Rare Delicatessen Makes Spring Debut in St. Petersburg - Residents Are Ready to Eat Some Osmerus

It tastes like fish, smells like cucumber, and costs like a delicacy. The first Osmerus of this year appeared in social networks at first, and then in the northern capital's restaurants. Fishermen warn the city's residents: It's not difficult to distinguish between a fresh Osmerus and a frozen one from last year. Just check the gills.

Salima Zarif reporting.

 

Spring is coming. Here's the main symbol of the approaching warm weather in St. Petersburg. Though the bay and the Neva are still frozen and under snow, Osmerus is already here. This silver fish with the dark back is as famous as St. Petersburg's drawbridges and white nights. And this symbol smells like fresh cucumber. It can be seen in the Far East, the North Sea, and the White Sea. But only the Baltic fish is thought to have such an aroma. The Osmerus is an object of worship only in St. Petersburg. It's like a totem.

A fisherman: "We use crucian as bait. It's excellent for fishing".

Fishermen come to the ice at first light. The bite is the best at dawn and sundown. Accompanied or alone, many of them spend the whole day fishing. They don't get bored, it nibbles every two minutes.

Alexander Klykov: "Look at this one! I'll give it to my wife, and she'll fry it. In the evening, we eat it like sunflower seeds".

A fishing rod, a chair consisting of a wooden box, a thermos, sandwiches, and a sled, which carries the fish. This work is noble. Back in 1705, Peter the Great issued an order on supporting fishermen who catch Osmerus. It's also dangerous, as fishermen often get carried away to the sea if the ice drifts. During the ice drift, the fish is bigger, fatter, and more aromatic.

Each spring, every St. Petersburg restaurant makes a special menu. You can bake, braise, boil and marinate Osmerus, but it's more delicious when fried.

Alexander Odinokikh, restaurant manager: "We have frequent clients who come from Moscow and other regions. They come just to eat some Osmerus".

It's been this way for 315 years since St. Petersburg was established. People fry Osmerus in the kitchens, and it smells like fresh cucumber outside, announcing that spring is coming.

Salima Zarif, Yevgeny Kostin, Dmitry Lukashevich, and Galina Orlova, Vesti, St. Petersburg.