in shtetls - Jewish towns. And the rest of the common people, regardless of religion, herring played an important role in the diet.

The reason for this was the high number of herring, the relative ease of catching them near the coast, ease of processing and stability in storage. In those places where they were found, herring stayed close to the coast for almost the whole year and often entered some small bay in such numbers that they were scooped up with nets. Sometimes the exit from the bay was blocked with nets and, slowly, they caught all the herring. Well-fed herring is very easy to salt - the caught fish are placed in barrels without any pre-treatment, sprinkling each layer with salt. Fatty fish contain relatively little water and therefore do not oversalt, do not take more than necessary salt. (Skinny herring, of course, can be oversalted, but earlier no one coveted it, they let it work up). During long-term storage, salted fish matured, acquiring a specific taste and texture. The first mention of fishing for Atlantic herring occurs already in 702 in the monastic chronicles of England. Even then, herring served as a source of wealth.
Not only ordinary people, but also states depended on ordinary herring. From the 11th century until the 15th century, salted herring was an important object of trade for Hanseatic merchants, and the maritime power of the Hanseatic League of Cities was based on this trade for 350 years. Hanseatic fishermen fished for herring mainly on the German and Danish shores of the Baltic Sea. But in the 15th century, herring left the Baltic for a while, the catches here began to fall catastrophically, as a result of which the Hanseatic League collapsed. At the same time, powerful approaches of herring to the shores of Holland and Scotland began. The Dutch developed a method of wet salting herring in barrels on ships. The herring fishery played a huge role in the development of the Dutch economy in the 15th and 16th centuries.

By the middle of the 20th century, herring stocks were sharply reduced due to overfishing, pollution of the seas, and hydro construction on rivers. It is artificially unprofitable to breed herring - the fish is too cheap, but scientists are trying to help it spawn, although for biologists herring is a big mystery. It seems to be well studied, and all populations are described, and herring has a lot of them, but the family ties of herrings are very confused. This is due to their variability and propensity to travel.

The appearance of the herring indicates that it is a fish actively swimming in the thickness of the sea waters. It lives at depths up to 200 m. All herring are schooling fish. An individual, cut off from the collective, experiences stress, stops eating and dies. Herring is born, grows and travels surrounded by relatives. Life in a flock allows individual fish to sleep carefree at night. As underwater observations have shown, sleeping herrings relax and sleep, some with their tail up, and some with their belly up. The rest of the time, the herring swim and eat. They feed on small crustaceans that live in the water column - plankton. And the purpose of travel is to search for food and spawn. The breeding season for numerous herring herds falls on different months, so all year round in coastal areas, where spawning occurs, schools of fish appear and disappear.

The most important for the fishery are oceanic herring of the genus Clupea, Atlantic and Pacific. But the largest herring was the Volga hall, an anadromous fish of the genus Alosa. The Volga Hall rose from the Caspian to the river. Volga to Saratov. One such fish weighed up to 1.8 kg, while oceanic herring weigh no more than 800 g. Unfortunately, as a result of hydraulic construction, the Volga crease disappeared. In the Black Sea there is a species related to the Caspian.

In Israel, herring is sold already salted, and most often chopped, so it is difficult to determine its origin. In Hebrew, salted herring is called "maluakh" (Dag maluakh.), Although, strictly speaking, it means "salted fish." The Western European names "hering" and "matias" are also used. I even saw a can of herring with the inscription “hering matias”.

Out of respect for the age-old traditions of Russian Jewry, I don’t give any recipes - well, don’t teach you how to make a herring under a fur coat. And chopped herring, like my grandmother’s, can’t be made here anyway, Antonov apples are needed.

It also makes no sense to give the chemical composition of herring - it really depends on its condition: age, place of catch, degree of puberty. But keep in mind that fatty herring is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, not inferior in their content to salmon or eel.

And in conclusion - about kashrut and scales. Those Jews who saw herring only in the store sometimes wonder how this fish is kosher, but there are no scales. In fact, herring has very large scales (it can be seen in the illustrations), shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow. But this scale easily falls off immediately after the catch, so the herring gets into salting already without scales. At the beginning of the 20th century, when herring fishing was massive, fallen herring scales were collected and processed into artificial mother-of-pearl and pearls.

