How to debone herring in one motion. How to properly and quickly fillet herring from bones and skin? How to easily peel herring from bones and skin for salad, fur coat, slicing? Cutting fresh and salted fish and herring into fillets step by step with photos and views

Few people don't like herring. It is good with potatoes, onions, black bread, not to mention the famous herring under a fur coat. Serving this fish at the holiday table is our national tradition. At a low cost, herring has an excellent taste, and therefore is considered an affordable delicacy for everyone. One thing is upsetting: cleaning and cutting herring is a rather dirty process, and without experience and knowledge of how to properly clean and cut fish, it is also labor-intensive.

What kind of fish is this and how is it useful?

Herring is a sea fish. It lives in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans and in most lightly salted seas. The herring family consists of more than 60 species of fish; in our country the most famous are Atlantic, Norwegian, Ivasi, as well as herring and sprat, also related to herring.

Herring is found in almost all lightly salted seas

The beneficial properties of herring can hardly be overestimated. The fish is very fatty, and these are the healthiest, unsaturated fats, the so-called Omega 3. The protein content in herring meat is such that 250 grams of fish satisfy the daily requirement of the human body. On the contrary, there are few carbohydrates.

Calorie content depends on the type of herring, on average it is 240 kcal.

In addition, herring meat is rich in vitamins B, PP, E, D, A and microelements: potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, iodine and others.

The omega 3 content makes herring beneficial for the heart and blood vessels, fights “bad” cholesterol without reducing the amount of “good” cholesterol, and reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes. Vitamin D is good for bones and kidneys, especially important for pregnant women. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant, vitamin A improves vision. And these are just some of the beneficial properties of herring.

Herring has no contraindications. Yet this product contains a highly allergenic protein. People with food allergies, especially allergies to seafood, should avoid herring. There are restrictions on the consumption of salted and smoked fish. A large amount of salt is harmful for hypertensive patients and those suffering from kidney disease. Smoked meats should be eaten with caution if you have diseases of the gastrointestinal tract or liver. In this case, it is better to bake or steam the fish.

But before cooking it needs to be cleaned and gutted. Let's look at how to do this correctly using the example of salted herring. It is sold without scales.

How to clean and gut salted herring without dirtying the kitchen

The question may arise: why clean it at all, if you can buy ready-made fillets or preserves in different sauces or oil? When buying such products, you cannot be sure that they are made from fresh, high-quality fish. Read the ingredients on a jar of preserves to see what kind of chemicals are there. Therefore, if you want a quality product, buy whole fish. How to choose it correctly will be discussed below.

Before you begin, prepare everything you will need for cleaning and cutting. This will determine how comfortable it will be for you to work and how clean the space around you will remain.

What you will need:

sharp knife;
cutting board;
paper napkins or towels;
thin rubber gloves, preferably with a rough surface;
tweezers or tweezers for removing small seeds.

Photo gallery: necessary items for cutting herring

Cut a strip of meat from the belly to open it

Having gutted the carcass, we move on to the next operation.

How to easily remove the skin from herring

Now all that remains is to free the parts from the bones.

Proper cutting: how to remove large and small bones in salted herring

The herring is bony. In addition to the backbone and ribs, it is literally stuffed with many small bones. But they are easily removed from tender meat. This can be done in several ways.

Traditional way

Cut off the tail.
Use your thumb to spread the meat on the back and run it along the spine to the rib bones. The meat will separate easily.
Holding it from the inside with four fingers, continue pressing to separate the fillet from the bones, moving along the ribs from the head cut to the tail. Try not to tear the ribs away from the spine.
After separating one fillet, do the same on the other side.

Unconventional way

Wrap the fish without head and entrails in a paper towel.
Lightly tap the package on the table.
Remove the towel and place the fish belly down on the board.
Press down on the back and press it firmly against the board.
Turn the herring over and remove the backbone along with the bones, starting from the head cut.

Video: two ways to quickly peel herring, remove the skin and remove the bones

Easy way

Separate the back meat from the backbone as in the traditional method. It’s more convenient to do this on both sides, and only then start separating the ribs.
Pry the meat at the tail and pull up. The bones will remain on the backbone, and you will get a clean fillet.
Do the same with the other fillet, holding the spine with your other hand.

