Salted, air-dried Caspian roach, beaten on the table, peeled and picked apart by hand to eat with beer. It is salted and dried on racks around Astrakhan and is a fixture of Russian beer drinking.
It is ungutted whole fish cured in salt and air-dried for weeks, where the salt ratio and the dry Astrakhan spring are the safeguards — an ungutted fish drying too slowly spoils from the gut outward.
What goes into it
- Caspian roach
- coarse salt
How it is made
The fish are packed whole and ungutted in heavy salt for several days, then rinsed and hung by the eye on lines in the open air for one to three weeks, depending on the weather and how dry the maker wants them. Roe-bearing spring fish are the prized ones. They end stiff, salty and translucent.
How long it takes: several days in salt, then one to three weeks drying
How it is eaten
Beaten against the table to loosen the skin, peeled and picked apart by hand, with cold beer.
History
Caspian roach is salted and dried on racks around Astrakhan; the stiff fish is beaten, peeled and picked apart by hand.
Frequently asked questions
What is Vobla?
Vobla is a charcuterie & cured from Russia: salted, air-dried Caspian roach, torn apart and eaten with beer. Caspian roach is salted and dried on racks around Astrakhan; the stiff fish is beaten, peeled and picked apart by hand.
How is Vobla made?
The fish are packed whole and ungutted in heavy salt for several days, then rinsed and hung by the eye on lines in the open air for one to three weeks, depending on the weather and how dry the maker wants them. Roe-bearing spring fish are the prized ones. They end stiff, salty and translucent. It takes several days in salt, then one to three weeks drying.
Can I make Vobla at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. It is ungutted whole fish cured in salt and air-dried for weeks, where the salt ratio and the dry Astrakhan spring are the safeguards — an ungutted fish drying too slowly spoils from the gut outward.
What goes into Vobla?
Caspian roach, coarse salt.
How is Vobla eaten?
Beaten against the table to loosen the skin, peeled and picked apart by hand, with cold beer.
