Balyk from asp

Asp is one of the best fish suitable for cooking balyk. From it, the balyk turns out to be fat and delicious. Not greasy dryish fish does not give such a rich taste. For pre-salting, it is recommended to use coarse salt. Salt removes excess moisture from fish meat and accelerates the process of its preservation.

1. To begin with, the asp needs to be cut up. There are nuances here. For balyk, the fish should not be gutted as usual. This should be done from the back. That is, everyone is used to gutting fish by ripping open her stomach, and in this case, you need to rip open her back. We arm ourselves with a sharp knife, very carefully make a longitudinal incision along the spine of the carcass in the direction from the head to the tail.

2. Then, we make this incision deeper, moving towards the spinal bone. The main task is to cut the fish so that it opens, and at the same time not to damage the integrity of the belly. Otherwise, all the fat of the asp will drain, the fish will lose its charm, will be dry and not as tasty as usual.

3. We remove all the insides of the asp. At the same time, we try not to crush the gallbladder. We also remove the gills. I wash the carcass under running water to wash off the remnants of blood and entrails. Then carefully dry the asp. To do this, you can use dry towels or a clean kitchen napkin. Excess moisture is absolutely useless.

4. And now we combine salt with pepper, mix. Generously sprinkle the asp meat with this mixture. We put the fish in a suitable-sized container, select the lid and install the oppression. We send the fish to the refrigerator overnight (about 10-12 hours). If the asp has less weight, then the salting time can be reduced.

5. After the asp is salted, it should be soaked. To do this, we erase excess salt from it, put it in any suitable container and fill it with cold water. We leave it for 2-3 hours. Again, it depends on the weight of the fish and the weather outside the window. In autumn, you can make the balyk more lightly salted, and in hot weather - on the contrary, for better preservation.

6. After the specified time, the carcass is dried and hung for drying. If it's summer outside, gauze will save you from flies. When the asp dries slightly, we send it to the refrigerator. But first we put sprigs of dill inside the fish for flavor and wrap it with parchment. And at night we hang the balik out in the open air again. And so on until the fish is ready. Thus, we save fillets from flies and other midges. Although, if it's late autumn in the yard, you won't have to run with asp. Just hang it outdoors or in a well-ventilated room and wait until the fillet wilts properly. It will take about 10 days.

Have a nice tasting and all the best!