Fast way

Make a cut near the tail to the ridge at a slight angle.
Pry the meat with your fingers and pull up. Pull gently so as not to tear the ribs away from the spinal bone. You will have a clean fillet in your hands, the bones will remain on the other half.
Turn the fish over and repeat the procedure on the other side.
With this method, it is important that the films are removed from the abdomen, otherwise they will interfere with the separation of the bones.

In one motion, holding the fish by the tail, remove the bones

If this is your first time using this method, cut the tail slightly in the middle.
Grasp the ends of the tail with both hands and lift the fish in front of you. Fingers should point down.
Grasp the ends of the tail with both hands and twist it vertically.
Swing the fish so that it makes a full rotation around the tail towards you in a vertical plane.
Spread your hands in different directions, tearing the herring into two parts. In one hand you will have the back with the spine and rib bones, in the other - the halves of the abdomen freed from bones.
Separating the halves of the back from the ridge is now not difficult. Do this as you would with the traditional method.

Video: how to properly cut a herring and remove the bones - 2 ways from a chef

After any of these methods, small bones may remain. Remove them using tweezers or tweezers.

This is interesting! Traditionally, on one Saturday in June, Herring Day is celebrated in the Netherlands, which marks the beginning of herring fishing. On this day, anyone can eat dishes made from freshly caught herring.

Now the fillet can be chopped for salad, passed through a meat grinder for mincemeat, or simply cut beautifully and served.

Ways to beautifully cut fish fillets

There are many ways to cut herring. For a home lunch, this can be done simply in slices, but for a holiday table it’s worth trying.

You can cut it into slices both for serving on a plate and for snack sandwiches.

If you cut them at an angle, you get these cute diamond shapes.

From thin slices cut diagonally, assemble a flower that will decorate the plate. To do this, place the slices one after another in a chain.

Roll the chain into a flower, place it on a plate, add snacks, and decorate.

The flower can also be assembled from fillet strips.

Thin strips can be rolled into rolls and served on sandwiches.

You can make rolls from whole or half fillets, fasten them with a skewer, or serve them on a plate.

Pieces of salted and smoked fish arranged in a herringbone pattern look good

Of course, salted and smoked herring are more familiar to us. But, like any other fish, herring can be prepared in different ways: frying, boiling, baking. And for this you will need fresh or frozen herring.

Cleaning fresh and frozen herring from scales

Pre-defrost frozen herring by placing it on the top shelf of the refrigerator overnight. Be sure to place it in a bowl and do not take it out of the bag, otherwise the fish juice will leak onto the shelves and you will have to start cleaning the refrigerator, and the aroma of the fish will remind you of your mistake for a long time.

In general, the process of cleaning and cutting fresh and frozen fish is not much different from salted fish. Except for one thing - it must first be cleared of scales. But don’t let this upset you, herring scales fall off easily. It may happen that you buy fish almost “naked”. But if scales are still there, they need to be removed.

Proper cleaning of scales:

Rinse the fish under running cool water and dry with a paper towel.
Place it on the board with your head facing you.
Holding the tail with one hand, scrape from the tail to the head, using the blunt side of a knife or a special scraper.

To prevent the scales from scattering in different directions and staining the entire kitchen, some housewives clean them in water. To do this, place a bowl in the sink, put the fish in it and fill it with water so that the fish is completely covered. Clean underwater, only if the fish is completely immersed in water, the scales do not fly apart. Watch the video tutorial below to help you carefully remove scales from fish.

Video: how to clean fish from scales in water at home

Experienced fishermen remove scales without using any equipment, using their fingers. Using your thumbs, starting from the tail, pry up the scales and separate them from the skin. At the same time, the scales do not fly apart, and the skin remains clean and smooth.

I’ll share my secret for quickly cleaning fish from scales using only your fingers. Take, for example, a medium-sized crucian carp and put it in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then take it out and, under running water, use your fingers against the “fur” to rip off the scales from the tail to the head. The advantage is that it is fast, and the kitchen at home remains free of flying scales.

http://www.rusfishing.ru/forum/showthread.php?t=3187

Video tutorial: how to peel fish scales with bare hands

How to properly cut fresh fish:

If the fish will be cooked whole, remove the gills. To do this, lift the gill shield, trim the gills at the attachment points and remove them. This is convenient to do with culinary scissors or simple scissors.
Use a knife or scissors to cut off all the fins.
Gut the fish.
If necessary, fillet it using one of the methods discussed above. Depending on the recipe, the skin is removed or left on.

