Sea rabbit fish reviews. Stewed sea rabbit

The harefish is a close relative of the shark and stingray. This is a tasty and healthy fish. It contains a large amount of vitamins, amino acids and easily digestible protein. In our country it can only be purchased frozen. It is recommended to buy a whole carcass rather than ready-made fillets. Despite the large number of beneficial properties, its use can be harmful to human health.

A close relative of the shark has many names, one of them is the harefish.

general description

Harefish, chimera, sea rabbit - these are names of the same creature. The peculiarity of this fish is the absence of a bladder, therefore, in order to constantly stay afloat, it must always move, otherwise it will simply lie on the bottom. Sea rabbit is widely used in cooking. It is prepared in the same way as any other fish.

The fish is unusual in addition to its appearance in that it does not have a bladder and the entire skeleton consists of cartilage

The chimera has large expressive eyes and a small mouth. There are 4 beak-shaped dental plates on the upper part of the jaw, and only 2 on the lower part. The body is elongated, the thinnest part is the back part. The fins are quite large. The skeleton is not made of bones, but of cartilage.

Because of its lifestyle, the chimera is called the rat of the seas. This is explained by the fact that it feeds only on solid food, such as shellfish or crayfish.

There is a system of sensory channels on the head. The skin is soft with rudimentary spines. The sea creature has a dark brown color with a reddish tint. There may be spots on the sides, the ventral side is lighter than the whole body. An adult can grow up to 1.5 m in length. The maximum weight of the fish is 2.5 kg.

It is almost impossible to purchase a whole sea rabbit on the market. It is cut up and sold in parts. Before buying, it is advisable to look at a photo of how it should look, otherwise you risk purchasing cod or hake at the price of a chimera.

Species and habitat

Distribution area of ​​chimeras- The Pacific and Atlantic oceans, as well as the Barents Sea. There are 3 varieties in total. The fish with a plow-shaped head belongs to the family Callorhynchidae. It can be found in the coastal zone. This species is distinguished by its unusually shaped snout, so the fish easily finds mollusks on the sandy bottom.

The chimera may be one of three families, differing only in head shape

The blunt-nosed species belongs to the family Chimaeridae. It lives at a depth of up to 500 m, has sensitive eyes, so it quickly notices smaller inhabitants that suit it as food.

The long-nosed chimera from the family Rhinochimaeridae can be found at quite great depths. It is distinguished by its sensitive and elongated snout, so it can find food even in the darkest waters.

Beneficial properties and harm

Sea hare fish is a rather exotic product, so before eating it, you need to familiarize yourself not only with its beneficial properties, but also with its potential dangers.

Beneficial features:

1. a large amount of protein, which is quickly absorbed by the body;
2. meat is low-calorie, so cooked fish quickly satisfies hunger without creating additional stress on the heart and kidneys;
3. content of vitamins D, A and E, which help eliminate toxins;
4. high content of fatty acids, which remove cholesterol from the body.

The meat of this fish has various beneficial properties, but eating improperly prepared sea rabbit can also be harmful to human health.

Dishes made from such a product can be used to prevent the development of hypertension and atherosclerosis.

The chimera has a poisonous fin and may cause an allergic reaction

Despite the large number of positive properties, hare fish can cause harm to the body. Before purchasing and preparing a chimera, you need to pay attention for the following details:

1. The sea rabbit has a poisonous fin. It is located on the top of the carcass. When cutting fish, you need to be very careful or buy carcasses without the dangerous fin.
2. The fish is quite oily. Eating it frequently can lead to excess weight gain.
3. An exotic product may cause an allergic reaction. Before eating, you must make sure there are no allergies. To do this, you need to try a small piece and monitor the body’s reaction.

In our latitudes, such fish is sold only frozen, so there is a risk of buying a product that has already been frozen several times. Frequent freezing not only kills beneficial substances, but also negatively affects the taste.

Cooking recipes

There is no single price for this fish, but it will definitely cost more than regular cod. You can’t find it in every store, as it is a rather exotic product. There are decorative versions of sea rabbits that cannot be eaten. The Chimera is not a rare fish. Quite often it can be found on the menu of European restaurants. There are a lot of myths about what meat is tasteless and hard. However, it is not

Cooking recipes There is a lot of this delicacy. The easiest option is to bake in the oven. For 0.5 kg of frozen fish you will need 2 tbsp. l. olive oil, 1 tsp. curry, carrots, cucumber, olives, salt and pepper. A mixture is prepared based on curry, pepper and salt, which will be used to rub the meat. Next, you need to wrap it in foil and put it in the oven for half an hour. After cooking, the dish must be kept in foil for 10 minutes.

