Traditional cuisine

Those who passed through Galaţi know that, among the attractions of Galați, is fish based food.

Roast salad, onion "chilca", fish soup, carp brine with polenta, marinated carp, carp "plachie", marinate of spruce, carp beam or "malasolca" are just some of the area's culinary delights.

Here is a selection of the most interesting recipes of traditional Danubian dishes, whose main actor is fish.

Borsch fish should be as fresh as possible.

Radu Anton Roman tells us what fish are put in the borsch: chickpea fish, bream, carp, catfish, zander, pike, white fish like, goldfish with roe, two or three bass fish. Because every fish smells different and tastes different.

For Two liters of water you add an onion and a large spoonful of salt. When it gets hot, put the fish to cover the juice, that is, about 4-5 kg.

Twenty minutes after the first boil add the vinegar (the juice will whiten). Borsch is ready.

How it is served: Take the fish in a tray. In a deep bowl mix the juice from the soup, salt and vinegar. In this "brine" add the fish.

Ingredients:

1 kg of fish, salt, pepper, hominy (when the fish is fried in the pan)

For the brine: 3 large and juicy tomatoes, 1 pepper, 2 paprika peppers, 2 red peppers (green and long, lightly chopped), 1 pepper (optional), 200 ml of tomato juice or 50 g of concentrated paste, peppercorn, 2 bay leaves, 1 thyme twig, 1 garlic head, optional: green dill, green onion.

Traditionally, brine fish is baked in open fire on salt-crushed plate.

Tomatoes and peppers are baked on the hob, peeled and left aside. Then prepare the "sarmuzac", a thick garlic paste, rubbing the garlic in the mortar with a little grinding salt, oil and a little vinegar or lemon juice.

In a large pot you place approx. 1 l of boiled water along with some peppercorns, 1-2 teaspoons of salt, bay leaves and thyme twig. When boiling add the juice of tomatoes, tomatoes and peppers to the pot. The tomatoes are gently crushed with a fork to disintegrate.

Leave it to boil 10 minutes after which the fire goes off. Then put the thick garlic paste plus 2 garlic cloves cut into thin slices. Mix well. Now put in the pot the pieces of fried or baked fish. Put the lid and let it all for 5-10 minutes to get the flavour.

Serve hot with polenta.

Marinated mackerel

The fish is cut off after it has been cleaned of scales. Wash it well and keep for two days in the water to remove all the blood, and the meat to remain white. For 24 hours keep the fish in salt, after which keep it for another 12 hours in water to clear of salt. Separately, prepare the marinade with a cup of vinegar, three cups of water, bay leaves, peppercorns, onion slices. Put the pieces of fish in jars and pour the marinade over them.

Smoked mackerel stockfish

The fish is cleaned from the scales, cut on the back, then is salted for 24 hours, after which is cleared of salt. There are some methods of smoking fish: cold smoking or hot smoking. A secret of locals is the maize flour in the sawdust used for smoking fish, which gives the fish a yellow, golden color. Fish can also be put out in the sun to dry. If you keep the fish for more than 12 hours, all the fat flows out of it and it does not taste anymore.

Mackerel barbecue

The fish is cut slightly, then seasoned only with salt and pepper. For taste, a strip of green onion and a dill branch is placed in the fish's belly. When it's on the grill, sprinkle with vinegar for an intense taste.

Malasolca

Salty fish, kept in salt for two hours, boils with potatoes. Separately, garlic is prepared.

Ingredients: 500 g chilca (small fish, marine), 3 red onions, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1 lemon, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 fist of olive, parsley .

Chilca is shortened by the heads, washed and drained well, then put in a cloth to dry.

Lemon is sliced. Onions cut into thin slices. Parsley is chopped.

Place the fish in the bowl, sprinkle with onion, greenery, season with olive and lemon. Pour the vinegar, then the oil.

Carp skewers

Ingredients: 1 carp of 800 g - 1 kg, salt, pepper, thyme, 50 g of oil

A fire of wood is made. Clean the carp of scales, cut on the stomach, remove the intestines and gills. Wash the fish well, wipe off. Cut off transversally, especially on fillets, under the dorsal fins, where the meat is thicker. Put salt, pepper and rub with thyme.

Put the carp through the mouth into a thicker stick, so that the tip reaches exactly the tail under the skin. Put the stick in the ground at 50 - 60 cm of fire or between fires (the heat will bake the meat slowly, for a time, say an hour).

If you made only a fire, from time to time the stick has to spin, so the fish prepare on all sides.

When the carp is ready, it is removed from the stick in a dish (or is eaten directly from the stick).