Useful tips: how to choose quality fish in a store and properly prepare it for processing

When choosing fish, pay attention to the gills. Their color should be bright red or dark burgundy, but not whitish or gray.
The eyes of fresh or frozen herring should be transparent, not cloudy, the flesh should be elastic, and the skin should not be damaged.
Rusty spots on the surface of the herring indicate oxidation of fats; avoid buying such fish.
The meat of females is drier. If you have not set out to buy herring with caviar, choose a male.
Place several layers of clean paper on the board before cutting the fish. Baking paper is also suitable for this purpose. Remove top layers as they become dirty; your work area will always be clean.
Use latex gloves for work; the fishy smell is difficult to wash off.
You can get rid of the smell of fish by rubbing your hands with a slice of lemon.
Do not remove the skin starting from the tail. A lot of meat will be removed along with it.
Do not throw away caviar and milt, they are quite suitable for food.
If the herring is too salty, soak it for 1-2 hours in milk or strong tea. Herring with dense flesh is soaked in milk, and herring that is too soft is soaked in tea.

All comes with experience. Don’t be afraid to take on the task of cutting fish, and every time you will do it better, cleaner and faster. Find a method that is convenient for you. And enjoy herring - a healthy and tasty fish.

Many people love herring, despite many minor shortcomings (yes, yes, I’m talking about numerous bones). But few people like to cut up delicious fish. It's long, dirty, tedious... I suggest you forget about this problem forever! I’ll tell you how to peel herring quickly and without bones, so that it turns out beautifully, neatly, and appetizingly.

Basic Rules:

When cleaning salted (smoked) fish, it is advisable to use a separate cutting board. Wood fibers quickly absorb fat and blood, which promotes the growth of bacteria. In addition, after the herring the smell of the board will be, to put it mildly, unappetizing. Plastic boards are less susceptible to diffusion, but still become unusable. Cling film and clean paper will help protect the board from fishy smell. Newspapers are not suitable for these purposes. I don’t know exactly what is added to printing ink, but there is clearly no benefit from its contact with food. After cleaning, roll up the paper along with the bones and giblets. The board will remain almost clean, no unpleasant smell, no greasy stains. Just rinse it with a drop of detergent.
A sharp knife is the key to quickly cleaning herring and creating smooth, neat fillets.
To get rid of a specific odor from your hands, pour lemon juice (diluted with table vinegar) on them. Washing in beer also helps (50-70 ml is enough). Grated potatoes, distributed over the surface of the palms and between the fingers, will also help eliminate the obsessive “aroma”.
It is advisable to have a roll of thick paper napkins on hand to periodically wipe the knife and hands.
It is convenient to remove small bones with special tweezers.

How to clean salted (fresh) herring so that you get a smooth fillet, absolutely boneless

A reliable method when accuracy is of paramount importance. By and large, almost everyone cleans fish this way, sometimes with some additions and changes.

You will need:

Cutting order:

Remove the fish from the brine and rinse. Clean the carcass (if necessary) so that transparent scales do not fall on the finished fillet. Dry with napkins.
To remove the head and at the same time take out most of the insides, make a cut about 3 cm deep from the side of the ridge, as shown in the photo. When the spinal bone is cut, gently pull your head forward.
It will easily move away from the abdominal part and the giblets will follow it. Dispose of waste in the trash.
Spread the belly open in one clear motion. Remove the milk or caviar (depending on your luck). They are edible and tasty. Place them in a herring bowl, cover with film, and hide in the refrigerator.
Place the sharp part of the knife blade perpendicular to the fish. Scrape off any remaining innards along with the black film. At the same stage, cut off the halves of the bellies. This part of the carcass is edible, but not for everyone. Clean it and put it in the herring bin along with the fillet or throw it away. By the way, to preserve the integrity of the belly, remove the remaining entrails through the top of the fish when you remove the backbone.
Remove the spinal fin. Make 2 parallel shallow cuts close to it. Remove the fin with your fingers.
Cut off the tail.
Cut the herring along the back, cutting through the skin and fish flesh almost to the spine. Remove the skin by lifting it in the abdominal area, pulling it towards the back, as if lifting it up. This will cause less damage to the outside of the fillet.
The critical stage is separating the backbone along with large bones from the fillet. Take the herring with both hands. Turn her belly towards you. Use your thumbs to feel the ridge from the inside, and with the rest - from the outside. Carefully separate the herring halves so that the bones remain on one fillet. Don't rush, don't make sudden movements. Lightly press the ridge on the inside, and on the outside, slowly sort through the bones, trying to remove them from the fish. After separating the first half, remove the seeds from the second. If everything went according to plan, there will be no more than 4-6 large bones left in the herring. For small ones, remove them with tweezers.
Use the finished herring fillet for its intended purpose: cut it or serve it whole in a herring bowl, roll it into a roll, finely chop it into a “Fur Fur Coat”.

