Все любители суши наверняка знакомы с тобико - soft, tiny eggs of bright color, which grate pleasantly on teeth. This caviar, extracted from flying fish, is often served as an independent dish, and also in the form of sashimi or as an ingredient of rolls. However, a product that is often called "tobiko" in the menu of inexpensive sushi bars or in supermarkets is likely to be cavalry or masago caviar. As a rule, people who are not related to sushi cooking and who are not fans of Japanese cuisine can not distinguish one caviar from another, tobiko from masago.
Masago - what is it?
In simple terms, it is the caviar of one of thevarieties of capelin - fish chaplain. In large numbers, this fish lives near the coast of Iceland, however, it also occurs in other shores, in the Arctic and Atlantic waters.
Cappella caviar is salted and processed the sameway, like the traditional Tobiko, but it is cheaper. If you live in a big city, you can buy it in large stores, in seafood departments, along with other ingredients for sushi.
Caviar is very nutritious and has a highthe content of vitamins, protein and a large number of omega-3 and omega-6 (fatty acids). Despite the fact that it contains a large amount of cholesterol, a small portion of this product will only benefit the body.
Tobiko and Masagot - what it is, and how to distinguish them from each other
So, now we know that under the exoticnames hide the eggs of small ocean fish. After receiving the answer to the question: "Masago - what is this?", According to the law of logic, the task arises: "How to distinguish the Masach from Tobiko?". In fact, it's not so difficult.
Икра летучей рыбы (тобико) в натуральном виде differs from the widely known bright orange product, it is almost colorless, has a soft sweetish taste and, what is characteristic, crunches on the teeth when eaten. In turn, Masago (caviar caviar) has a light beige shade and very small, non-crunchy eggs. Due to the dull colors, both varieties almost always go on sale in different colors, most often in red or black. As a rule, natural ingredients are used as dyes - cuttlefish ink (to achieve black color), ginger juice (for a brighter orange shade) and so on. Separately it is worth mentioning a product known in Japanese shops and restaurants as wasabiko - this is the same caviar, but painted with the help of wasabi powder in green. This treatment is subjected to both tobiko and masago. Which, specifically, the type of caviar stained with wasabi, can be understood both in appearance (the size of the eggs), and in the presence or absence of a characteristic crunch during eating. It goes without saying that the caviar with wasabi will have a very piquant taste.
Dishes from masago and tobiko
Both varieties of caviar are used forcooking sushi-gunkan as a separate filling, as well as for decorating rolls. Thanks to a finer texture, Masago is also used for many dishes of Asian cuisine - omelettes, salads, sauces and so on, while the use of tobiko is somewhat limited. Often these products are combined in different dishes, as their structure and taste perfectly complement each other.
Одним из известнейших рецептов считается Spicy sauce Masaga, which in different restaurants are prepared in different ways. For its preparation at home, the following products are used: 1/4 teaspoon of Japanese mayonnaise ("Kupi"), 1 teaspoon of caviar, 1/2 teaspoon of kimchi sauce or shirucha.
Summarizing the above information, which serves as an answer to the question: "Masago - what is it?", It would be superfluous to specify - this is capelin caviar, traditionally used in Japanese cuisine.