There are a huge number of recipes for cooking sea rabbit, but most of them can be mastered by anyone who has ever cooked ordinary fish.

No less tasty is recipe for sea rabbit in pomegranate sauce. For 1 kg of chimera you will need 1 tbsp. vegetable broth and the same amount of pomegranate juice. For cooking you also need garlic, onions, vegetable oil, nuts, tomato paste, salt and flour.

The fish is cleaned, cut into pieces, which are then rolled in flour and fried. Nuts, onions, peppers and garlic are mixed with juice and broth. Tomato paste is added to the resulting mass. The sauce is prepared over low heat, after boiling, fish is placed in it and simmered for 10 minutes. The best side dish for such a dish is boiled rice.

In terms of characteristics, sea rabbit fish is not quite similar to ordinary fish, but it is prepared in the same way as hake or cod. It is important that the chimera is fresh, otherwise the taste of the dish will be lost.

A huge number of amazing creatures live in the air and on land and in water, many of which we have not only not seen, but have not even heard about. Here, for example, is a hare. No, not an ordinary hare, but a water hare.

In fact, it is, and she was nicknamed the hare because her head resembles the head of a hare or rabbit. And the jaws of this fish have several pairs of sharp incisors.

Sometimes this fish is called the sea rat because it spends most of its life at the very bottom and feeds there.

No less interesting is the scientific name of this fish, namely, chimera. The European chimera - Chimaera monstrosa - is a large cartilaginous fish from the order Chimera. The sea hare can reach a length of one and a half to two meters.

Females are slightly smaller than males. The body is oval, flattened on the sides, the scales covering it are so small that they are almost invisible, therefore it seems that the skin of sea hares is smooth and shimmers in almost all the colors of the rainbow. Chimeras are able to change their color.

The head of these fish is triangular in shape, extended forward. The mouth is small.

Males have a growth bent in front between the eyes. So it can also be called a sea unicorn.

The chimera does not have a bubble, so it has to be in motion all the time so as not to fall to the bottom.

The fins of these fish have rays with poisonous glands; their pricking causes severe pain.

The sea hare lives at great depths and stays almost at the very bottom, most often in algae thickets, among coral reefs, where schools of fry live.

This fish feeds on algae, which it can gnaw for hours, like a hare on grass, shells, small fish, crustaceans, and mollusks.

If there is little food in one place, then the sea hare travels, moving to another place in search of food.

They are low in calories, so the sea hare needs a large amount of them to be full. Although their powerful jaws easily bite through hard food.

The sea hare does not spawn, but lays eggs, which are eaten by people.

Sea hares are found in the western Pacific Ocean, eastern Atlantic, Mediterranean and Barents Sea.

Despite the fact that hare eggs, for example, are considered a delicacy in Scandinavia, chimeras are not considered commercial fish. Until the 20th century, their meat was considered inedible. But the fat from their livers was used for medicinal purposes and as a lubricant.

But in the 20th century, scientists discovered that the white, juicy meat of hare fish is a valuable nutritious product. It contains protein that is completely digestible by the human body, vitamins such as A, D. E, a large amount of fatty acids, macro and microelements.

Hare fish dishes are served in prestigious restaurants.

They are not only tasty, but also low in calories. 100 g of fish fillet contains 100-110 kcal.

It has been scientifically proven that eating hare fish meat lowers cholesterol levels in the blood and cleanses blood vessels, making them more elastic.

True, you need to know how to cut a sea hare so that poisonous fins do not get into your food.

In Korea, Thailand and the Philippines, sea hares are sold in markets.

For exotic lovers, experts advise buying hare fish carcass, which is sold frozen in some of our most specialized stores such as “Fish Empire”.

An indicator of the quality of the product is the fish’s transparent, shiny eyes and closed red gills.

The same stores also sell hare fish eggs.

Gourmets say that the taste of the cooked chimera is beyond praise.