When you need to quickly peel a lot of herring and accuracy is not important

When preparing “Herring under a fur coat,” you can neglect the aesthetic appearance of the fillet. The main thing is that it is boneless. This method is also suitable for quickly cleaning large quantities of fish, for example, for a large-scale feast. By the way, it is advisable to put on an apron before cutting.

Take:

We clean the herring in one confident movement:

Wash and dry the fish using napkins. Cut off the head. Leave the tail. Open the belly and remove the giblets. Remove the skin. Cut out the fins.
Take the herring by the tail. Take one half of the ponytail with the fingertips of your left hand, the other half with your right. Push the carcass forward and up so that it makes a “sun” and spreads towards you. As soon as the fish is in its original position (head down), smoothly pull the tips of the tail in different directions.
The herring will break in half. You will get 1 “clean” half without bones. All that remains is to remove the ridge from the second part and do the final “cleaning”. If necessary, cut off the belly (it will remain intact, since the herring is torn along the lateral line, and not at the top and bottom). If you cut the fish along the belly and back, you will get 4 fillets without large bones. You know what to do with small ones.
The herring is ready for serving (further cooking).

Herring is a fish that everyone loves. It is tasty, satisfying, and can be used to prepare various dishes that can be served on both the lunch and holiday tables. However, many housewives are faced with the question: “How to clean herring?” Let's try to figure this out.

How to peel herring quickly and without bones: useful tips

Prepare a sharp carving knife. It is better to sharpen it thoroughly immediately before cleaning. This is precisely the secret of well-cleaned fish.
Wear gloves. Thanks to them, after cutting the fish, there will be no unpleasant odor left on your palms.
Place a cutting board on the surface and cover it with cling film. This is where you can wrap up all your waste and throw it in the trash. After work, just wash the board with a sponge and cleaning agent. If the smell still remains on your hands and board, wipe the surface with lemon juice.

You can quickly remove the bones from the herring using forward movements of your thumb along the ridge of the fish. During movements, the skin comes off and only the fillet remains in your hands. There is another way to quickly and effectively clean herring. It is used by professional chefs.

How to clean herring from bones in one motion

Method No. 1

Wash the fish in water to remove excess salt and mucus;
Separate the head;
Cut the lower part of the body in a straight line, moving from the head to the tail. Cut off the lower fins. Remove the entrails and roe (if any). Wash the cut fish again under the tap;
Scrape off the dark films with a sharp knife;
Cut strips of fillet from either side of the lower belly. There are very small bones here. It is impossible to remove them separately from the meat, so it is better to immediately cut them off along with a small amount of fillet.
Make a cut along the ridge, moving from head to tail;
Remove the dorsal fin. You can immediately remove small seeds;
Pry the skin with a sharp knife and carefully remove it;
Cut off the tail of the fish. Transfer it to your hand. Place your thumb at the base of the ridge and move your finger along. Once you reach the tail, remove the bones from the fillet. You should have 2 fillet halves.
In the same way, separate the meat from the bones on the second side.
If there are any bones left, carefully remove them.

Method No. 2

Prepare fish as above.
Take the herring on the tail. With one hand - for one part, and with the other - for the second.
Make circular movements with the carcass in different directions. As soon as the herring “comes back”, tear it into 2 halves by carefully pulling different parts of the tail.
In one hand you will be left with a half with a tail that needs to be cut off. In the second hand there will be a part of the fillet from which you need to remove the bones. To do this, grab the ridge and separate the remaining part of the tail.
Inspect the resulting fillet. If necessary, remove the pits.

