Homemade Canned Fish in a Pot

Doneness here is judged not by time but by touch: the fish is simmered until the bones turn soft. Three hours, four — it depends on the fish and on how densely it is packed. The clock in this recipe is a guide, not a criterion.

The vinegar in the marinade works precisely on the bones. An acidic environment softens them faster than water alone, and that is why the marinade is made not from stock but from water with vinegar and a little salt — without it the same four hours give a poorer result.

It works best with river fish, and this recipe uses silver carp. The reason is the same as the main nuisance it causes in the kitchen: river fish has a lot of small intermuscular bones, and a method that removes them solves exactly its problem.

The vinegar here is what shortens the work on the bones; without it, and for the refrigerator rather than the cellar, the same job is homemade canned mackerel in oil. On fish small enough to begin with, the bones give way in two hours instead of four: homemade sprats from Baltic herring.

Caloric content: 215kcal

Notes

• Pieces up to 2.5 cm thick. Thicker ones don't have time to steam through to the bones in those same hours.
• A lot of onion goes in, and it sits between the layers. Half of the cut onion on the first layer of fish, half on the second — that way it releases its juice evenly.
• Oil on the bottom before the fish. Without it the bottom layer sticks to the pot within the first half hour.
• The lid goes on after it comes to a boil. First let the marinade boil uncovered, then cover it and reduce the heat to the lowest setting.
• Part of it is sealed hot. The hot fish is packed into dry sterile jars and sealed airtight straight away; the rest is eaten once it has cooled.
• The method isn't tied to silver carp. Other bony river fish is cooked the same way — the bones are the whole point of it.

Questions and Answers

How do you know the preserve is ready?

By touch, not by the clock: it is simmered until the bones turn soft. Three hours or four — it depends on the fish and on how densely it is packed.

What is the vinegar in the marinade for?

An acidic environment softens the bones faster than water alone. That is why the marinade is made not from stock but from water with vinegar and a little salt.

Why river fish in particular?

It has a lot of small intermuscular bones, and this method solves exactly its problem. The silver carp in the recipe is an example; any bony river fish will do.

How thick should the pieces be cut?

Up to 2.5 cm. Thicker ones don't have time to steam through to the bones in those same hours.

Recipe and step-by-step photos — kolizhanka.net.ua.