According to the processing method, fish are divided into three groups: scaly, scaleless and sturgeon. Fine-scaled fish (navaga, burbot) are processed in the same way as scaleless fish. The workshop should have chef's knives, hand scrapers, sieves, mortars, hoes, cauldrons with grates, baking sheets, trays and buckets.

Primary processing of fish consists of the following operations: thawing, soaking, cutting, preparation of semi-finished products. Butchering refers to the removal of scales, entrails, fins, head, bones and skin.

Sturgeon fish differs from other types of fish in that it does not have a bony skeleton and its surface is covered with several rows of bone plates - bugs

Fish of the sturgeon family, with the exception of sterlet, are commercially produced completely gutted. Natural freezing of uncut sturgeon during ice fishing is allowed

Frozen sturgeon, stellate sturgeon and beluga are defrosted in air at room temperature.

Defrosting lasts 6 - 10 hours depending on the size of the fish.

When processing a fish, the head with pectoral fins and bones of the shoulder girdle is first separated by two oblique cuts along the gill covers

After this, the dorsal bugs with the dorsal fin are cut off from the fish, the anal and pelvic fins are removed along the line of their base at the level with the skin, the caudal fin is separated in a straight line perpendicular to the spine at the level of the beginning of the rays, and the vizig is removed.

Then the fish is sliced ​​into sections, starting from the head, along the back in the middle of the fat layer. After lamination, the links are cleaned, blood clots are removed and washed.

Links of large fish, especially beluga, are cut into two to four parts in the longitudinal and transverse directions, depending on the size of the fish. The weight of the pieces should be no more than 4 - 5 kg, and the length should be 50 - 60 cm. Such pieces are convenient for cutting into portions.

Further processing of the links depends on their culinary use.

To cook the whole links, they are first scalded and cleaned of lateral, abdominal and small bone bugs.

After cleaning, the fish is washed with cold water, also washing off the protein clots that form on the surface. To maintain their shape during the cooking process, the links are tied with twine

For frying, poaching in whole form or in portioned pieces with or without skin, the cartilage is cut off from the links, then scalded and cleaned of bugs.

Portioned pieces are scalded again before heat treatment. To do this, they are lowered for 1 - 2 minutes. into water with a temperature of 95 - 97 ° C (3 - 4 liters per 1 kg of fish). After scalding, the pieces are washed in water. Losses due to scalding are 10 - 15%.

After thawing, the sterlet, without scalding, is cleaned of bugs, the abdomen is cut, and the entrails, gills and viz are removed. In sterlet intended for poaching as a whole, the dorsal bugs are separated after heat treatment, and in sterlet intended for boiling, poaching and frying in portions - before heat treatment. To prepare portioned pieces, the gutted sterlet is flattened after removing the dorsal bugs, and then cut crosswise into pieces.

We can display a schematic sequence

Defrosting in air - removing the head with the pectoral fin - cutting off the dorsal bugs - removing the fins - removing the vizig - dividing the fish into links - scalding - cleaning from the side, abdominal and small bugs - washing - tying the links before cooking - cutting off cartilage and cutting into portions for frying - secondary scalding

This is what sturgeon fry look like

control over the individual

Ready to use

we begin to butcher

Cutting off the bugs

remove skin

The fish, which belongs to the sturgeon family, has long been valued for its unique taste and delicate texture of meat. If you know how to clean sterlet, sturgeon and their closest “relatives”, you can get a preparation for a real delicacy. Proper manipulation will allow you to finish off not only meat with unique characteristics.

Almost all parts of sterlet can be used in cooking. Moreover, even those that are otherwise regarded as garbage. At the same time, the approaches to processing carcasses are quite simple. You just need to follow the sequence of manipulations and strictly follow the recommendations drawn up by professionals.

Features of cleaning sterlet

To clean, you will need the sterlet itself, a cutting board, a large sharp knife, a colander and hot water.

