What are fish preserves

The content of the article

• What are fish preserves
• What is the difference between canned food and preserves
• Characterization of Preserves
• Varieties
• What preserves should not be consumed
• Product packaging

The counters of modern shops are full of delicacies. Among appetizing gastronomic variety, transparent hermetic packaging with pieces of fish or seafood will certainly meet. Herring or mackerel, cod or saury with spices, vegetable filling, spicy marinade – all this has a taste value and is ready to eat immediately after purchase. One thing remains: to learn to choose the right preserves.

What are fish preserves

The name of the category of perishable products from the Latin language literally translates as “protect”. After processing with the addition of preservatives, pieces of the initial product of animal or vegetable origin are placed in a hermetically sealed container. Often this category of semi-finished products is represented by fish preserves – products that, during cutting of carcasses, fish fillets, were not subjected to heat treatment. The price of such products is affected by the quality of raw materials, type of fish, fill, ambassador, spices, type and volume of packaging.

What is the difference between canned food and preserves

Butchering the carcass, adding brine, sauce, spice impurities, tightness of the container are the characteristics that make canned foods and preserves similar. Two important factors distinguish these categories of semi-finished products: taste and cooking technology. For canned food, a prerequisite is the heat treatment of raw materials, and preserves are products that have not been sterilized, which helps them preserve proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Often make preserves from fish. In their manufacture, the use of preservatives-antiseptics, for example, sodium benzoate, is allowed.

Characterization of Preserves

Loved the semi-finished fish connoisseurs of delicacies not only for convenient packaging or a huge selection. The taste of the finished dish, which after the purchase can be immediately served at the table, can surprise gourmets, and this is facilitated by a number of indicators. What is used for the preparation of convenience foods? The following parameters help maintain the product standard:

1. Type of fish. It is not only the variety, name, condition (fresh, chilled, frozen) that matters, an important nuance – only ripening fish is suitable for the delicacy. Carcasses of large species are cut into pieces, and small carcasses, for example, capelin, are harvested in their entirety..
2. Fill. The classic option is vegetable oil (sunflower, olive). To give a piquant taste, the manufacturer can use wine pouring, for spiciness – mustard. An essential ingredient in the fill is an antiseptic (benzoic sodium, carboxylic acid salts).
3. Spice. Spices (pepper, cloves, mustard seeds, coriander, bay leaves, etc.), sugar, salt, citric acid – all this is often used to prepare a “one-bite” delicacy.

If you evaluate the quality of the semi-finished product, then the general indicators are color, smell, salt content, product consistency, which is easily determined visually when using transparent plastic packaging. Among the special quality indicators: the ratio of fish to fill, condition of cover, stacking order, sharpness, acidity, color of fill.

The standards for the manufacture of semi-finished fish products suggest that the producer must take ripening fresh (frozen, chilled) fish, then subject the raw material to cutting, the salting process. At the final stage, lay slices of fillet without heat treatment in an airtight container, add a fill (marinade, sauce) with an antiseptic, pack securely to deliver to store shelves.

Varieties

Not every type of fish is suitable for making preserves. A clear recipe involves the use of ripening species of marine fish (fatty, medium-fat, table) and pastes. Some varieties of delicacy are prepared from slices of mackerel fillet, herring, cod, others – based on whole carcasses of capelin, sprats, sprats, herring, Atlantic saury, etc. The type of salting, which creates a unique fragrant bouquet, significantly affects the taste of the semi-finished product:

• special (fish pieces are poured with a solution with added sugar, salt);
• in oil (for pouring a jelly-like consistency, vegetable oil is used with spices, vinegar, essences, for example, apricot, wine, cranberry, spicy-garlic, tomato);
• spicy (pre-salted pieces of fish are poured with marinade with salt, spices, hot spices).

Technologies for the production of fish preserves suggest the possibility of producing delicacies based on inexpensive fish species. A buyer who is spared the need to cut carcasses and spend free time on salting can choose at a reasonable price on the store counter both the classic version with oil-based filling and the original one with spicy mustard sauce, spicy wine sauce, and vegetables. It’s not easy to sustain the technology of preserving properly at home.

What preserves should not be consumed

Refuse to purchase a semi-finished product or its use is necessary if the following defects are detected:

1. The type or taste of raw fish, which indicates the poor quality of the product, the use of unripened raw materials.
2. Soft consistency, lumpy pieces (carcases), which indicate overripening of fish raw materials.
3. Fading color change, sour smell, as a result of the growth of microorganisms.
4. Mold, which is visible on the surface of the fish on gray, brown spots.
5. Bloating of the can without leakage, which is a sign of the presence of pathogenic bacteria.

Product packaging

Until recently, it was customary to salt the fish in barrels. Current technologies have proposed a better approach, keeping tight without contact with air, preventing the loss of brine (brine). Together with the choice of material, shape, volume of packaging, this approach has a good effect on the taste of fish preserves, in addition, modern packaging provides convenient transportation.

What types of sealed containers are used to deliver preserves to store shelves:

• Polymer (plastic). The most common packaging for fish delicacies. They are characterized by strength, relative cheapness, low weight, resistance to aggressive environments. The only drawback of this type of packaging is the need to use a packaging machine, without which it will not be possible to maintain a vacuum inside preserves.
• Glass. The high packaging price, fragility, and special transportation conditions make glass containers not the best choice for packaging fish preserves.
• Tin. Strength, different capacity of cans are considered advantages. Among the disadvantages are the price of the material, possible reactions of the metal to some types of marinades, brines, which can be eliminated by internal varnishing, which entails additional costs for the manufacturer.