Try this cleaning method:

Place the herring on a paper towel, remove the tail and head.
Grab the carcass by the upper fin and cut it off.
Place the herring with its back facing you, insert the knife into the belly, carefully cut, moving from the tail to the head.
Take out all the insides.
Cut off the lower fins, scrape off the black films.
Rinse the carcass under the tap.
Turn the herring with its back towards you, make small indentations in the place where the upper fins were, move in the middle at the top of the fish.
Remove the bones from the remaining fins and divide the fillet into 2 parts.
Turn the herring back towards you, grab it by the tail, and gently pull the edge to remove it all.
Separate the spine part in the tail area.
Do the same with the rest of the fish.
Remove remaining bones and discard remaining pits.

How to properly clean herring: important points

Be sure to prepare for the cutting process. Prepare the surface, gloves, and a sharp knife. To get rid of an unpleasant odor, you will need lemon.
If the resulting fillet will be served immediately, do not put it in the refrigerator. If you are going to prepare some kind of dish from the fillet, it is better to put the herring in a glass jar and close it with a lid so that the rest of the products are not saturated with an unpleasant fishy smell.

How to choose quality herring

Deboning herring will be much easier if you choose a quality product. How to do it?

If you buy herring in a tin, carefully study the expiration date of the product. Make sure that the can is not dented or has any traces of rust.
When purchasing loose herring, pay attention to the gills. They must be dark red. If a bruise forms when pressed, then it is better to refuse the purchase. This is a sign that the salting conditions have been violated.
“Rusty” spots often form on the scales of low-quality fish.
If you like herring with caviar or milk, pay attention to the belly of the fish. It must be clearly expressed. You can press lightly on this area. Little content will appear.
The carcass of high-quality herring is elastic, dense, without mechanical damage.
Do you like salted fish? Then choose carcasses with red eyes. This is a sign that it has been well salted.
A quality product should smell good. There should be no foreign odors. Allow only the subtle aroma of spices and seasonings that were used to prepare the brine.

Cleaning herring using kitchen scissors

Make a cut along the ridge of the herring and remove the skin. From the tail to the head, cut the ridge with kitchen scissors. Cut the belly lengthwise with a small knife, remove the fins and entrails. Leave your head. Rinse the cut herring with water and wipe with a clean napkin. When serving, cut the fish into portions.

Cleaning herring is a process that seems complicated only at first glance. If you organize it correctly and practice a little, you will be able to cope with cutting fish in a matter of minutes.

Many modern housewives purchase herring fillets and use them in preparing a variety of salads and snacks. However, often purchased canned food is second-rate, prepared by unscrupulous producers from fish that has lost its taste.

Therefore, it is better to purchase the herring whole, remove the bones, skin, and fins and use it to prepare nutritious snacks. Then you will be able to appreciate the freshness of the fish and prepare truly tasty and healthy dishes. How to clean herring will be discussed in this article.

To quickly separate the bones from the fillet and cook it in a few minutes, you first need to prepare the work surface and tools.

To clean the herring, it is better to select a separate board, but you can wrap it in cling film so that there is no smell and fillet residues ingrained into the wood or plastic. Instead of film, you can use a thick plastic bag.

You can wear latex medical gloves or rub your hands with lemon juice after washing to get rid of the fishy odor.

For cleaning you will need:

sharpened knife;
gloves (for example, medical);
tweezers. It should be at hand. With its help, you can remove small and thin bones from the fillet, which are located near the ridge;
paper towels or napkins. They are needed to remove intestinal films and blood;
trash bag.

Various ways to clean herring

Let's look at several methods of cleaning fish, their advantages and procedure.

Classical

The classic way to clean herring from bones consists of several stages.

The fish is placed on a board and the head and then the tail are separated with a knife.
Holding the herring by the fin from above, carefully trim it.
By inserting a knife into the hole that remains, cut the belly and remove the insides of the herring. If you like milk or caviar, do not put the knife deep inside so as not to damage them. Gently spread the abdomen and free it from the insides.
Caviar and milk can be used to make sandwiches or snacks.
Turn the fish on its side and cut from one side, and then from the second strip half a centimeter wide. This allows the belly fins and hard parts to be removed.
Remove the black film with a paper napkin or your hands; it imparts a bitter taste to dishes. Rinse the fish both outside and inside under tap water.
Place the herring with its back facing you on the board and use your thumb to make a hole in the part where the fin is on top. Move up, dividing the herring into 2 halves, and then do the same, moving down.
Place the herring on the board and use a knife to pick up the skin, grab its edge and quickly remove it. Do the same with your other half.

