How to clean a liga from scales, entrails and mucus at home

Tench is a freshwater fish with a massive body covered with mucus and small scales. Tench mainly live in coastal waters. Finding itself without water, it can change color. The weight of this fish sometimes reaches 6 kg.

Tench has an unpleasant aroma, reminiscent of silt. Therefore, before cooking, it is worth carrying out special processing of the fish.

Tench is rich in protein, which is easily absorbed by the human body. This fish goes well with vegetables and other foods. You can prepare a variety of dishes from it. But to do this, you need to know how to properly clean tench at home.

Do you need to clean the line and how to do it?

Tench fish is not like other types of fish. Its skin is covered with very small scales, which can “melt” from thermal exposure. After frying or baking, an appetizing crust appears. It absolutely does not interfere with eating the dish.

Unrefined linen contains maximum nutrients. If you don't like unpeeled tench, you can skin it before cooking.

It is not difficult to free a tench from its scales:

Take the fish and rinse it with water to remove mucus and dirt.
Take a container of the required volume and pour boiling water into it.
Place the fish in hot water and wait 20 seconds.
After that, quickly throw it into cool water.
Scrape off the scales using a knife. Use the blunt side of a knife and work from the tail to the top.

You can remove the scales in another way:

Place the fish in the sink.
Rinse it off mucus under running water.
Pour boiling water over the tench.
Turn the cool water back on and rinse the tench.
Clean the scales with a knife, as in the previous method.

To prevent the carcass from slipping out of your hands, you can rub it with salt. This will help get rid of mucus.

If you don't want to use a knife, you can use a vegetable grater. Please note that scales may scatter throughout the kitchen during operation. So it is better to place the fish in a cup of water.

If you don’t have a knife or a grater on hand, you can use coarse salt.

Place the fish on a piece of cloth.
Sprinkle it with salt.
Wrap it in a cloth and rub it well. If you don't have tissue, you can use paper towels.

You can also clean tench at home using a brush-scraper. This is a fairly fast method because you will be covering large areas at a time. During the cleaning process, the scales will practically not fly apart.

There are also special devices for cleaning fish. They operate on electricity and carefully remove scales from the carcass. However, not everyone can afford such equipment.

You can also use a vegetable peeler. But keep in mind that the fishy smell is difficult to remove. So for such a procedure it is better to purchase a separate device.

There are several ways to remove mucus:

Rub the fish with salt. It is better that the granules are large. Then you need to lower the carcass first into boiling and then into cool water. High temperature will cause the mucus to coagulate. And the low temperature will make it easier to separate.
Rub the carcass with salt and put it in the refrigerator for one day. Then you will need to rinse the product with water.

Preparation

Any fish should be cleaned immediately after catching or purchasing, including crucian carp. If the situation does not allow this, carcasses should not be placed in the refrigerator. It is better to wrap them in plastic and put them in the freezer for a while. In this case, the component will not lose moisture, and it will be easier to get rid of scales.

Fans of crucian carp should get a special cutting board equipped with a tail clamp. Treating the carcass with salt will not help make it less slippery, and using fabric gloves can make your hands smell like fish, and some even develop signs of irritation. As a last resort, a crucian carp can be nailed to a wooden board by sticking a knife into its tail.

Advice: If you have to deal with live fish, you should stun it with a hammer. After this, be sure to make a deep cut between the head and fins to allow excess blood to drain.

When there is a choice, for example, in a store, you should choose medium-sized crucian carp. They taste better, are easier to clean, and have fewer small bones. Such carcasses are ideal for both fish soup and frying.

How to get rid of odor

Tench lives in places where there is a lot of aquatic vegetation. Sometimes he buries himself in the mud. This is why fresh fish smells unpleasantly like mud. There are several ways to remove a specific aroma:

Prepare a solution of water and salt in a ratio of 2 tablespoons of salt per 1 liter of water. Place the fish in the liquid and wait a few minutes.
Soak the tench in water with lemon juice. You can sprinkle lemon juice over the tench pulp.
Before heat treatment, you can add spices to the fish. You can use parsley, black pepper, rosemary as seasonings.
If the fish is alive, place it in a bath of water and let it swim for 12 hours.

How to clean and treat frozen tench

Before cleaning, the tench should be defrosted. This should be done in cool water. Small fish will thaw in a couple of hours. A large tench will need about 4 hours.

To prevent the loss of beneficial vitamins, it is better to defrost tench in water with added salt. For 1 kg of fish you will need 15 grams of salt and 2 liters of water.

If you are thawing fillets, you do not need to use water. You can simply place the lines on a plate and cover with film. Defrosting will occur at room temperature. The film will reduce moisture evaporation and allow the fish to retain its taste.

