Even now, when the fish stocks of the Baltic Sea and the rivers flowing into it have significantly decreased, in the late spring on the streets of St. Petersburg there is no, no - and you will smell fresh cucumbers. This means that smelt fishing has begun. And although now it almost never happens that the whole city with fishing rods and special nets is built along the Neva embankments, smelt remains one of the most popular fish in the Northern capital.
Pick your recipe
It just so happened that the word "smelt" immediately recalls St. Petersburg. By the way, this small fish, only 15-20 cm long, even has a monument - in Kronstadt, whose population survived during the blockade precisely thanks to the legendary inhabitant of the Gulf of Finland. A smelt festival is held in St. Petersburg every year, and for cafes and restaurants to participate in this holiday is considered a very prestigious affair.
However, smelt is caught not only in St. Petersburg and not only in the spring. It is found in many seas of the Northern Hemisphere, it is quite easy to catch it, and many inhabitants of the coastal regions from Kaliningrad to Nakhodka and beyond have been involved in this simple fishing. And in the Gulf of Finland they catch it splendidly in the winter as well.
Smelt is one of the oldest fish. It has been preserved from the ice age, and lives both in salt water and in fresh water. Freshwater lake smelt is called smelt, and this commercial fish lives in many regions of Russia. This fish has one great trait. She is extremely sensitive to various kinds of pollutants, lives exclusively in clean water. And this means that you can use smelt in food without any fear.
Smelt eats smaller fish, as well as organisms that live at the bottom of seas and rivers. She eats great and caviar, which was laid by other fish. However, this fish itself often becomes food for larger predators. But it also reproduces quite quickly, laying eggs on sand and small pebbles, from where the current carries them. It is during spawning that an adult smelt is most often caught. The success of the fishermen is greatly facilitated by the behavior of the fish itself - smelt flocks live, and in case of anxiety, they stray together in a tight pile and swim together.
If desired, smelt can be caught on a fishing rod. True, this fish is sensitive to danger and too thick fishing line is quite easy to notice. Therefore, the fishing line should be thin, and a small sinker is used. That is the most common way to catch smelt in the winter. But in the summer, a special mesh is more convenient - a sort of butterfly net with a long handle.
A variety of dishes are prepared from smelt. It’s easiest to fry, especially since you don’t need to clean it. Just roll in flour and toss into a skillet without covering. But you can pickle it, and dry it, and cook it in batter. In general, this fish for all tastes, and even the most capricious gourmet will find a suitable recipe for himself.