Shkara - what exactly is it and how to prepare it

Shkara is a common, but very tasty and nutritious dish of sea fish. His individuality will be that the breed is not at all important. It is enough that it is a small fish that will simply fit in layers on an ordinary frying pan. Let's tell you more about the secrets of making this ordinary and very tasty dish.

History of the scar

Like almost all dishes, shkara arose thanks to a not very rich catch and human cunning. Almost all fishermen, when they went fishing at sea, brought back a fairly large catch. But it was considered a large fish, because it was customary to release small and medium ones back, because they were considered unsuitable for food.

After several not very successful voyages, fishermen began to bring back the smallest fish. In order not to waste time cleaning it, which would have taken quite a long time, the fishermen's spouses began to invent a recipe for a dish that did not require it. The only downside to the fact that the fish was not gutted was the rather nasty smell and taste.

To drown it out, it was necessary to use rather spicy seasonings, which sailors were simply not used to eating in large quantities. Then one of the wives came up with the idea of using onions for this purpose. Due to its porous structure, it perfectly absorbed not only the smell, but also excess bitterness.

Step-by-step recipe for making shkara

In essence, the manufacturing sequence is quite ordinary, but requires vigilance. Let's take a closer look at how to properly prepare a dish:

Step 1. First you need to select a fish. Usually horse mackerel is used for skinning because it is quite accessible and can simply be caught during ordinary fishing. The traditional version of the recipe uses freshly caught fish. But you can also use the usual store-bought freezing option.
Step 2. The individuality of making a fish dish is that gutting or tearing off the head is not required. Horse mackerel is baked completely. This significantly saves the housewife’s time on preparatory preparation.
Step 3. After selecting the type of fish, you need to thoroughly rinse it. There is also no need to cut off the fins and tail. The entire size of the prepared fish is laid out on the selected frying pan. It is important to keep in mind that its correct placement is belly up.
Step 4. After laying the first layer of fish, you need to lay out the onion cut into rings in a dense and thick layer. There is no need to process it in advance.

Fundamentally! Some versions of the recipe use pickled onions. But during the cooking process, this insignificant detail does not in any way affect the taste of the final dish.

Step 5. A thick layer of onion should be sprinkled with all the seasonings that are supposed to be used. Salt, 3-4 grains of black pepper or a few pinches of ground, three or four large bay leaves, also a few drops of olive oil.

Fundamentally! In order not to overdo it with the amount of oil, you can use the usual formula. For any layer of horse mackerel, usually use no more than half a teaspoon of unrefined olive oil.

Step 6. Next, lay out the next layer of fish on the laid layer of onions. It should be no less dense than the previous one. Alternation occurs in the same way, right until the pan is filled.
Step 7. If desired, you can use thinly sliced tomato slices as the outermost layer. You can also pour lemon juice on top of the prepared dish.

Fundamentally! If you apply lemon juice after preparation, the dish will be stronger and more interesting. The traditional recipe implies that lemon juice is consumed before placing the pan in the oven.

Step 8. Place the 100% loaded frying pan with greaves in the oven. It must be preheated to 180 degrees Celsius. Manufacturing will take 30 to 40 minutes. You can check the readiness by the degree of hardness of the onion: if it is soft, the dish is ready.

Individual manufacturing

Like any other dish, shkar has several secrets, the observance of which will ensure a great outcome. Let's tell you a few more exciting ones:

When making shkara, it is very important to correctly lay any of the layers of the dish. The fish must be placed in the pan very tightly together, and the correct placement is with the belly up. This will ensure that the meatiest parts cook juicier, and the tender meat on the ribs will not suffer from very powerful heat treatment.
One of the main secrets of making savory shkara is the onion. Because it fits on any of the layers, there is no defect in it. But you need to keep in mind that the taste and smell of the shkara depends on the amount of added vegetable. Therefore, just one frying pan can take up to 3 large onions.
Seasonings add extra flavor to the dish. You can choose them either randomly or most thoughtfully. The usual ones are bay leaf, black peppercorns, olive oil. If desired, you can add a sprig of rosemary, crushed garlic, or turmeric to any of the layers.
Because the dish is baked in the oven for quite a short time, you can use a little trick. Specifically, for the last 10 minutes of production, cover the finished scarf with a lid or a foil cap. This will give both the meat and onions extraordinary softness and will also save a small amount of water, making the dish more juicy.
Shkara must be served hot and eaten immediately. That’s why in almost all port towns, restaurants and cafes have special small frying pans the size of a plate. In them, as needed, an ordinary but tasty dish is prepared.