Frozen fillets do not require special cleaning. Before cooking, you should remove spoiled meat and clean the fish from dirt.

Fish cannot be re-frozen. Also, frozen meat should not be beaten.

If you want to clean the carcass, do not defrost it completely. Before frying or baking, the scales do not need to be removed. If you need to remove scales, use a knife or grater to do this. After cleaning, trim the fins and tear them off from the tail to the head.

Filleting fish

First you need to make a cut along the gills to the spine.
Next, an incision is made along the spine starting from the dorsal fin and up to the head.
Cut the fish at the tail end and remove the fillet.
Then the fillet is lifted from the back.
The fillet is cut off from the belly. You will get 1 piece of clean meat.
The same should be done with the second side of the carp and remove the fillet.
To remove the skin, an incision is made in the middle of the fillet. The skin is removed first from the side of the tail, and then from the side of the head.
Fish trimmings should not be thrown away; they can be used to prepare aromatic fish soup.

How to gut a tench without cutting open its belly

If you decide to cook fish as a holiday dish, you can gut it without ripping open the belly. This method of removing entrails is suitable for frozen and fresh fish.

Make cuts in the flesh located along the edges of the gill covers, up to the ridge.
Break the spine.
Remove the head of the fish along with any entrails attached to it.
Remove the tail and fins.
Rinse the carcass with tap water.

Layering fresh tench and defrosted tench

If you plan to cook large fish, after removing the entrails you should perform flaking. A similar procedure is carried out in several stages:

Place the fish on a cutting board with the tail on the left side.
Use one hand to press the fish onto the board. With your other hand, make a cut under the fin up to the ridge. It is better to use a very sharp knife.
Hold the line with your left hand. Remove the fillet.
Turn the carcass to the other side and repeat the steps.
Remove the bones from the pulp.

Humane ways to kill fish

After finishing fishing, the question arises: how to put the fish to sleep without causing it unnecessary suffering? Not all fishermen like to watch the torment of a creature that is cleaned and gutted alive. There are 4 simple but effective ways to do this painlessly.

Hit to the head

This is the oldest and most common method of putting fish to sleep. You need to purchase a wooden mallet. If you have the material, it’s easy to make a beater yourself. They are sold in any specialized store and are not difficult to find. With the help of this “club” the fish is given a strong blow to the head, as a result of which it falls asleep.

You need to correctly calculate your strength, which is difficult for beginners, young men and women. If the blow is weak, the fish will be injured, but will remain alive, and will spend its last hours in agony. The blow should be strong and sharp; it is better to practice with the mallet before using it on the catch.

Some fishermen advise hitting between the eyes. However, the most vulnerable spot of a fish is the base of its head.

It is worth noting that putting to sleep with a blow to the head is the most labor-intensive and unreliable method. But the beater itself is very compact and light. It is much more convenient to carry than a freezer.

Freezing

The simplest, but at the same time the most humane way to kill fish is to freeze it. Under the influence of low temperatures, she falls asleep and dies already asleep. Fish freezes painlessly, as it is a cold-blooded creature. You can put your catch in a home freezer or purchase a portable one and take it with you fishing. An additional advantage of a portable freezer is that the catch will not spoil in the summer.

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An important nuance - freezing is not suitable for killing crucian carp. They can survive the procedure, so they are killed while still frozen before awakening.

Broken spine

If a person is strong enough, he can break the fish's back, thereby killing it instantly. But if you don’t have enough strength or the prey slips out, you won’t be able to put it to sleep quickly.

You can use an ax or large knife to cut through the spine just below the head. But ordinary kitchen knives are not suitable for this, and not everyone knows how to handle an ax. If the tool slips, the person risks injuring himself.

A large pin, for example, made of thick wire, will also work. It needs to be driven into the body near the head and scrolled several times. Disputes about whether the fish feels something at the same time continue to this day, because the spine remains intact, the brain is damaged. But this is better than the slow suffocation or evisceration of living individuals.

Beheading

You can quickly kill a fish simply by cutting off its head. But this method is only suitable for small individuals or those that have an elongated shape. It is not easy to cut off the head of a large fish, and numerous attempts will cause it unnecessary suffering.

In order not to have to look for methods of euthanasia and not experience pangs of conscience, it is better to release the catch back. Of course, if the fish was not seriously injured. It’s unlikely that anyone today goes fishing for food. And you can diversify your leisure time without unnecessary sacrifices.

How to properly gut tench

You need to remove the entrails from this fish in the same way as other fish. The abdomen should be ripped open with a sharp knife and all the insides should be pulled out. It is advisable to trim the fins. The head can be removed at will.