• Rinse the fish under cool running water and place on a board. We use a knife to separate the head from the body; to do this, you will have to cut through the dense cartilage that is located under the pectoral fins.
• There are sharp spines on the back of the sterlet, which can cause injury during the cleaning process. It is better to immediately cut them off with a knife or scissors. Now we begin to remove the ossified scales using a knife. We move from the tail towards the head.
• At the next stage, the sterlet is gutted. To do this, you need to cut the abdomen and remove all the insides from it.

Tip: A variety of dishes can be prepared from a sterlet head. If it is planned to be used, the eyes and gills should be removed. After this, the product must be put into use immediately. Otherwise, it needs to be frozen.

• One of the key points is the removal of the vizigi - this is a thin cord that is located along the spine. We make two circular or transverse cuts - in the head and tail area. We turn the tail around its axis until the white “lace” stands out clearly. It needs to be picked up and pulled out using a knitting needle or needle. The tail is completely separated, sent to the head or thrown away.
• It is customary to remove the skin from sterlet. To do this, grab a piece of skin from the tail part and begin to pull it towards the head. If difficulties arise during the manipulation, scald the carcass with hot water, then the process will go faster and easier.

• Be sure to cut the cleaned fish into pieces 2 cm thick, make cuts perpendicular to the spine and place them in a colander with their backs up. Scald the workpieces with boiling water and wait for the liquid to drain. If this procedure is not followed, the sterlet may become deformed during subsequent heat treatment. Often protein clots appear on its surface.

The cleaning process is completed. Now you need to immediately start preparing the planned dish. Fins, head and tail can not only be put on the ear. These ingredients make excellent fish casseroles. In addition, they can be smoked or stewed in the oven.

Rules for cleaning sturgeon

Due to the fact that many housewives do not know how to clean sturgeon, they have to give up delicious fish kebabs, salted fillets, and tender baked meat. But the process is quite simple and does not cause much trouble. In addition to the fish itself, you only need to prepare a knife, a board and a little boiling water.

• Finding fresh sturgeon today is not so easy; most often you have to deal with a frozen product. It is better to carry out the pre-treatment process in the fresh air (at least, at room temperature with access to air), using dishes from which water will constantly drain. If you don't properly defrost a component, its skin will crack and it won't be as good for baking.

Tip: If the fish is fresh and even still alive, it is not necessary to kill it. It is enough to send the individual to the freezer for 1 hour. She will fall asleep and you can calmly carry out all the necessary manipulations.

• If the sturgeon is baked, there is no need to clean it. It is enough to cut off the sharp spines on the fins. In young individuals, these formations can be easily ground off with thick brushes or special knives for cleaning fish.
• But if the component needs to be cut before heat treatment, salted or pickled, you will have to carry out a few more manipulations. The sturgeon has no scales, and its skin looks like sandpaper. First, place the specimen in a colander and scald with boiling water. Then we rip open her abdomen and remove all the insides. We rinse the workpiece with cold water, removing blood clots. We extract the caviar or milk and salt it.
• Remove the gills from gutted fish. Now we remove the squeak by making two cuts in the head and tail sections. We pull the white lace through the cut on the tail. The main thing is not to disrupt your education. Although the negative effect of the component on the human body has not been documented, during heat treatment it noticeably increases in size, causing the meat to deform and the skin to burst.

• Next, the final processing of the component is carried out, during which, depending on the recipe, the fins and skin are removed, and the head is cut off. The skeletal system of fish is represented by cartilage, which does not need to be removed. If the product is baked entirely, then they try to preserve its appearance as much as possible; this will not affect the taste of the product.

Fish from the sturgeon family have a special taste, so you should not try to prepare complex dishes from them. The fewer additional ingredients are used, the more pleasure you can get from consuming the product.

The sturgeon can rightfully be called an ancient fossil, since there is a high probability that its ancestors lived back in the era of dinosaurs. He is unlike any other fish. Its skeleton consists of cartilage, and instead of a ridge there is a dorsal string (notochord) or vizig, as it is usually called. The body is not covered with scales, and the skin is protected by five rows of bone growths - “bugs”. Therefore, they clean it differently than other fish. Find out how to do this, as well as how to properly cut sturgeon.