This fish has no internal bones; instead of bones, the breast contains cartilage.

Hare fish is prepared in almost the same way as any other fish.

Fried Chimera

You will need:

Fish;
- flour;
- salt;
- vegetable oil.

Cooking method:

Cut the fish into pieces, rinse, dry with a paper towel, add salt, roll in flour and fry until cooked on both sides in vegetable oil in a frying pan.

Baked chimera with cheese

You will need:

500-600 g fish;
- 80-100 g of cheese;
- 2 eggs;
- salt to taste;
- breadcrumbs;
- vegetable oil.

Cooking method:

Grate the cheese and mix with the same amount of breadcrumbs.

Cut the fish into thin slices, add salt, dip in a well-beaten egg, roll in a mixture of breadcrumbs and cheese, place on a baking sheet well greased with oil and bake in the oven until done.

Sea hare with garnish

You will need:

150-200 g hare fish;
- 4 tomatoes;
- 2 onions;
- 5 cloves of garlic;
- 15 g parsley;
- vegetable oil;
- salt, pepper to taste.

Cooking method:

Fry the fish on both sides in vegetable oil.

In another frying pan, fry the onion cut into rings, add the tomatoes cut into slices, simmer under the lid over low heat for about 5 minutes.

Add crushed garlic, chopped parsley, salt, pepper and simmer for another 10 minutes. Be careful not to burn.

Prepare boiled rice or mashed potatoes as a side dish. Place the side dish on a plate, then the fish and stewed vegetables on top.

Chimera baked in foil

You will need:

400 g fish fillet;
- 1 carrot;
- 1-2 onions;
- vegetable oil;
- salt, pepper to taste.

Cooking method:

Rub the prepared fish with a mixture of salt, pepper and butter, place on foil, cover with onion rings and sprinkle with grated carrots, carefully wrap and bake in the oven until cooked.

Hare fish in red wine

You will need:

500 g fillet;
- 1 glass of red table wine;
- 2 onions;
- 1-2 parsley roots;
- 500 g potatoes;
- 1 tbsp. spoon of flour;
- 2 tbsp. spoons of vegetable oil;
- 2 pcs. allspice peas;
- 3-4 cloves;
- 1-2 bay leaves;
- salt, pepper to taste.

Cooking method:

Place chopped onion and parsley root, bay leaf, allspice, cloves in a deep frying pan, add chopped fish on top, add salt, add wine and 1 glass of water, cover with a lid and simmer over low heat until tender.

The broth can be drained and served separately as a sauce. Garnish: boiled potatoes.

Chimera in orange sauce

You will need:

500 g fish;
- juice and zest of 1 orange;
- 2 tbsp. spoons of lemon juice;
- 2 yolks;
- 150 g butter;
- salt, pepper to taste.

Cooking method:

Rinse the fillet, dry it, sprinkle with lemon juice and leave for 15 minutes.

Squeeze the juice out of the orange, grate the zest on a fine grater, and mix everything. Mix the yolks with 3 tbsp. spoons of water and beat with melted butter until creamy. Add orange juice.

Place the fillet in a frying pan, greased with oil, add salt, pour in the prepared sauce, cover with a lid and simmer until the fish is ready over low heat.

Many people are not familiar with such sea fish as the hare fish. If you are interested in knowing what this sea creature is, then this article is for you. We will discuss whether there are benefits from this fish. We will also find out whether it poses any harm to the human body.

To see this fish in full, you need to consult a reference book. The point is that she is not sold head on. You can only purchase fragments of its fish body, so to speak. They are sold in purified form. Therefore, it is very difficult to understand what kind of fish it is in its original form. There is a lot of deception on fish counters. Since the hare fish is often passed off as a simple hake or pollock. The cod-like little fish are similar to our marine species.

What is hare fish?

This fish is cartilaginous. She doesn't have a bubble. Therefore, in order to stay afloat, she constantly needs to be on the move. Like the shark, this fish will otherwise simply fall to the seabed. Hare is prepared like any other fish. It needs to be salted, then coated with flour or batter, and then fried in a hot frying pan.

Some sources indicate that this fish emits an unpleasant odor. But that's not true. Although the smell of hare is not as pleasant as the smell of cod, it does not stink obnoxiously. The taste of the finished fish is simply amazing. Regular fish has bones, but this one has cartilage. Thanks to this structure, fish meat is very easy to separate using cutlery.