The herring has been cleaned! All that remains is to remove the seeds using tweezers, cut it into portions and serve.

For the "fur coat"

Here is one of the recipes for cutting fish intended for the famous “shuba” salad.

First, place the herring on the board, cut off the tail and head of the herring. Then rip open the abdomen from the caudal fin at the bottom forward and to the end. Remove the entrails from the fish.

Rinse the milk and caviar under running tap water, place in a bowl or container and place in the refrigerator. Throw the rest of the innards into the trash.

Move the knife from the ridge to the edges, clean the inside of the abdomen, scraping off the black film: first one side, and then the other. Rinse the herring under tap water. Cut off all the fins below with quick movements - caudal, dorsal and ventral.

Make a cut along the back of the fish with a knife, dividing the herring into 2 parts, not reaching the end a little. Lay the carcass on its side and use your fingers to pry the skin away from the tail. Then gently pull it forward and up with your hand. This way you will remove all the skin from both sides.

Then you should separate the fillet from the fish spine: start from the tail, carefully dividing the fish into 2 halves and, pressing your finger against the bone, move to the head and separate the meat. Do the same with the 2nd half of the herring.

All that remains is to carefully remove with your fingers the small bones remaining on the herring without disturbing the integrity of the carcass.

Rinse the fillet, cut it into cubes, and voila - you're done! You can start preparing the “fur coat”.

Punching

This culinary method will demonstrate how to quickly peel a herring without removing all the seeds.

You must first gut the carcass, cut off the fins and remove the skin. Then the herring needs to be washed and an incision made on the back. Hold it so that 4 fingers are inside and your thumb is on the cut on the back of the fish. Then you should squeeze your fingers, squeezing out the meat and separating it from the ridge.

First, separate 1 half of the fillet, and then the 2nd, and then remove the bones using tweezers.

In one motion

There is another option for cleaning fish from bones. First, the skin is removed from the carcass, the entrails and fins are removed. Holding the herring by the tail with 2 hands so that its side is facing you, tear it a little with your hands, moving your fingers away from each other, holding the herring very tightly so that it does not slip out. Holding the carcass by the tail with 2 hands, “flip” the fish towards you, the herring will describe a circle around the tail.

Then cut the herring with a sharp movement, spreading your arms to the sides. In one hand you will have the back and spine, and in the second hand you will have two strips of the abdomen. All that remains is to carefully separate the back from the bones using tweezers or fingers. Place the fillets on a plate and cut into portions and use in the preparation of the dish.

How to remove small seeds?

To quickly separate fish meat from small bones, wrap it in a paper towel and tap it several times on the table. After this, the bones will easily fall away from the main part of the fillet.

Use tweezers to remove any remaining seeds.

The fresher and larger the fish, the easier it is to separate the bones and skin. When choosing, pay attention: if the gills are reddish and elastic, and the eyes are not cloudy, this is an indicator of its freshness.

The video on our website will help you quickly learn how to peel herring. Cutting may seem difficult only at first. Once you “get a taste” and try cleaning fish several times, you will get the hang of it and stop buying canned herring with vinegar in oil for preparing “shuba” and other dishes.

You can take Pacific, Atlantic or Black Sea herring; its full replacement is mackerel, trout or salmon; dishes with these types of fish will also turn out very tasty.

