Forel
Rainbow Trout
Last week, I saw an interesting news item … announcing the establishment of a new fish farm in the Naryn Region where they are “growing” Rainbow Trout which aims to produce between five and six tons a year.
When I first came to Bishkek I was sent to go and buy some fish. Now, I don’t often eat fish – if there is something else on the menu then I’ll normally choose that – because I don’t like the bones.
I once got a fish bone stuck in my throat and a friend had to slap my back and apply the Heinrich maneuver to dislodge it. (I’m still not sure that this was the right way to deal with the problem – but it proved effective!)
Anyway, I was directions to the fishmongers and told to look for a sign saying zhivaya reeba – live fish – which would have got the fishmonger into trouble in Britain under the Trades Description Act because there wasn’t a live fish in the place. I think it simply meant that it sold raw fish – as opposed to salted or smoked fish … but it confused me at the time.
I was told to ask for Forel - Trout – and sure enough they had some.
As it happens, trout is a generic name for a range of fish of the salmon family. There are five such species found here in Kyrgyzstan – one, indigenous to the region but the other four were introduced:
The Brown Trout, (Salmo trutta), known locally as Kumja, (and is also known as the Amudarya zhilingiri as it is a subspecies of the Amudaraya trout), is the indigenous species.
Originally found in the rivers of the Amudara – in the Alai valley int he extreme south of the country, it was introduced into river in the North of the country – the Chui and Talas – in the 195os and 60s, and by the 1980s it had established itself in these waters.
Usually brown or grey, (it can also be coloured gold or silver), it sports many red and blue dots along its flanks. The jaws reach back under the eyes and house rows of teeth. The small adipose fin – on the back, behind the main dorsal fin and close to the tail fin – is spotted.
They spawn in October and have been known to grow up to 45cm long, and over 1.2 kilograms.
They are not fished commercially, but amateurs do try to catch them.
Rainbow Trout, (Salmo gairdneri), were introduced as a commercial enterprise in the 1980s to the fishponds around Ton, at the Eastern end of Lake Issyk Kul. Apparently some of the fish escaped and could be found in the To9n river, however it did not really establish itself and when commercial introduction of new stock ceased, the numbers declined.
It seems that there are still some fish in the Toktogul reservoir, but not many.
The fish is basically brown with a lighter underside and black spots along it’s flanks. It has a small adipose fin.
They can grow to 50cm in length and can weigh several kilogram, although most specimen are smaller.
The Sevan Trout, (Salmo isdhchan) is also known as the Issyk Kul Trout.
It was originally introduced between 1930 and 1936, from it’s natural habitat in Lake Sevan, (in Armenia). After introduction, it adapted well to it’s environment, becoming bigger fish that in many ways no longer resembles it’s forebears … and it is now recognized as a special sub-species.
It is currently found in Lake Issyk Kul and the surrounding basin, as well as in the basin of the Naryn River. It was common, being found in all the fivers that flowedinto Lake Issyk Kul – as it migrated up them in order to spawn between November and January – however, poaching and water management systems led to a decline in numbers and, as early as 1964, a programme of “artificial spawning” was introduced to help maintain stocks.
The fish has a dark top with a lighter underside and fields of black spots along its flanks. It can grow up to 1.2 meters in length and weigh up to 20 kilograms – although he average specimen weighs just 2 kilogram.
It is important for commercial fishing.
Not strictly speaking Forel, but members of the Salmon family are Whitefish and Peled. The term “whitefish” is another generic term for a group of subspecies.
Common Whitefish, (Coregonous lavaretus), also known as Syg, are also found in Kyrgyzstan.
They were introduced into Issyk Kul and Son Kul in the 1960s and 70s, but some of the different types of Whitefish did not establish themselves and only the Common Whitefish and Peled are currently found here. It rends to prefer the deeper waters of the two lakes, although moves to shallow zones in Spring and autumn (for spawning and fattening” respectively)
The Sides of the whitefish are typically shiny with alight underside. The fish has a small moth and a small adipose fin.
Although it can grow up to almost 80 cm in length and 6 or 7 kilograms in weight, a typical specimen in Issyk Kul would be about 50cm long and a weighing just 2kg, and in Son Kul 60cm and 2.5kg.
It is important for commercial fishing.
The Peled, (Coregonus peled), is a subsecies of Whitefish ans was introduced into Lake Son Kul between 1968 and 1977.
A typical specimen would be up to 40cm in length and weigh up to 400 grams.
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Numbers of fish are obviously hard to verify, although it was clear that the fish population among several species was in decline and in 2008 parliament passed a law prohibiting the fishing of trout in Lakes Son Kul and Issyk Kul – initally for a period of two years … but it is still in force. Despite this, “government agencies are unable to implement an effective surveillance and monitoring programme owing to a lack or resources” and the moratorium is, basically, ineffective. As a result, illegal fishing does take place … and trade in large volumes.
In the meantime the number of fish farms increased. There are now, apparently, 108 in the country – most of them stocked with Carp, but one in Issyk Kul has some fish ponds stocked with Sevan Trout, Djala Abad with Rainbow trout and Naryn with Whitefish and Peled.
Some restaurants in Bishkek allow customers to select or even catch their fish before having it cooked for their meal.
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Here is a recipe for Forel based on one from a cookbook, Modern Kyrgyz Cuisine; it has a number of other recipes for Kuurdak and Jarkop made from fish rather than the more common cuts of meat:
Trout po Issyk-Kulskiy
(Issyk Kul Trout) Ingredients:
- Trout 150 gr.
- flour,
- vegetable oil
- onions 120 gr.
- tomatoes 30 gr.
- radish 70 gr
- sweet pepper 30 gr.
- tomato puree 10 gr.
- squash 50 gm.
- green peas 20 gr.
- herbs, spices, and salt
Method:
Filet the fish cut and cut into chunks, cover in flour and fry.
Blanche the radish – put them into boiling water – briefly … they should be in the boiling water for no more than 5 minutes … before they become soft and soggy, remove from the heat and plunge into cold water. Fry them together with the onions.
Shred the sweet pepper into strips and fry separately.
Mix the vegetables with Tomato puree – they can also be cooked in a bouillon for 5 minutes – and pour the mix over the fish.
For garnish you can also add green peas, squash, tomatoes and herbs.
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Bishkek