The recipe for dried bream is affordable and simple. However, the process of preparing such a dish takes time. But in the end, itβs a great appetizer that will appeal to all fish lovers. The dried bream is prepared in several stages: preparation of products, salting, soaking, drying. Technology must be strictly followed.
Simple advice
To cook dried bream at home, you need to choose the right products. This primarily concerns fish. Carcasses must be freshly caught and top-notch.
You can cook fish in any way. However, its preparation remains the same in any case. To prevent the product from starting to rot, do not start the drying process as soon as the fish is caught. It is worth putting it in a well-ventilated and cool place. It is recommended to protect carcasses from flies and other insects.
The next step is cleaning the fish. It is necessary to remove all mucus from breams by washing them thoroughly. After that, all the insides should be taken out of the fish. At the end, the carcasses are thoroughly washed in running water.
It is worth noting that small (up to 30 cm) and bream with caviar can not be gutted. The head of the carcasses is not cut off. But the gills must be removed. When the fish is cleaned and washed, you can begin to salting it.
Dry method
Most often, for cooking dried bream (photo presented at the beginning of the article), they resort to the dry method of salting. For starters, it is recommended to weigh the fish. For 1 kg of fresh product, 250 g of salt is required. It is advisable to use coarse-grained. This salt removes excess moisture well.
For salting fish, an enameled container will also be required. It is recommended to scald it with boiling water. The whole process of salting bream is reduced to the following actions:
- Salt should be added to the bottom of the container. The layer thickness should be approximately 1 cm.
- Prepared carcasses are rubbed with salt, and then tightly packed in layers in a container, which are also poured with salt.
- The last layer of fish must be covered with a layer of salt. To enhance the taste, you can add a little sugar.
- The container is closed by a lid, and oppression is laid on top.
The last paragraph provides for any recipe. Only in this case the dried bream is dense. In addition, the use of oppression eliminates the appearance of air cavities inside the fish, where pathogens often accumulate.
A container with salted carcasses must be placed in a cool place, such as a cellar. After 4 hours, the fish starts the juice. In it, it should be salted for 3 days, but not longer. As a result of proper preparation, the backs of bream become elastic. There are other signs. The flesh of the carcasses should become grayish, and the caviar should turn yellow-red.
Wet method
There is another way of salting breams before drying. The wet method is ideal for cooking small fish (up to 30 cm), which does not need to be cleaned from the insides. However, the gills should be removed.
For the preparation of dried bream, a concentrated saline solution is required. How to cook it? In a bucket of water, it is necessary to dissolve so much salt so that the egg dipped in the liquid floats. The carcasses should be strung on the twine with a needle. In one bunch should be no more than 5 pieces. After that, the fish is lowered into the tank. Carcasses should be fully immersed in brine.
If the bream is too large, then with a syringe it will be necessary to pump saline into it. The fish tank should be closed tightly and placed in the cold. The air temperature should be no more than +8 Λ. Thus, the fish salts for 3 days. You can check the readiness of bream on the backs. They should become resilient and firm. After salting, you can proceed to the next step.
Soaking fish
To make the dried bream tasty, you must follow the cooking technology. After salting, the fish must be soaked. This will remove excess salt. Thanks to this manipulation, the fish acquires its natural taste. Experts recommend soaking carcasses in water for as many days as they salted. However, practice shows that sometimes 10 hours is enough. At the same time, water must be changed 3 times.
Before drying the bream, it is recommended to dry it in a draft, by hanging the carcasses in a separate room or in the air. The main thing is that insects do not spoil the fish. To protect against flies, you can dip the carcasses in a weak solution of vinegar, and then wrap with gauze.
Drying process
This is the last step in making dried bream. It flows at a temperature of +18 ... + 20 Λ. As for the duration - it all depends on the size of the fish. Typically, the process takes up to 4 weeks.
How to determine product readiness? The dried bream has a homogeneous structure that can be easily seen in the light. With proper treatment, there are no traces of emerging salt. The pulp is not dry, but elastic and soft to the touch. After skin removal, yellowish fat should be visible. In order for the fish to acquire an exquisite taste, after drying it should lie down a little in the refrigerator, previously wrapped in parchment. That's all. Now you know how to cook dried bream at home.