Before cleaning the herring, we strongly advise you to sharpen your knife. Be sure to take a sharp knife for cutting fish, as this will allow you to cope with the task correctly - quickly and without unnecessary hassle. A dull knife will tear the fibers when cutting, and you won’t get a perfect fillet.
To avoid leaving the aroma of salted fish on your hands, wear rubber, polyethylene, vinyl or latex gloves when starting work. To protect your clothes from stains, we recommend using an apron; you can cover the table with a sheet of paper or cling film.
It is better to use different cutting boards for different types of products; this rule also applies to fish. To prevent the cutting board from acquiring an unpleasant odor, cover it with white paper or a layer of cling film. After gutting is completed, the paper or film can be removed, bones, entrails, fins and other waste can be wrapped in it, and then easily thrown away.
After cleaning the fish, it is better to wipe the board with a sponge, which should be soaked in dishwashing detergent and rinsed with water. If this does not help and the amber remains, sprinkle your hands and board with lemon juice.
To make it easier to clean the herring, you can immerse it in hot water or keep it in cold water, to which you should add a few drops of vinegar.
If the herring is too salty, soak it in a strong infusion of tea, then it will become tastier.
To prepare brine for barrel fish, you can take half a liter of water, add 1 tablespoon of sugar and salt, pour in the brine and refrigerate for 24 hours. To make the salting stronger, leave it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
To make the herring tastier, you can make a marinade for onions: pour a few teaspoons of vinegar or citric acid, a little sugar into the water and mix thoroughly with pre-chopped onions, and then leave the onions in the marinade in an enamel container for several hours in the refrigerator.
If you do not use the fillet right away, after cleaning the fish, put it in the refrigerator, first wrapping it in cling film.
To prepare herring from scratch, you can buy fresh fish, cut it into pieces, put it in a jar and fill it with a solution of water, vinegar (or citric acid), mayonnaise and add onions. After it has stood for 12 hours in this marinade, the bones, if any remain, will become soft.

Conclusion

There are many recipes with herring: mincemeat, “shuba”, fish rolls, etc. We hope that the article was useful in cutting herring, and you are convinced that the task can be done even by an inexperienced cook.

Interesting culinary experiments and bon appetit!

The question of how to properly clean herring arises for every housewife on the eve of big celebrations. And this is especially true on the eve of the New Year holidays.

It is quite difficult to imagine a feast without herring and dishes made from it. It can be served in absolutely different forms - as an independent snack, part of a sandwich, or included in a sandwich mass.

Of course, the most popular dish on all tables is the “fur coat”, under which the fish is hidden.

Herring has not lost its popularity for several decades, but surprisingly, not everyone knows how to serve it correctly and it is not even always possible to clean it correctly.

For each of the above mentioned dishes, it is cut differently. We'll discuss this further.

But the main feature that unites them all is that the herring must be pitted. Many housewives do not know this and serve fish unpeeled.

How not to make a mistake with your choice

Before you start cutting the fish, you need to purchase it. The success of the finished dish will depend on the quality of the product. The herring offered for sale comes in two types:

Pickled
Smoked

When choosing any of them, you should pay attention to the shelf life and general condition of the product. The first thing to consider is the gills.

In pickled herring, their condition can be determined by their color.

If they are dark red in color and do not crumble, this product is suitable for consumption, but if you find light crumbling organs under the gill capsules, you should not risk purchasing such herring.

In the case of smoked meat, it is difficult to determine the color, so pay attention to the condition of the boxes themselves. They should fit snugly.

If there is a significant visible gap in the place where they fit, you should doubt the quality of this product. Often, especially in the case of smoked herring, sellers offer the fish without a head.

It’s worth noting right away that this is an initially dubious purchase, since it is the main indicator of freshness. If you still intend to buy it, pay attention to the color - it should be uniform.

On the body, regardless of the method of preparation and processing, there should be no stains. Elasticity plays an important role.

If pressing with your finger does not leave a mark on the carcass, then there is a possibility that this product is of high quality.

Buying low-quality, expired fish can cause food poisoning and the entry of dangerous bacteria into the body, such as E. coli or botulism.

To buy quality products, do it in trusted places and pay attention to creating the right conditions for storing them.

If you are confident in the quality of the purchased products, you can start cutting them.

Preparing the tool

When cleaning herring, regardless of the purpose of its further use, we need to obtain high-quality fillets.

This variety differs from others in its structure. It has almost no small seeds. Therefore, getting a finished product from a whole fish will not be so difficult.

Before you begin to properly clean the herring, you need to prepare your tools.

The most common problem that housewives find difficult to cope with is how to rid the cutting board of its smell after cutting fish.

If you carefully prepare it before work, then such problems can be avoided.

One common technique for neutralizing fishy odor on a cutting board is to use lemon juice.

Just take a lemon and wipe the surface with it before you start working. But this method has two main disadvantages.