Conclusion

As you can see, preparing the dish does not take much time, and it also significantly saves the housewife’s energy on cleaning the fish. Despite this, almost everyone enjoys eating the dish called shkara.

capelin skin

Ingredients

Bay leaf – 6-7 pcs.

Flavored peppercorns – 5-6 pcs.

Onions – 1 pc.

Tea leaves – 1 tbsp.

Boiling water – 1 glass

Salt and pepper - to taste

157 kcal
15 minutes.
20 minutes.
35 min.

Photo of the finished dish

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Step-by-step recipe with photos

The most common and quickest recipe for making the freshest capelin is capelin shkara. This dish was invented and brought to life by Black Sea sailors, for whom every minute counts! It is created in 15 minutes, but with all this, you are free to choose whether to clean the fish for you or not. Mariners simply wash the caught capelin and stew it completely over a long period of time.

I offer a homemade version of making shkara - with completely cleaned carcasses, so that the dish can be fed to children. It will take about 15-20 minutes to clean the carcasses, so boil the kettle in advance and pour boiling water over the tea leaves - use traditional dark tea.

Buy fresh-frozen capelin without rusty spots - they indicate long-term storage of the fish. Feel free to smell it when you buy it! In particular, carefully clean the black film inside each fish - it is very bitter.

So, prepare the necessary ingredients and let's start cooking!

Tear off the head of each capelin and remove it along with the entrails. Clean the two lower and dorsal fins, pry up the ridge and remove it completely. Clean off the black chaff from inside the carcass. Wash the cleaned carcass and place in a bowl. Cut all the capelin in this way.

Choose a container with a non-stick bottom or cauldron. Place tightly cleaned carcasses in it with their backs up so that they do not open during stewing.

Peel and wash the onions, cut into half rings and place on top of the fish layer. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour in strong tea leaves.

Add bay leaves and peppercorns.

Be sure to cover the top of the dish with an inverted saucer or plate so that when boiling the fish does not float out and retains its shape. Place the container on the stove, turn on medium heat and lightly cover with a lid. Simmer for about 15 minutes until the liquid has almost completely evaporated.

Carefully remove the saucer and peppercorns so that they do not get caught during tasting.

Place capelin shkara in plates or on a platter, sprinkle with fresh herbs and serve warm.

SCAR. DISH OF SAILORS OF ALL TIMES AND PEOPLES.

SCAR. DISH OF SAILORS OF ALL TIMES AND PEOPLES. RECIPE FROM THE CREW OF THE YACHT “VIDAM”

It's been a while since we fed our readers naval dishes. Naturally, we are not a Navy cruiser or an ocean liner, but we can also do something. For example, we offer you to experience a real scare.

Almost everyone has now remembered that in boyish slang the plural name for shoes is shkari. But we don’t want to force you to eat tarpaulin boots or, say, ballroom shoes. Everything is simpler, we invite you to our galley so that you can try an ancient sea dish that you won’t be able to drag you away by the ears. And we will teach you not to treat the little fish with contempt! So shkara!

Shkara is simple, fast, delicious. Sailors prepare it on a voyage in the galley from small sea fish: red mullet, horse mackerel, anchovy, etc., in general, any little thing, whether sea or river. Anything goes! In some regions of the Black Sea region, fish cooked on a grid over coals is called shkara.

capelin skin

Shkara is a capelin dish, invented not by any world chef or culinary gourmet, but by the most ordinary Black Sea fishermen, who simply did not know what to do with the freshly caught fish and decided to use it to create a frisky and tasty dish. Now capelin shkara has become widespread; the fish delicacy can now be prepared not only on a fishing boat, but also ordered in a luxurious restaurant. We will cook it at home, and right now you can figure out how to amaze your household and guests at first glance with an ordinary, but at the same time with its own zest, dish of small fish.

Capelin skin: secrets and tips for making

There are so many secrets for making shkara that sometimes you don’t know which view is better to listen to, but there are rules that all fishermen adhere to.