Sturgeon: the value of fish and secrets of selection

Sturgeon is a unique fish, which was not called king for nothing. It is highly valued for its dietary meat and black caviar - a special delicacy, the amount of which reaches 1/5 - 1/6 of the weight of the fish. Sturgeon is very tasty, nutritious and healthy. It contains proteins that are absorbed by the body by 98%, fatty acids, vitamins C, PP, B1, B2, as well as large quantities of sodium, phosphorus and calcium. Regular consumption of sturgeon meat reduces cholesterol levels in the blood and prevents heart attacks.

After cooking, sturgeon loses relatively little weight - about 15%, which is important considering its cost.

The inedible portion is only 14%. Even cartilage and vertebral string (viziga) are eaten after preliminary processing. Sturgeon makes any dish tasty and delicious. It is boiled, baked, fried, smoked, stuffed, poured and even made into shish kebab. Sturgeon does not require a large amount of spices and aromatic herbs. Just add a little salt and pepper and sprinkle with lemon juice - the taste will be divine!

Stuffed sturgeon - a truly royal dish

How to choose quality sturgeon

Sturgeon can be bought live, chilled and frozen. Already cleaned and dressed carcasses are also available for sale, but their cost will be significantly higher. It is very important to choose fresh and high-quality fish. Not only the taste of the future dish, but also the state of your health depends on this. It is best to buy sturgeon live or chilled. If you decide to buy a live one, then you should pay attention to its skin. There should be no white or red spots on the body - they can be signs of illness. Many wounds are also a bad sign, because infection quickly develops in them. Such mechanical damage and bruising must be removed during cutting. Pay attention to the behavior of the fish. It should actively move and not “sleep” at the bottom of the aquarium.

Fresh chilled sturgeon can be bought as a whole carcass, butchered and cut into steaks. When choosing sturgeon, you need to be very careful and not buy fish if there is even the slightest sign of poor quality.

There are signs that indicate the freshness of chilled fish.

1. Pleasant “fishy” smell. The presence of a foreign or unpleasant odor may indicate the expiration of the shelf life.
2. The gills are dark in color and without mucus. Greenish and gray shades are a sign that the fish has begun to deteriorate.
3. The eyes should not be cloudy.
4. When freshly cut into steaks, sturgeon has skin that fits tightly to the meat.
5. When pressed with your finger, the pulp should quickly return to its previous form. If the deformation persists, you have stale fish.
6. The belly of a cut sturgeon should be pink without spots.

How to choose frozen sturgeon

Choosing a good frozen sturgeon is more difficult, since often unscrupulous producers try to hide the signs of low-quality fish by freezing.

1. The presence of a thick layer of ice or snow indicates refreezing. The ice must be clean, free from dirt and blood.
2. If you buy frozen fillets or steaks, pay attention to their color. Yellowish and “rusty” stains indicate improper storage and re-freezing.

In any case, before purchasing sturgeon, like other fish, ask the seller for a quality certificate. It must contain complete information about the product and the date of sale.

Peculiarities of cleaning and cutting live and chilled sturgeon for cooking whole or in portions

The sturgeon's body is covered with mucus, making it quite difficult to hold in your hands. When you start cleaning for the first time, you risk ruining the appearance of the fish and the quality of the prepared dish. This is a fairly strong fish; the bone growths that protect the body can hurt painfully. The skin is hard and feels like sandpaper. It will not be easy for a beginner, but there are simple ways to make this process easier and faster.

Kitchen tools you will need:

• knives - large, sharp and with a narrow long blade (for scissors);
• kitchen scissors;
• fish scraper;
• hammer.

You can clean fish in a sink, on a kitchen counter, or on a wooden board. The process will differ depending on the size of the fish.

How to Clean, Dress and Skin a Small Sturgeon

1. If the fish is alive, you will have to stun it using a kitchen hammer wrapped in cloth. If you can’t do this and have no one to ask, wait until she “falls asleep” (without water, the sturgeon, like any fish, first falls asleep and then dies).
2. Place the sturgeon in a deep bowl or washbasin and pour boiling water over it for a few seconds. After scalding, the skin turns white, becomes soft and easily peels away from the meat, mucus is washed off with water, and bone plates move away from the body more easily.
   