Firstly, I want to use lemon for more useful purposes, for example, add it to tea. And the acid from its juice, which can feed the finished product, is not always appropriate.

Therefore, you can use a simpler technique and wrap the board with several layers of cling film or parchment paper.

You will also need a knife. It should have a very sharp blade, which will allow you to quickly and easily get rid of fins and other unnecessary elements.

Having prepared all the necessary tools, we get to work. It consists of two stages:

Cleaning the entrails
Bone Extraction

This work can be carried out using several methods. But before you start, take advice from experts. Before cutting, take another whole fish by the head and hit it several times on the table surface. Then the bones will separate better.

Getting rid of the entrails

The most common method of cleaning herring involves the following algorithm:

Place the fish on a cutting surface.
Holding it by the body, cut off the head and tail.
Cut out the lower and upper fins with the tip of a knife.
Insert the tip of the knife from the side of the neck inward and cut the abdomen.
Use your fingers to pick out the innards.
Open the fish and use a knife to remove the black film, which can become a source of bitterness.
Using this method, do not deepen the knife too much so as not to damage the internal organs, in particular the gallbladder, which can subsequently negatively affect the taste.

The second one may seem more difficult, but in fact it gives the opportunity to get better results. It provides for the following actions:

Place the herring on a cutting board.
Holding her by the body, make a section on the neck so that the tip of the knife cuts the cervical vertebrae.
Next, we make shallow cuts to cut off the head from the body, but not separate the insides from it.
We make a section at the end of the abdomen.
We separate the head, behind which the insides should come out.
We cut the belly and remove the black film with a knife.
Such actions will reduce the risk of damage to internal organs, which, as mentioned above, can significantly worsen the taste.

The seized entrails are classified as waste. But if you come across a female and find caviar inside, you can also make an excellent snack from it. Butter the bread. Peel the caviar from the film, removing the grains themselves, and place them on the sandwich.

Removing the bones

To extract bones, each housewife has her own secrets. Let's look at a few of the most popular ones.

To clean herring from bones step by step, follow these steps in the first way:

Place the prepared fish on the board.
In the lower part of the abdomen from the neck to the tail, cut strips of meat approximately half a centimeter wide; they contain small bones that cannot be removed.
Make a cut along the ridge to the depth of the ribs so as not to damage them.
Make cuts along the tail.
With your hands, grab the top of the half and pull in the direction of the growth of the abdomen.
Turn over and do the same with the other half.
Don't forget to remove the skin from each half. To do this, cut it at the neck, grab the edge with your hand and pull it towards the tail.

The second method is called extrusion. Using it you need to perform the following algorithm:

Make a cut at the bottom of the tail.
Open the fish along the belly like a book and place the inside on a cutting board.
Use your hand to press it along the spine, pushing the vertebrae out of the meat.
Grasp the ridge separated from the meat and pull it from the neck to the tail.
Don't forget to get rid of the skin. To do this, make cuts where the ridge passed and remove the fillet with your hand.

A big mistake housewives make is using meat with the skin. This is how rolls with Korean carrots, seaweed or other fillings are prepared from incompletely cut produce.

They certainly turn out tasty, but they are not served in the most convenient way.

Since guests, instead of eating the snack, need to disassemble it and get rid of the skin themselves.

If you cook them from pure meat, it will be more tasty and convenient to serve as a snack.

Let's consider what else can be prepared from peeled herring

Most popular serving methods

Herring is served on the table as an independent appetizer. To do this, the prepared fillet is cut into pieces about 2 cm wide and placed on a plate overlapping each other, creating a pigtail effect. To enhance the taste, sprinkle chopped pickled onions on top.
Today it is difficult to imagine a festive table without a “fur coat”. Each housewife has her own secrets of preparing it. In recent years, a common life hack has been to design it in the form of a roll. Or you can decorate the finished salad with a mesh of carrots, creating the effect of scales.
We have already mentioned fillet rolls above. You can also use it to decorate sandwiches. But in this case, it is better to use not just fillet, but to prepare mincemeat from it. Cut one part into small cubes measuring 0.5 by 0.5 cm, and pass the second through a meat grinder with the addition of boiled eggs, baked apple and butter. Mix all this with chopped pieces and you get an excellent mass for sandwiches. Its taste is especially good with black bread.