Sazan

Description

The Sazan has a wide, thick body covered with dense, large scales and a long, slightly notched dorsal fin. The dorsal and anal fins have a serrated bone ray and a pair of antennae in the mouth’s corners and on the upper lip. The pharyngeal teeth are three-row, with flat, bearded corollas. They easily disintegrate plant tissues: they destroy seed shells and crush shells of mollusks. The body is covered with dark yellow-golden scales. There is a dark speck at the base of each scale; the black stripe borders the edge. The length reaches more than 1 m; the weight is more than 20 kg.

Sazan Habitat

At present, humans have settled the Sazan and its cultural form, carp, in many water bodies, where it has taken root well, reached a high number and became an industrial fish. In the lower reaches of the rivers flowing into the southern seas, carp forms, and river ones, semi-anadromous forms feed in the sea’s pre-estuarine areas and rise to the rivers for spawning. The Sazan prefers quiet, calm waters. In rivers, it adheres to bays with quiet currents and thickets of vegetation, inhabits lakes, and takes root in ponds.

Sazan composition

Nutritional value per 100 g

• Calorie content 97 kcal
• Proteins 18.2 g
• Fat 2.7 g
• Carbohydrates 0 g
• Dietary fiber 0 g
• Water 78 g

Sazan is rich in vitamins and minerals such as:

• vitamin PP – 31%,
• potassium – 11.2%,
• phosphorus – 27.5%,
• iodine – 33.3%,
• cobalt – 200%,
• chrome – 110%

What is useful in Sazan

• Firstly, Vitamin PP is important in redox reactions of energy metabolism. Insufficient vitamin intake is accompanied by disruption of the skin’s normal condition, gastrointestinal tract, and nervous system.
• Secondly, Potassium is the main intracellular ion that takes part in the regulation of water, acid, and electrolyte balance participates in nerve impulses, pressure regulation.
• Thirdly, Phosphorus takes part in many physiological processes, including energy metabolism, regulates acid-base balance, is a part of phospholipids, nucleotides, and nucleic acids, and is necessary to mineralize bones teeth. Deficiency leads to anorexia, anemia, rickets.
• Fourthly, Iodine is important in the thyroid gland’s functioning, providing the formation of hormones (thyroxine and triiodothyronine). It is necessary for the growth and differentiation of cells of all human body tissues, mitochondrial respiration, regulation of transmembrane sodium, and hormone transport. Insufficient intake leads to endemic goiter with hypothyroidism and a slowdown in metabolism, arterial hypotension, growth retardation, and mental development in children.
• in Conclusion, Cobalt is part of vitamin B12. Activates enzymes of fatty acid metabolism and folic acid metabolism.
  Chromium is important in the regulation of blood glucose levels, enhancing the action of insulin. Deficiency leads to decreased glucose tolerance.

Low calories

Sazan is low-calorie – it contains only 97 Kcal. And this factor makes it indispensable in dietary nutrition. A small amount of connective tissue allows this fish to digest much easier and faster than the same animal meat. This factor is significant for those people who lead a sedentary lifestyle. Sazan fish is beneficial for teenagers and children. After all, a growing body must receive a significant amount of protein.

Harm and contraindications

The Sazan is an undemanding and unpretentious fish. It means that it does not disdain polluted water bodies and is not picky about food. An adult Sazan eats almost everything: various mollusks, worms, insect larvae. Such an undemanding diet provokes the accumulation of certain harmful substances in the Sazan’s body. This leads to the fact that nutritionists do not advise to abuse Sazan.

Also, this fish is contraindicated if there is an individual intolerance.

Interesting facts about Sazan

1. Sazan is a truly royal catch for any amateur and professional. This is a very stubborn and sensitive fish that reaches large sizes and is considered one of the largest rivers. Since it is not easy to catch a Sazan, the fish is shrouded in many tales and legends. We will tell you interesting facts that will definitely pique your interest in the King of Rivers!
2. The largest representative of the Sazan and, in fact, is a wild species of Sazan. In free conditions, it fattens well and reaches an impressive weight of 30-35 kilograms. In the old days, individuals were also caught much larger, but now, due to the drying up of rivers and places native to the Sazan, it has become much smaller.
3. Sazan is quite selective in their food, and … they love sweets. They are often caught on special boilies, flavored with cinnamon, flakes, and other additives that are more typical for baking than fish bait. The Sazan will smell such bait even from afar and will definitely pay attention to it.

Taste qualities

Sazan meat has a dense structure and practically does not contain bones. At the same time, it is quite juicy and very tender. Fresh meat has a pronounced, rich, and pleasant taste with a sweetish tinge.

Cooking applications

Sazan is widely popular in cooking. Its meat is good fried, stewed and baked, twisted into minced meat, and boiled. In addition, Sazan is often stuffed with various fillings, for example, mushroom, vegetable, or prepared on the basis of cereals (buckwheat, millet, etc.). In general, it is rather difficult to spoil this fish when cooking, it almost always turns out to be soft and juicy.

Since there are practically no bones in Sazan meat, you may cook out of it delicious soufflés, meatballs, and cutlets. Baked Sazan is also very tasty, especially if you supplement it with a certain sauce (cheese, creamy, spicy, etc.). These fish chefs’ meat adds to baked goods as a filling for all kinds of pies and pies. Sazan is popular for making fish soup, various soups and other first courses.

Since the carp has a rather pronounced taste, it is very problematic to “disguise” it. Therefore, when cooking this fish, you need to select such spices and sauces that will not kill, but complement the specific taste of Sazan meat.

They also eat Sazan caviar, and often as an independent product. It is usually salted and sold separately. Such caviar can be used both as an original addition to various dishes and as an independent snack.

Korean Sazan He

INGREDIENTS

• Sazan 0.5 kg
• Vegetable oil 2
• Garlic 5
• Carrot 1
• Bulgarian pepper 1
• Vinegar essence 1
• Ground black pepper to taste
• Ground red pepper to taste
• Salt to taste
• Carp 2
• Daikon 1
• Ground coriander 2
• Soy sauce 1

COOKING METHOD

1. Cut the fish into fillets, remove the skin, cut the flesh into pieces about 2 cm in size.
2. Place in a bowl, season with vinegar essence and leave for 1 hour in the refrigerator, stirring occasionally.
3. Then remove the bowl from the refrigerator, salt the fish and pepper with black pepper, stir, transfer to a colander.
4. Cover with plastic wrap, press with a light weight and refrigerate on a dish where the juice and excess vinegar could drain for 30 minutes.
5. Peel and chop carrots and daikon, mix with fish, add soy sauce and minced garlic.
6. Heat vegetable oil with coriander, red pepper to taste and sesame seeds to a boil almost to a boil and, without letting it boil, pour over heh with this oil.
7. Stir.
8. Wash the sweet bell pepper, remove the seeds along with the stalk, chop the pulp thinly.
9. Serve the carp heh, garnish with bell peppers.

Enjoy your meal!