   The skin will easily come off the meat if you pour boiling water over the sturgeon

3. Using a large sharp knife, cut off a row of “bugs” on the back in the direction from head to tail. You can also separate each “bug” separately, which is quite easy to do after treatment with boiling water. With the second option, the fish will have a beautiful, neat appearance, which is important if you are going to stuff it and bake it whole.

   The dorsal row of “bugs” is cut from head to tail

4. We cut off the lateral and abdominal “bugs”. They separate much easier. To do this, you can use a special scraper for cleaning fish.
5. We clean the fish from the skin.
6. We make two oblique cuts near the gills and cut the cartilage.
7. We cut the belly to the end in the direction from the head to the anus.
8. If there is caviar or milk, take it out and clear it of the film. We also clean the belly well.

   A pleasant surprise - a belly full of valuable caviar

9. We cut off the head with a sharp knife if we do not plan to cook the whole fish.
10. We cut out the gills if we are going to use the head to prepare broth or fish soup.
11. The fins can also be cut off to avoid injury during further processing of the fish.
12. We remove the vizig.
13. Wash the fish thoroughly.

“Bugs” can be cut off without scalding, but this will be more difficult. In addition, cutting off the skin without damaging the flesh will not work. If the appearance of the fish does not bother you, you can safely clean it without using boiling water.

How to clean and gut a large sturgeon (over 5 kg)

The processing of a large sturgeon will be different as it will have to be cut into pieces.

1. Cut off the head. To do this, pull back the pectoral fin and use a sharp knife to cut through the skin and flesh to the cartilage on both sides. Then we cut the cartilage and remove the head.
2. Using the same knife, we cut off a number of “bugs” on the back along with strips of skin. We cut off all the fins except the tail one.
3. We remove the vizig.
4. We cut the carcass into portions along the back and then in half.
5. Using a sharp knife, separate the meat from the skin.
6. Wash the fish with cold water.

Pieces of meat can also be scalded to remove the skin. But this will be more difficult to do, since the skin of a large sturgeon is much thicker than a small one.

Important! All sturgeon spoil very quickly. After cleaning and cutting the fish, you need to either freeze it or start cooking it immediately.

How to clean and cut frozen sturgeon at home

Sturgeon is often sold ungutted and frozen. Then it is even easier to clean. The fact is that sturgeon is very fatty and for this reason it is much easier to clean sturgeon in iced “hard” form than in fresh and “soft” form.

Cleaning sturgeon before defrosting

1. We cut off rows of bugs with a sharp knife immediately after the fish is taken out of the freezer.
2. If we are going to remove the skin, we scald the carcass with boiling water and clean it.
3. Then let it thaw and start gutting. The insides are very easy to remove when the fish is not completely thawed.
4. Defrost completely, take out the vizig and wash it.

Step-by-step instructions for processing frozen sturgeon after thawing

1. We wait until the fish thaws in the air - 6–10 hours (depending on size).
2. We cut off the head and pectoral fins with cartilage.
3. We cut off the back row of “bugs”.
4. We remove the remaining fins along the line of their base and cut off the tail fin.
5. We remove the vizigu (can be removed in the same way as in the case of live sturgeon).
6. We scald and remove the side and abdominal “bugs”.
7. We cleanse from skin and mucus.
8. Wash thoroughly in cold water.

After cleaning and gutting, the fish is almost ready for cooking. Its further cutting will depend on what you are going to cook:

• if you just want to fry, then cut into portions without cutting off the fins;
• if the fish is quite large, then it is better to cut off the head and fins (they can be used for fish soup).

The sturgeon does not need to be cleaned. After boiling, the bugs and skin will become so soft that you can even remove them with your fingers.

The correct way to clean and cut sturgeon - video

Removing the vizig and its further use

Viziga has long been used in cooking. In industry, it is dried, tied into bundles and sent for sale. There is an opinion that if it is not removed, the poison contained inside will definitely get into the meat and poison it. That is why many sources recommend removing the entire dorsal chord, avoiding ruptures.