Shkara is prepared only from the freshest and smallest fish (capelin, mullet, smelt, bluefish, herring, etc.), but you can take either one type of seafood or several at once.
The most delicious dish will be if you use capelin caught in the months with the letter “P” in the name, for example, in September or March. During this period, the fish is fattier and tastier, most of the individuals have caviar.
It is better to cook shkara without adding potatoes and carrots, just fish, onions and spices, but often world culinary experts serve this dish in puffs, alternating potatoes, carrots and other ingredients with capelin. Black Sea fishermen advise making capelin shkara using only seasonings, and then serving it with separately boiled potatoes or stewed vegetables, pouring fish broth over them.

Favorite dish of Black Sea sailors - capelin shkara

This dish is made according to the traditional recipe of sailors from the Black Sea Fleet, it has a distinctive smell and leaves behind a pleasant tea aftertaste. You can offer a similar treat to children and adults; it goes perfectly with bread and potatoes, or with a glass of foamy beer.

We use it for making:

- 500-600 grams of the freshest (an indispensable condition) capelin.
- 2-4 bay leaves.
— Flavored peppers in peas – 5-6 pcs.
- Glass of water.
- A teaspoon of salt.
- Two bags of any kind of tea, but only dark tea.
- Two onions.
— Lemon juice from one small wedge, about a tablespoon will do.
- 80-100 ml. (adjust to your liking) vegetable oil.
- A teaspoon of sugar.
- ½ teaspoon of cinnamon.

• Rinse the fish without cutting off the heads or gutting, place on a plate, sprinkle with a little salt, turn over with your hands so that the salt is well distributed throughout all the carcasses.
• Cut into half rings or a little less than an onion.
• Mix cinnamon, sugar, pepper and a little salt with lemon juice; don’t overdo it, because you’ve already salted the capelin.
• Brew two bags of prepared tea in a glass of boiling water; the drink should be strong and dark in color. If you wish, you can use ordinary loose tea leaves, but then do not forget to strain, you will only need liquid for production.
• Pour tea (don’t wait for it to cool, pour hot) over your mixture of lemon juice and spices, stir.
• Place half of the capelin in the first layer in the frying pan, then add bay leaves and part of the chopped onion. Repeat these layers again.
• Pour the prepared filling over your masterpiece, add oil, cover, set the heat to medium and from the moment it boils, cook the dish for 40 minutes. The capelin shkara is ready, let it sit for a while under the lid, and then put it on, sprinkle with fresh dill if desired, and you can eat.

Didn't manage to prepare the dish? Don't be shy, ask me individually.Go

Recipe with shkari tomatoes from capelin

A very colorful and fragrant dish, which we recommend preparing from capelin and herring. This treat can be served either hot or chilled.

— Fresh capelin – 0.5 kg.
— Fresh herring – 0.5 kg.

On a note! You can use fresh frozen fish for cooking, but 8-10 hours before cooking, remove it from the freezer to the refrigerator. You should not use hot water or a microwave oven for defrosting, as this will cause the small fish to lose its juiciness and density.

- 3 heads of onions.
— Meaty tomatoes – 5 pieces.
— Garlic – 3 cloves.
— Ground aromatic pepper – a level teaspoon.
— Lavrushka – 3 leaves.
— Salt – approximately a tablespoon, but you should adjust it to your taste.
— Lemon juice – one tablespoon.
— Vegetable oil without aroma – 30-40 ml.
- A sprig of thyme.
- Any spices for fish to taste.

How to cook shkara from capelin with tomatoes, step by step steps:

Thaw seafood and rinse.
Peel the onions, cut them, fry in oil until beautifully golden.
Add washed and chopped tomatoes to the frying pan along with the onions; we recommend removing the skins first. Cut one tomato into rings and set aside.
Add sugar, pepper, salt, cover the vegetables with a lid and simmer until the tomatoes turn into mush.
Chop the garlic manually with a knife or using a garlic grater and pour it into a container with stewed vegetables.
Place your fish on a tomato-onion “cushion”, alternating capelin with herring and placing the carcasses with their backs up.
Sprinkle the seafood with crushed thyme and store-bought fish seasonings, place the reserved tomato mugs on top, cover, and simmer over medium heat for 15-20 minutes.
8. Turn off the stove, do not open the pan, leave for another half hour.

Place the finished treat out of the frying pan and sprinkle with your favorite fresh herbs, the capelin shkara with tomatoes is ready! Bon appetit!

Shkara - what exactly is it and how to prepare it