Benefits and harms

Distrust of our fish is caused by the fact that it is considered an exotic product, and many people know absolutely nothing about it. In fact, hare fish meat is very nutritious and juicy. This fish was not considered suitable for consumption until the twentieth century. Now it is a rare delicacy in many expensive restaurants around the world.

She's very helpful. It contains quite a lot of protein, which is easily and quickly absorbed by the human body. It also contains a lot of vitamins such as A, E, and D. Moreover, this fish is filled with useful minerals. Since fish contains a large amount of fatty acids, its meat is considered particularly nutritious. The calorie content of fish is such that for one hundred grams of its meat there are one hundred and sixteen kcal.

Is there any harm from eating this fish? You can only suffer if you are personally intolerant to this marine product. Our hare also has a poisonous fin. This is the top fin. Because of this, fish carcasses should be separated with extreme caution. The fish is quite oily. It should not be abused.

additional information

The fish has expressive eyes. Apparently, this is the reason that she was given such a name as a hare. But she is nothing more like an ordinary hare. Since fish lead an unusual lifestyle, they are sometimes called the rats of the seas. They feed on solid foods such as shellfish or crayfish. The fish's jaws are very powerful, so fishermen are very careful with this fish. The hare lays eggs. Scandinavians eat these eggs.

The price issue is not certain. The cost of fish fluctuates. In general, hare fish costs a little more than regular cod. But you won’t find our fish in every store. There is a better chance of finding this delicacy in special stores selling exotic marine products. The hare fish is also of the aquarium type. It is decorative and is not consumed as food. This kind of fish is very expensive.

It is believed that sellers sell fish much higher than the stated price. They may invent their own names for the hare fish to show it as a rarer and more expensive fish. Some even sell tasteless fish with tough meat, passing it off as a chimera. It is easy to fall for such deception.

The fact that the fish has a rather funny nickname. This suggests that it is not extremely rare. Abroad, it is found in many restaurants. You shouldn’t be afraid and believe all the nonsense about hare fish that you can find in various sources. This fish is healthy, tasty, and not very expensive.

If you have a chance to try the meat of this fish, do not deny yourself this pleasure. Be sure to try this one. Its taste is reminiscent of shark meat. Therefore, not everyone will like it as a main dish. So, now you know what hare fish is. You know why it is useful and whether it can be dangerous. You have all the information you need about our exotic fish. You know that hare fish can be a great addition to your overall diet.

Recipe (video)

Today, the abundance of seafood products is so great that it is quite difficult to surprise their connoisseurs.

However, only recently has a mysterious fish, popularly called a sea hare, appeared on the wider market. Fans of culinary experiments will probably be interested in what kind of amazing creature this is and how it should be eaten.

What it looks like and where it is found

The true name of this fish sounds ominous - European chimera (Chimaera monstrosa). It belongs to chimera-like cartilaginous fish and is found in the waters of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, and is also found in the Barents Sea.

Did you know? The sea hare does not have a swim bladder, like a shark, so it is forced to constantly move to stay afloat.

Outwardly, this marine inhabitant does not look very attractive; its characteristic features are a large triangular head, a massive jaw and a long thread-like tail. This fish is called a hare because of some external similarity of its muzzle with a hare.

Some seafood sellers call it a sea rabbit, but this is erroneous, since the sea rabbit is a separate representative of the underwater kingdom, which is a mollusk.

Calorie content and chemical composition

Marine chimera meat is a low-calorie dietary food:

• the calorie content of 100 grams of sea hare fillet is only 116 kcal;
• the meat contains essential omega-3 fatty acids;
• Chimera fillet is rich in vitamins A, E and D.

Beneficial features

Like any seafood, the European chimera has a lot of useful properties:

• first and most importantly, sea hare fillet is an ideal source of easily digestible protein, which is especially valuable for athletes and people involved in physical labor;
• the presence of fatty acids in meat has a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin, hair, nails, internal organs, in particular the liver, and regulates cholesterol levels in the blood;

  Important! Few people know that the European chimera has a poisonous upper fin, so when cutting up a carcass you need to be extremely careful, trying not to touch it and get hurt.

• vitamins A, E, D, present in the fillet of this fish, are useful for exhaustion and hypervitaminosis.