The sturgeon is a carrier of the botulism bacillus, which produces a particularly dangerous poison - botulinum toxin. It can easily penetrate caviar, meat and chord, which is why it is so important to be careful when cutting fish and wash it thoroughly.

Experienced cooks always remove this part of the sturgeon, since during cooking it swells greatly, increases in length and comes out through the meat. It is quite difficult to get it out after this without completely ruining the appearance of the dish.

What can happen if you don't remove the vizig before baking the fish - video

Methods for removing viziga: instructions with photos

1. On the inside, in the middle (where an ordinary fish should have a ridge), we make two shallow cuts - one at the head and the other at the tail. Using the blade of a narrow, thin knife, we pry up the siege and pull it out with our fingers. You can use a special chef's needle. We pull out the vizig slowly and carefully so as not to tear it.

   Small cuts are made inside the sturgeon carcass near the head and tail and the vizier is carefully pulled out

2. We cut the flesh at the base of the tail around the vizig and pull it out by the tail. Before this you need to either cut off the head or make an incision at the head.
3. You can remove it in another way. We cut the fish lengthwise along the back, spread it out and take out the vizig.

   Removal of the vizig is also possible after cutting off the dorsal row of “bugs”

Before cooking, the vizigu must be thoroughly washed, the contents squeezed out and the outer inedible layer removed, which can be done quite easily with your fingers or the blunt side of a knife. After this, it is boiled in salted water and used as a filling for various dishes or dried for later storage.

How to easily remove a viziga and what you can do with it next - video

1. To prevent the fish from slipping out of your hands during cleaning, it is better to wear special gloves. You can also use a paper towel or piece of newspaper.
2. Mucus can be removed by wiping the carcass with a napkin or rubbing with coarse salt, and then rinsing under running water.
3. If you decide to clean the sturgeon on the table, cover it with several sheets of newspaper and change them as they become dirty.
4. The skin that turns white after scalding is very easily removed with a brush for washing vegetables. You just need to “clean” the fish, like you peel potatoes before baking them in their “jacket”.
5. You need to clean the fish away from you to avoid injury.
6. When cutting the belly, you must be extremely careful not to damage the gallbladder. If the liquid that fills the bubble gets on the meat, it will become bitter and unfit for consumption.
7. Always cut out the gills if leaving the head. With them the dish may become bitter.
8. Don’t be lazy to take out the vizig if you want the dish to look attractive. It can be dried and used in the future. In this form it is stored for a long time.
9. If there is caviar in the belly, it can be salted and later used for making pates or as an independent dish.
10. Milk can also be salted, but it must be used as quickly as possible. In air, their taste deteriorates due to fat oxidation.
11. Cartilage and strips of skin with bugs can be used to prepare broths and jellied fish.
12. It is better to cut out places with bruises and damage on the sturgeon’s body.

To avoid damaging the gallbladder, it is worth knowing its location. It is located just after the pectoral fins, very close to the liver. That is why when gutting, you should not stick the knife too deeply. Undoubtedly, the most delicious dishes are made from live, freshly caught fish. Do not risk eating sturgeon of questionable quality. Its intestines may contain botulism pathogens, which can penetrate meat and caviar if the fish is not fresh.

Sturgeon, sterlet, stellate sturgeon, and beluga belong to the sturgeon family. A distinctive feature of the variety is the presence of viziga. It is a chord, made of dense, soft tissue, looks like a cord, consists of connective tissue and cartilaginous parts. Traditionally used for preparing various dishes - pies and kulebyak. Today, due to the abundance of fish varieties and semi-finished products, viziga is often disposed of as waste along with the entrails and gills. Housewives should know whether the sterlet vizig is poisonous or not. It can be eaten, is rich in vitamins A, C, group B, minerals - calcium, phosphorus, sodium. The chord of sturgeon fish is not poisonous, but it spoils much earlier, therefore the shelf life of a fresh product or ready-made dish is reduced.

How to remove vizig from fresh fish

The sturgeon, like the sterlet, does not have the scales usual for freshwater fish.

Sticky mucus and sharp growths (bugs) located on the back and sides also require removal. The skin feels like sandpaper, knowing some subtleties, the entire process of preparing the carcass will not take much time.

