Smelts in an Autoclave
Smelts in an autoclave are easy-to-make fish preserves that delight with their taste. It is much richer compared to mass-produced preserves. Plus, you won't have to doubt the beneficial properties and purity of the product. The preparation process is quite simple and allows you to produce enough for a large family for the season in one go.
Benefits of Canned Smelts in an Autoclave
Smelts have tender white fillets and a distinctive, recognizable taste. They are rich in Vitamin PP and contain trace elements such as molybdenum, chromium, zinc, fluorine, sulfur, chlorine, and nickel. One small fish essentially provides a complex of beneficial substances to the body.
What to do with smelts? You don't need to remove the scales, as they become crispy after frying. The same applies to the gills. You just need to rinse and clean the smelts thoroughly.
Smelts are high in iodine, which is well absorbed by the body and is vital for people living in large cities and areas with negative environmental conditions. The fish is easy to cook with many proven recipes for boiling, frying, and stewing. One classic preparation method is canning smelts in oil or tomato sauce.
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Preparing Smelts for Canning
The recipe for preparing smelts in an autoclave at home is simple, but it's important to properly prepare the fish beforehand. Fresh or frozen smelts are suitable for canning.
If the smelts are frozen, thaw them at room temperature. Each fish needs to be thoroughly rinsed under running water, head removed, and guts extracted. There are many bones in the fish, but sharp fins can cause more trouble. So, it's better to remove them.
Smelts in Tomato Sauce Recipe for an Autoclave
The recipe for bullheads in tomato sauce in an autoclave is simple: to prepare canned food from a calculated amount of 3 kg of fish, you will need the following ingredients:
- onion - 300 g;
- carrot - 2-3 medium;
- tomato juice - 0.5 liters;
- flour - 0.5 tbsp;
- black ground pepper (to taste);
- cloves and bay leaves - 3 each;
- sugar, salt, allspice - all to taste.
Grate the carrot, finely chop the onion. Mix all the listed ingredients evenly with the cleaned bullheads. Large fish can be cut into 2-3 pieces beforehand. If you want a rich sauce (like in "Soviet canned goods"), you can add up to 4 tablespoons of simple ketchup (without additives) or tomato paste to the prepared mixture. Spicy food lovers can enhance the product with chili ketchup.
To prepare bullheads in tomato sauce in an autoclave, just distribute the resulting mixture into jars and seal them. But there's another way: first, place the cut fish, seasoned with spices, at the bottom of the jars, and then pour the mixture of tomato juice, onion, carrot, flour, and salt over it. The sealed jars should be placed in the autoclave (pre-filled with water to cover the jar lids by 2 cm).
Cooking time at 110°C is about half an hour. In comparison, stewing canned food in a multicooker takes 5 hours, in the oven - about 4 hours. That's why the autoclave is better. In a short period, the bullheads will become so tender that the bones will soften.
Bullheads in Oil in an Autoclave
The recipe for bullheads in oil in an autoclave is even simpler: preparing the canned food takes minimal time and effort. The required ingredients for one half-liter jar are:
- cleaned bullheads - 500 g;
- salt - 0.5 tsp;
- bay leaf - 1;
- black peppercorns - 3;
- vegetable oil - 25 g.
To prepare, simply place the fish cut into 50-gram pieces, mixed with salt, bay leaf, and pepper, into clean jars. The density of the packing should be such that there is about 1 cm of free space at the top of the jar. Then, add vegetable oil and seal the jars with lids.
What to do with bullheads? There's no need to remove the scales; they will become crispy after frying. The same goes for the gills. You only need to rinse and clean the bullheads well.
Bullheads in oil in an autoclave cook for about 30 minutes. Fill the autoclave with water (above the jars), place the sealed jars inside, and close the lid. After heating, maintain a temperature of around 110°C. After 30 minutes of heating, you can turn it off, wait for the pressure to drop to 1 atm. Then simply release the air, open the lid, and remove the ready canned food.
Want to prepare homemade fish canned goods quickly and easily? Buy an autoclave - the most convenient equipment for making delicious preserves. We manufacture autoclaves from carefully selected materials. Finished products are guaranteed to be reliable, practical, and safe. Transform the routine process of canning into a convenient, quick, and enjoyable task.
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