Contraindications and harm

Of course, like any other product, sea hare meat is not healthy for everyone and not always:

• First of all, you need to take into account that this fish most often feeds at the bottom of the reservoir - accordingly, it is possible that it ate carrion and toxic products;
• like most seafood, chimera is a highly allergenic food, so it is best avoided by allergy sufferers, children under 3 years of age and pregnant women.

How to cook in the oven

The sea hare is an infrequent guest on the shelves of shops and markets; more often it can be found in restaurants as an exquisite delicacy. Indeed, preparing a chimera without certain experience and secrets may end in failure.

Its meat is quite tough, but at the same time juicy; when cooked correctly, it has a faint fishy taste and a dense consistency. If the fish was not fresh or the fins were damaged when cutting the carcass, the finished fillet will taste bitter.
To avoid this, you need to buy seafood only in trusted places equipped with refrigerators. A fresh chimera should have clear eyes and red gills. There are quite a few recipes for preparing sea hare, but it must be taken into account that simply frying it in oil is not practical due to the specific nature of the meat.

You can best appreciate the taste of fish by baking it in the oven under various marinades and sauces that add juiciness and piquancy. Sea hare fillet turns out very tasty if you bake it under a double coat.

For this you will need:

• fish (1–2 medium carcasses);
• ground black pepper;
• spice mix for fish;
• greenery ;
• pickled cucumbers (3–4 medium-sized pieces);
• (3-4 cloves);
• (1 PC.);
• (approximately 300 g);
• (1 glass);
• (2 tablespoons);
• fresh champignons (about 200 g);

Sea hare is a tasty and healthy fish. It contains a large amount of easily digestible protein, vitamins A, E and D, macro- and microelements, as well as fatty acids, making the dishes very nutritious. The main thing is to choose the right semi-finished product. Sea hare is a fish sold frozen in our country. Moreover, it is recommended to buy a whole carcass, not fillet. Her eyes should be transparent and shiny, and her gills should be closed and red in color. Cutting the carcass will not take much time. Now you can start cooking.

Fish "Hare". Recipe with tomatoes

To prepare the dish, you will need to make fillet and cut it into pieces of one hundred grams. Let the rice cook as usual for a side dish. Cut four tomatoes into medium cubes and place in a deep saucepan. Simmer them a little under the lid over low heat. Next, add six chopped garlic cloves, a large spoon of your favorite seasoning, salt, bay leaf, dry parsley and ground pepper to the sauce. Simmer covered for another five minutes. Place the fish pieces in the pan. The dish will be ready in twenty minutes. Serve it with rice and sprinkle with sauce.

Sea hare (fish). Recipe with cheese

To prepare the dish, you need to cut the fish into thin slices (the weight of each of them should be no more than one hundred and fifty grams). Make the breading by mixing a glass of breadcrumbs and finely grated Parmesan with a pinch of salt. Beat the egg very well. First, roll each piece of fillet in flour. Then dip it into the beaten egg and finally into the breading. If desired, these steps can be repeated again. Fry for five minutes on each side. If desired, the dish can be baked in the oven at a temperature of two hundred degrees. This will take no more than fifteen minutes.

Sea Hare: "Fish for Beer"

To prepare the dish, you first need to make half a kilo of fillet and cut it into small thin pieces. The semi-finished product must not be completely defrosted. Coat each piece thickly with cayenne pepper and leave for half an hour. After the fish is completely defrosted, roll the portions in corn flour, to which it is recommended to add a little black pepper and salt. Heat a deep saucepan and add a glass of vegetable oil. Fry the pieces in boiling fat for three to five minutes on both sides. Next, place them on paper towels for a few minutes. This will remove excess oil. This dish can be served with beer either hot or chilled.

Sea hare: "Fish with garnish"

First you need to boil the rice as usual. Next, fry a portioned piece of fish weighing no more than two hundred grams in one frying pan. Place mugs of one onion and cubes of four tomatoes in a deep saucepan. Simmer the sauce for five to seven minutes. Then add five chopped cloves of garlic, ten olives, cut into circles, salt and black pepper. Simmer the sauce for ten minutes. Place on a plate as follows: first - a heap of rice, then - a piece of fish, pour sauce on top. Bon appetit!