Cleansing steps:
1.Depending on the size of the fish, you will need an appropriate container. Large representatives can be cut even in the bathroom; for sterlet, use a deep dish.

2.Then you need to heat the water and water the fish, starting from the tail to the head. Such a procedure will help get rid of not only the characteristic mucus, but also make sharp growths softer. If they cannot be easily removed, carefully pry them off with a knife.

3.Whether or not to remove the skin depends on the intended dishes. For stuffing, you need a whole skin, which is removed like a stocking. You need to pry it near the head and gently pull it towards the tail. If the carcass was previously poured with boiling water, the separation process will speed up significantly.

4.Then the abdominal part is cut, milt or caviar is taken out. The former can be fried or stewed, but caviar is a most valuable delicacy.

5. During gutting, you need to carefully remove the gall bladder; if it bursts, its contents will give the meat an unpleasant, bitter taste. After removing all the internal mucous films, you need to rinse the carcass again under running water.

6.Afterwards, you can move on to the stage of removing the vizig. On the top of the fish, 2 cuts are made in the tail area and near the head. If the carcass is large, it is better to make several notches. They should be deep enough to see the white lace, this is the chord.

7.You need to carefully pick up and pull out the vizig. You can do this with a special food needle, fork, tweezers or even pliers. It is important not to rush, otherwise the chord may break.

8.Having removed the vizigu, you can use it to make pies.

In Rus', the sturgeon chord was used for pies and pies

Removing scabs from frozen fish

It is easier to remove chord from sturgeon with a frozen product. When choosing such fish, you should know that it will not be possible to maintain the integrity of the skin. But the meat will not lose its taste or beneficial elements; you can cook steaks, kebabs, or bake the whole carcass in the oven. It is recommended to use the trick also when buying fresh fish. Returning from the supermarket with a delicacy, you need to rinse the carcass, rinse it with hot water, and place it on a paper towel. After that, put it in the freezer for 1-2 hours, this will greatly simplify the process.

How to remove vizig from frozen sterlet and sturgeon:

Traditionally, the chord, gills, and eyes are removed; these are the parts of the delicious fish that can impart a bitter taste to the finished dish;

Experienced chefs advise rinsing sturgeon varieties for 20 minutes under running water;

Then you need to carefully cut off the dorsal bugs so as not to damage the flesh, do this in the direction from the tail to the head, you don’t have to remove them if you plan to cook the fish in the future;

Cut the belly of the sterlet, take out the entrails, and then carefully pry the white chord with a fork and pull it out, also moving from the tail to the head;

Processing large sturgeon fish has its own differences; it is necessary to pull back the pectoral fin, use a knife to make deep cuts along the skin and flesh, right up to the cartilage;

Having cut through the cartilage with a precise movement, remove the head;

Use a large sharp knife to remove the dorsal bugs along with the skin; you also need to cut off the fins, leaving only the tail;

At the base of the tail in the upper part, cut the flesh up to the chord, carefully pull it out with a fork or long knife;

You can also remove the chord from the abdominal part, for this an incision is made, you need to pull out the insides, thoroughly rinse the carcass under running water to remove mucous membranes, and then pull it out with tweezers;

For large sturgeon, the method of layering is used; you need to cut it into 2 halves along the back, the chord is easily removed with a single cord, this method can also be used for fresh fish.

It is important to remember that thawed sterlet or sturgeon cannot be re-frozen; the fish will lose its consistency and taste.

There is no need to rush to throw away the removed chord. To prepare the filling, dried viziga should be simmered over low heat for quite a long time. Then you can chop it, mix it with fish or meat, and stuff it into pies. Simple tips will allow you to quickly clean sturgeon for preparing culinary masterpieces.

Among Russian national delicacies, one of the first places is occupied by valuable fish - sturgeon and sterlet, which also belongs to the sturgeon family. Moreover, the second one is valued even more, and catching it is a great success. Although this fish is listed in the Red Book of Russia, it is allowed to catch it, but only with purchased licenses. They are issued from the beginning of July to September and only for fishing on 14 rivers - the Volga, Kama, Ob and other reservoirs of Siberia. It is more likely to buy sterlet in a store - from those grown on special farms in ponds and lakes. But few people know what and how to properly do with caught or purchased fish. You will find detailed tips with video instructions on how to clean and cut up sterlet at home in our article.

