How to properly clean crucian carp?

Fish is a healthy and tasty product. But before you treat yourself to fish dishes, you will have to spend time on the unpleasant procedure of cleaning the fish. Its different types have their own characteristics and tricks that can significantly facilitate the process.

Preparation

It is better to clean crucian carp, and any fish for that matter, as quickly as possible after catching. If this cannot be done immediately, then it is better to put the fish in the freezer, wrapped in plastic. This way it will not lose moisture, and after thawing it will be easy to clean. If the fish is still alive, it is stunned by hitting it on the head with a kitchen hammer. Next, a deep cut must be made in the space between the head and fins to drain the blood.

It is much more convenient to clean large fish. Of course, when fishing you don’t have to choose – whatever you get is the same. But when buying in a store, you should give preference to large specimens.

To prevent the crucian carp from constantly slipping out of your hands, you can clean it using fabric gloves. But if you don’t want to wash them later and get rid of the fishy smell, then it’s better to purchase a cutting board with a special fish clamp or simply “nail” the crucian carp to a wooden board by sticking a knife into the tail area.

Removing scales

Before cleaning the fish from scales, you need to carefully cut off the fins so that they do not prick. This is convenient to do with scissors. The tail is trimmed later because it will still help in cleaning the scales.The scales themselves are removed in the direction from the tail to the head with a blunt knife, vegetable peeler, fork or a special device for cleaning fish. Cleaning crucian carp is not so difficult - its scales do not hold tightly and are easily removed. If the fish is large, then most of the scales can be removed even with your hands, without fear of breaking or damaging your nails, and only in the area of ​​the tail, fins and abdomen will small pieces have to be removed with a knife.

Advice

The scales will be removed even easier if you first pour boiling water over the fish.

To prevent scales from scattering throughout the kitchen, it is better to clean crucian carp under running water, in a sink filled with water, or in a basin of water.

Removing the entrails

Next, the tail is cut off from the fish, washed with water and the cutting process begins. The crucian carp is carefully cut along the abdomen and the black film and all internal organs are removed. It is important not to rupture the fish’s gallbladder. Otherwise, the crucian carp will have to be soaked for some time to remove bile or rinsed with water and sprinkled with salt so that the dish does not become bitter later.

To prevent bones from pricking in already cooked fish, cuts are made on the crucian carp on both sides of the body in half-centimeter increments. They can be vertical or diamond-shaped. This way the bones are partially cut and softened due to the contact of oil or broth during cooking.

Useful tips

1. If you do not plan to cook the fish with its head, it must also be cut off along with its gills.
2. If crucian carp have an unpleasant smell of mud, then before cutting, deboning and cooking, they are soaked for an hour or two in a weak saline solution.
3. To prevent cutlery from smelling like fish, immediately after cutting and cleaning it, you should rinse it with cool water and soap.If the smell still remains, you need to repeat the procedure, but first wipe the dishes and utensils with heated salt.
4. To get rid of the fishy smell at home, in addition to simple ventilation, you can boil water with vinegar or heat coffee grounds in a frying pan.
5. If the crucian carp does not go into the fish soup pot or frying pan immediately after cleaning, then it should be stored in the freezer, wrapped in cling film so that other products do not absorb the fishy smell. For the convenience of subsequent cooking, it should be immediately cut into portions.
6. If the fish was bought for frying, then before doing this it is recommended to leave it in a colander or dryer for a while so that the excess water, which made cleaning so easy, can now drain away. Otherwise, the crucian carp will turn out more stewed than truly fried.

Crucian carp is a simple, but no less tasty fish if cooked correctly. You can significantly simplify and speed up the process of preparing dishes from crucian carp if you know how to properly clean the fish from scales and entrails, especially since there is nothing complicated about it.