Flounder - an inhabitant of the seabed, one of the few species of fish that live even in the Mariana Trench.
Gourmets consider it a delicacy and call it sea chicken, appreciating for its delicate and slightly sweet taste.
Doctors classify meat as a dietary product. It has few calories and many vitamins, easily digestible protein, minerals, fatty acids. Flounder is recommended for those who are struggling with excess weight - it will saturate and not add extra calories. Fish is useful for people experiencing strong physical or intellectual stress, restoring strength after illness, children and pregnant women.
Despite the merits of the fish, it rarely appears on the table.
The reason is the unusual flat appearance, because of which housewives do not know how to clean the flounder. Meanwhile, there is nothing complicated in the procedure.
It is only necessary to carefully study the sequence of actions and follow the scheme. And then the marine delicacy will appear more often on the table.
How to clean flounder: proper defrosting
Experts advise to cook fish immediately after capture. The later you start cooking, the less useful substances will remain in the meat. But few housewives go fishing, more often fresh-frozen fish is bought for cooking. Therefore, before cooking it is necessary to properly defrost the "catch". Only in this case will the maximum of vitamins, minerals and other beneficial compounds remain.
• Natural defrosting will take a long time, so this method is suitable if you do not need to rush anywhere. Place the carcass in a bag in the refrigerator on the lower shelf and leave to thaw.
• To speed up the process, flounder is placed in cold salted water. Dissolve salt in water (for each kilogram of weight - 1 teaspoon) and put fish in it. Hot water cannot be used: it will destroy protein and nutrients, meat will become flabby, and the taste will be inexpressive.
Rinse fresh or thawed carcass with water, clean from sand, mucus, algae or salt.
How to clean flounder from scales
Depending on the type of fish, it happens with or without scales. In the first case, the plates are cleaned off, leaving soft and edible skin. In the second - the skin is removed, since it is too thick and is not suitable for food. In addition, the skin gives the dishes a characteristic unpleasant aftertaste.
So that the plates do not fly around the kitchen when cleaning, the fish is processed in a bowl with water or wrapped in a plastic bag. To clean the flounder begin on the dark side.
Turn the fish with your head towards you and, holding your hand, scrape off the scales. When finished, turn the light side up and treat the surface as well.
How to clean the flounder: remove the skin
Some species of fish have a specific iodine flavor. To get rid of it and prevent the appearance of an unpleasant odor during cooking, it is necessary to remove the skin from the flounder.
1. Turn the fish with the dark surface up and tail towards you. Make a horizontal incision under the skin around the carcass, moving from the tail.
2. Insert the tip of the knife under the skin and cut, separating from the pulp.
3. Put your thumb between the skin and meat and tear off the skin, moving to the head.
4. Firmly holding the fish by the tail, remove the skin.
How to Clean Flounder: Butchering and Gutting
Prepared carcasses of fish are usually sold in stores: devoid of scales and gutted. But if only unfinished flounder is on the counter, do not rush to refuse to buy. It is not difficult to process the fish yourself.
• Put the washed carcass with the dark side up, cut off the fins and tail with a knife or cooking scissors.
• The head is separated last. To do this, make a V-shaped incision on both sides of the fish and then carefully separated from the body along with the insides. If you immediately cut off your head, then clean the carcass properly does not work. The fact is that the structure of the flounder differs from the usual species of fish: the organs are located directly under the gills, and not in the lower part. When removing the peritoneum, proceed carefully, taking care not to damage the gallbladder, so as not to spoil the taste of the future dish. Try to stretch the insides in one motion.
How to Clean Flounder: Cooking Filet
To prepare the fillet, it is better to take large specimens. Cut the fish with a thin long knife, having previously removed the skin, or cut it off afterwards from the resulting pieces.
1. Lay the fish with the dark side up and, taking care not to damage, draw a longitudinal section along the ridge from tail to head.
2. Make side cuts along the contour of the fish, sliding the blade over the bones.
3. Insert the tip of the knife into the incision and, making short movements, separating the flesh and sliding the blade over the bones. For convenience, lift the separated pulp with your other hand.
4. Turn the fish to the bright side and do the manipulations again.
Tips for cleaning and cooking flounder
• The scales are easy to clean while it is fresh. Therefore, do not delay the processing of fish.
• If the scales have dried out and are difficult to remove, moisten it with water and let it rest for 5 minutes. After that, things will go more fun.
• The skin of flounder without scales is cleaned with a knife, cutting off protruding tubercles, and if the fish is tender, the surface can be treated with a metal sponge for washing dishes.
• To get rid of the fishy odor for sure, soak the flounder in milk for 20 minutes. The meat will become softer, and the specific "flavor" will disappear.