A little about sterlet: what is its value

Sterlet is a valuable river fish with very tasty and healthy meat. Fish weighing 0.8 kg or more are considered commercial. In general, sterlet can grow to impressive sizes. In the Volga - up to 16-18 kg, and in large Siberian rivers - up to 30 kg with a body length of up to 1.3 meters. The structure of the body and head is similar to other sturgeons: it has an elongated nose, tapering towards the end. It's called the snout.

Sterlet in its natural habitat

Sterlets are divided into two types:

• Walking or pointed-nosed - with a long nose, thin body, very mobile. This fish moves freely along the river and does not have a permanent residence.
• The blunt-nosed sterlet is thicker, fattier, and sticks to one area of ​​residence. As a rule, it has a lighter body color. Sterlet reared in cages are almost always blunt-nosed, which is most likely due to a sedentary lifestyle.

Photo gallery: sterlet and its species

The popular (sharp-nosed) sterlet caught in the Volga Sterlet - catch Oka sterlet
Sterlet snout Excellent catch - photo from Canada

On the bottom of the snout there are long whiskers, similar to a fringe, which often grows all the way to the mouth; the lower lip is bipartite. Like all sturgeon fish, sterlet does not have scales, but its body is covered with scutes made of bone tissue, located along the body in 5 rows (the skin between the scutes is bare or knuckles of different shapes are randomly scattered over it). Among fishermen they are called “bugs” and because of them, cleaning this fish has its own peculiarities.

The largest bugs are located along the back, and smaller ones along the sides and belly. On the back the bugs are placed very densely, there can be up to 17 of them, each with a very sharp thorn. There are a lot of bugs on the sides - more than 60 in each row. And on the lower part of the body there are no more than 15 pieces and they are located at a distance from each other.

The scutes (bugs) on the back and sides of the sterlet are lighter in color

The second feature of this fish, and this is its great value, is that the body of the sterlet has practically no bones. Only in the center is a cartilaginous formation that replaces the spine. Thanks to this, both cleaning and eating this fish is a pleasure.

But, there is one important “but”! Inside this cartilage along its entire length (from head to tail) there is a special stringy tissue called the vizig (also called the vizig or notochord). This vein contains toxic substances that are very dangerous to humans. If the vizig is damaged during cleaning, then all the meat becomes poisonous and will have to be disposed of.

Therefore, the vizigu must be pulled out of the cartilage extremely carefully so as not to tear it. By the way, the viziga itself, extracted from the fish, is completely harmless - it was used to prepare the filling for fish pies, after soaking it in water for a long time. But this procedure requires knowledge of many subtleties, so it’s better to just throw it away.

Viziga extracted from a large sterlet

Video: how to extract vizig

What you need for cleaning at home

Nothing special - you need the same tools as for cleaning other fish: sharp knives - large and small, cutting board, colander, salt, cloth napkin, culinary scissors, cold and hot water.

Cleaning fresh fish

Many people believe that it is easier to clean frozen fish. But, naturally, it will no longer be as tasty as fresh. Therefore, it is better to clean freshly caught fish immediately, but first you need to let it sleep in the air. Step by step this procedure will look like this:

• The first step is to clean the fish from the mucus covering its body. You can simply wipe it with a napkin, but it will be much easier to do this if you generously sprinkle the carcass with coarse salt, leave for 15 minutes and then simply wash in lukewarm water.
• Next, you need to use a sharp knife to cut off the top row of bugs along the entire length.

Photo gallery: cleaning and cutting process

Removing the back bugs Removing the side bugs Gutting

If the fish is very large - from 50 cm, several cuts must be made - 3-4, and the vizig should be pulled out step by step through each cut. By the way, the vizig is removed from a very large fish in parts: first, the carcass is cut into pieces 30-50 cm long and pulled out in parts. It is unacceptable for meat to be stored together with vizig.