Try not to cut the gallbladder. Otherwise, the meat will begin to taste bitter. If you touch this organ, remove any meat that has been exposed to bile. Rub the fish with salt and rinse with water.

During gutting, remove the dark film on the inner walls of the belly.

How to remove the skin from fresh and defrosted fillets

If you plan to cook the cutlets, you will need to remove the skin. In this case, the scales do not need to be removed.

Holding the fish by the tail with your left hand, take a knife in your right hand and trim the carcass. Press the knife closer to the table so that the meat begins to separate from the skin.
Place the carcass so that the ribs “look” up.
Hold the bones with one hand. Use your other hand to cut them off using a knife. It is better to hold the knife so that the tip is directed to your left.
Repeat these steps with the other half of the fish.

The skin, bones and fins that remain after cleaning can be boiled. But first it is recommended to remove the gills.

How to speed up the cleaning process?

If you plan to prepare minced meat, you need to gut the fish before cutting, but you don’t have to remove the scales. You can separate the spine fillet, remove the bones, and only then remove the skin and scales.

You can cook fish soup from the fins, tail and head. Rinse the bones thoroughly beforehand. Remove the gill arches to prevent the broth from acquiring an unpleasant odor and taste. Even a properly prepared product can be spoiled by improper preparation. Follow these rules:

Do not fry crucian carp in unrefined sunflower oil. It is advisable to cook with olive oil. Otherwise, the meat will acquire a bitter smell and taste.
To make the product healthier, steam the fish or bake it in the oven.

Here are ways that allow you to clean crucian carp in just a few minutes:

A spoon and a fork. Hold the carcass with a fork and peel off the scales with a spoon.
Grater. You can use a regular vegetable grater, or you can make a cleaning device with your own hands. To do this, screw the tin lids onto a wooden base.
Boiling water. Pour boiling water over the fish. Try not to overexpose the meat in hot water, otherwise the scales will come off along with the skin.

Freezing. Place the fish in the freezer for 8 hours. A couple of hours before cleaning, take it out into the sink. It will be easier to clean such a carcass.
Salting. This option will speed up cleaning and prevent the fish from slipping in your hands.
Grinder or drill. This is a non-standard option for cleaning fish from scales. But it is better not to use this method in the kitchen at home.

To get rid of unwanted odors, you can simply ventilate the kitchen. If this is not enough, boil water using vinegar or heat ground coffee in a frying pan. If you have not cooked the crucian carp immediately after processing, store it in the freezer, wrapped in cling film. This way the fish will be preserved better and will not transfer its smell to other products. For ease of subsequent preparation, it is better to cut the fillet into pieces.

If you bought fish to fry, leave it on the drain or in a colander before cooking. This will allow excess moisture to drain. Otherwise, you will end up with stewed rather than fried crucian carp. You can fry the carcass with the head; to prepare fish soup, it is advisable to remove the head along with the gills.

Useful tips

There are some tricks that will allow you to quickly and easily clean tench at home:

To prevent scales from flying to the sides, clean the tench by placing it in a bowl of water or in a bag.
Fresh fish cleans better than frozen fish. It has a thinner skin, from which the scales come off easily. So it is recommended to treat it immediately after fishing.
Before cleaning, the carcass should be wet.
If you plan to make broth, be sure to remove the eyes and gills, otherwise the water will become cloudy.
It is better to throw away all waste after cleaning immediately. Fish spoils very quickly and may begin to smell unpleasant.
Recipes for some dishes allow the use of tench with scales. For example, if you bake fish with salt, you may not remove the scales.
Frozen fish must be thawed before cleaning.
If the line remains slippery after washing, you should sprinkle it with salt and rinse it again.
Large and dense scales can be removed by hand without the use of additional tools.
It will be easier to clean the tench if you open its mouth and secure this position with a toothpick.
If the scales are too close to each other, they should first be separated with a knife. But try not to damage the carcass.
If the fish slips in your hands, you can attach it to the cutting board with an awl. Make a puncture in the tail section. You can also simply wrap the tail in a cloth.
If the scales are difficult to clean, you should pour boiling water over the tench.

Here is a video that clearly shows how to clean a tench.

The best way

Having examined the different types of killing live fish, we can come to the conclusion that an absolutely simple and reliable way is to cut the abdominal aorta, located between the head and gills. When using this option, complete success is guaranteed, which cannot be said about stunning. In this case, the blood leaves the fish unhindered, thanks to this it is possible to obtain higher taste qualities and an increase in the density and whiteness of the carcass. You just need to remember that this method only works well when the fish is still full of life and its heart is diligently pumping blood. Until the blood drains, the fish is left alone and only then they begin to cut it.