Poor herring relatives

Relatives of the herring are numerous, but small. These are sprat, sprat, anchovy, herring, sprat, anchovy, sardines. Their relationship is quite confusing even for specialists. And for the consumer, the matter is complicated by the fact that biologists and fish processors use different fish under the same names. So, for an ichthyologist, sprat is Sprattus sprattus, a small, up to 17 cm, fish found in the North Atlantic, Baltic, Mediterranean and Black Seas. And for the processor - any small herring fish, smoked and rolled up in a jar of butter. Most often for the production of canned food "Sprats in oil" use herring Clupea harengus membras, which is actually a real herring, only a smaller, Baltic subspecies. And real sprat is otherwise called "Baltic sprat".

So if you are bored at the table, you can study the fish served for a snack: sprat, like all kilka, has sharp keeled scales on its belly, while herring does not have them. If you don’t find such scales on a smoked fish from a jar labeled “Sprat”, you can safely write a complaint to the Consumer Protection Society, but just make sure that the manufacturer is not insured - I read “made from sprat and herring. Yes, and on banks with herring in tomato there is now the second name "Baltic herring". Baltic herring lives up to 6-7 years. Among ordinary herring, there are also so-called giant herring, which grow much faster and reach a length of 37 cm. Whereas ordinary herring feeds plankton, a giant herring is a predatory fish, often feeding on stickleback.

In addition to the Baltic sprat, there is a Black Sea and even New Zealand sprat. But sprats are called not only sprats of the genus Sprattus, but also the seals of the genus Clupeonella. One of the types of kilek-tyulek C. engrauliformis, is called anchovy sprat. In addition to her, under the exotic name "anchovy" there are many different fish, including anchovies.

Otherwise hamsa Engraulis encrasicolus called "European anchovy". The European anchovy no longer belongs to the herring family ( Clupeidae), and to the anchovy family Engraulidae. In high Hebrew, his name is "afian", a nose, or something, from "af" - nose. This fish can grow up to 20 cm. It is found in the Atlantic from Norway to South Africa, and is found in the Mediterranean, Black and Azov Seas. Through Suez Canal European anchovy got out into the Indian Ocean and was registered off the coast of Somalia and the Seychelles. So meeting him in Eilat is quite real.

Anchovy is a small fish, but very fatty, it can contain up to 28% fat. Properly salted anchovy is very tasty. Even in ancient times, salted anchovies were valued and used to prepare a savory sauce that served as a favorite seasoning for Greek and Roman gastronomes. But what is "anchovy" for modern culinary specialists? Three types of herring fish products are known under this name:
1. Herring, ripening for several months in uncut form in brine with spices. Already cut, it is transferred to another sauce with a small amount of saltpeter so that its flesh turns red, and cut into slices.
2. Small herring or small Baltic herring placed in brine for several days immediately after being caught. For half a month it is transferred to a new brine, and then placed in rows in barrels already without liquid, sprinkled with coarse salt and spices. It is kept for four months at a temperature of plus four degrees and sent for sale without cutting.
3. Sardines cut with a carcass immediately after the catch, and further processed like this according to the second method.

Well, we got to the sardine. Representatives of three genera of marine fish of the herring family are called sardines - the European sardine, or pilchard ( Sardinia), sardinella ( Sardinella) and sardine-sardinops ( sardinops).

The European sardine lives in the North Atlantic Ocean from Iceland to Senegal, in the Mediterranean Sea (mainly in the western part) and in the Black Sea. Reaches a length of 25 cm. It is caught and canned in Morocco, Spain and Portugal, less in France, Italy, Algeria. The number of sardines is changeable, huge catches are sometimes replaced by very meager ones the very next year.

But in stores, more common sardinella is more common. The sardinella alasha, or round sardinella, is of the greatest practical importance ( S. aurita). In the Mediterranean Sea, Alasha keeps mainly near its southern shores, but comes in small numbers to the northern ones.

Sardinops allows us to beautifully end our discussion of herring relatives by returning to the beginning. For we started with the herring, which is called herring, and we will finish with the sardine, which is called the herring. This is the herring-Ivasi, known to many Soviet people, called in Latin Sardinops sagax. Sardinops, during the period of growth in numbers, ranked second in terms of catches in the Pacific Ocean. In the name of this fish, the word herring served as an indicator of its abundance.

So, herring is herring, herring is sprat, sprat is sprat, sprat is sprat, sprat is almost anchovy, and anchovy is anchovy, anchovy is sardine, sardine is sardinops, and sardinops is Ivasi herring. They started with a herring, and finished with a herring.
Confused? Not scary. The main thing that even a non-specialist should know is that herring and its relatives are a wonderful snack.