• It is imperative to remove all the gills, otherwise the meat or fish soup will taste bitter. Also, the endings of the entrails and the eyes need to be removed from the head.

Video: cutting fish

How to prepare sterlet for cooking

Further cleaning depends on how the fish is going to be cooked, which we will talk about in more detail.

Baking and smoking

In this case, the cleaning of the fish is completed, because it is baked and smoked entirely - with head and tail. The dense, tough skin is then separated into portions during eating.

Cooking fish soup

This is probably the most delicious fish soup of all. Often other fish are added to sterlet. The best choice is burbot or catfish. By the way, in a real royal sterlet fish soup, champagne is always added at the end - 100 grams for each liter of finished fish soup. For fish soup, fish is cut like this: the head is separated, the tail and fins are cut off and thrown away - in the classic recipe these parts of the sterlet are never used. Although, they are very tasty and they make excellent fish soup. The carcass is divided into portioned pieces about 4-5 cm thick.

Ready-made sterlet ear

Keep in mind that the sterlet head spoils very quickly - literally in a couple of hours. Therefore, it must be cooked immediately or simply frozen.

Cut up sterlet prepared for cooking fish soup

Steaks, grilled, steamed and jellied fish

In this case, it is necessary to remove the skin first. This is not difficult to do; you can do it before or after gutting. To do this, the carcass without the head and tail must be lowered into a pan with hot water (70 degrees) for 4-5 minutes, and then the skin must be simply removed like a stocking, pulling from the tail. If this does not work, then turn it out from the head part. Next, the meat must be cut into portions 1.5-3 cm thick. For this you need a very sharp knife, since the meat is tender and you can simply damage it, turning it into an ugly mess.

Portioned jellied sterlet

Important point! To prevent the meat from becoming deformed during cooking and protein clots from forming in it, portioned pieces should be placed in a colander and doused with boiling water from a kettle.

Stuffed sterlet - cleaning features

For this wonderful dish, it is important to prepare the ingredients correctly and, first of all, you need to leave the skin completely intact, including the back part. In order not to cut off the dorsal row of bugs, the carcass is prepared as follows: immersed in very hot water for several minutes, after which the shields are carefully removed with your fingers: each one must be pressed down a little and rotated around its axis - this way they can be easily removed.

Removing the skin for stuffing must be done smoothly so that it remains intact.

Video: how to prepare sterlet for stuffing

Stroganina

For this traditional dish of the northern peoples, the fish must be prepared as follows: remove the skin, gut it, remove the viz and gills. Next, you need to chop off part of the head at the widest point and immediately freeze the carcass.

Important! You cannot defrost it and freeze it again - this is dangerous due to the appearance of bacteria, which can cause poisoning.

To prepare stroganina, the carcass is placed on a board with its head and a thin layer of meat is removed from top to bottom along the entire length with a very sharp knife, which is wrapped in a ring. After removing the required amount of planing, the carcass should be immediately placed in the freezer. The most delicious meat is in the belly area.

Video: how to make stroganina from sterlet

Cleaning frozen sterlet

It is actually simpler to perform - frozen shields easily break off from the skin (but it can be damaged). If the skin is not needed, then simply immerse the frozen carcass in boiling water for 3 minutes and remove the skin along with the bugs. Next, the carcass is thawed and the viziga is removed as described above.

Frozen sterlet is easier to clean

By the way, portioned pieces of sterlet can be prepared before freezing: salt, sprinkle with chopped spices, pour over lemon juice, wrap in foil and freeze. Then you can put them straight from the freezer into the oven at 200 degrees and bake for 50 minutes. Or unwrap and grill for 10 minutes on each side.

Useful tricks

1. Use coarse salt to remove mucus.
2. To avoid injury from sharp thorns, trimming the top row should be done using a thick mitten.
3. Rinse the carcass with hot water to easily remove the scutes.
4. The side shields can be removed with a regular cucumber grater.
5. To make it easier to remove the viziga, you can pry it through the incisions with a thick (gypsy) needle or a crochet hook.

Well-cleaned and dressed sterlet