How to dry fish, everyone should know who at least occasionally faces this need at home. After all, this is a favorite snack of many, which is highly appreciated for its relative simplicity in preparation and a very dense texture. It is important to know and special recommendations that will maximize the shelf life of the carcass. For example, experienced housewives for this process fish in a special way. In addition, dried fish, which can be found in the store, can not be called a natural product due to the very large number of preservatives and stabilizers in its composition. At home, you can refuel everything yourself and not worry about the quality of the final product. It is also extremely important to pay particular attention to the selection of raw materials and preparation of fish.
How to choose dried fish
Before you figure out how to dry your fish, you still need to understand how to choose it correctly. This question makes many think seriously. The fact is that there are a large number of varieties, which at first glance are suitable for this, but in reality, not all of them are suitable for processing in this way.
Therefore, it will be important to study the tips provided by experienced chefs who know firsthand how to fish. First, experts say that it does not matter which raw materials to use. It can be either fresh or frozen. But in the latter case, of course, you need to wait for the complete thawing, which should occur under natural conditions, that is, at room temperature.
Secondly, by trial and error, it was possible to establish which particular fish varieties are best suited for drying at home. These include perch, herring, sprats, herring, crucian carp, capelin, mackerel, sprat, flounder, halibut, horse mackerel, and croaker. This is the main list, although it, of course, can still be expanded to include lesser-known and rare varieties.
In addition, such varieties as roach, hake, ram, roach, bream, sabrefish, catfish, ide, carp are relatively suitable for this. It is believed that they can also be dried, but it is worth considering that in full they will not be able to convey the taste of a real dried product.
Thirdly, one should never forget about the recommendation to pay special attention to herring, herring, flounder, sardine, horse mackerel, halibut and tulka. The fact is that it is not recommended to harvest them in large quantities, since it does not have a very long shelf life. It is allowed to store the mentioned fish varieties after direct processing for no more than three weeks, and at room temperature they can remain for a maximum of four days. At the same time, other fish varieties already mentioned in this article can be stored in the refrigerator for six months, and at room temperature for about three months. So, if you decide to dry herring or halibut, start doing this only after making sure that there are people who want to eat everything in the coming weeks, since this fish will not wait long before it is eaten.
Finally, fourthly, special attention must be paid to the weight of the fish. Note that the mass of the carcass should not exceed one kilogram. Pay attention to other features of the fish. It should not smell like antibiotics, oil or other potentially harmful substances. Particular attention should be paid to the walls of the abdomen, in no case should they bend inside. After clicking on the body, the carcass of the fish should quickly return to its original position, so you can determine its freshness.
Preparation stage
So, in order to understand how to properly fish, you need to remember that a lot depends on preparation for this process. Experienced people note that almost the main distinguishing feature of cooking fish using this technology is that the carcass does not need to be gutted or even cleaned. The main attention should be paid to the selection of a suitable and maximally fresh catch, which must be salted and dried properly.
It is important to remember that during the drying process, the flesh begins to actively absorb adipose tissue, which is located directly under the scales. This is an important property that gives the final product a pleasant and original finish, as well as a characteristic tenderness.
Difference from the time of year
Many are concerned about how to dry fish in the winter at home and what to do in the summer. We immediately admit that there are no significant differences between technologies, but there are nuances that must be taken into account if you want to get a tasty product that has been stored for a long time.
In the summer, special attention should be paid to sanitary standards when preparing the product. First of all, it is necessary to ensure that insects do not enter the carcass cavity. Therefore, in the warm season, housewives and experienced cooks prefer to carve the carcass in such a way that it opens to the maximum and is clearly visible. Also, do not forget that in the summer the fish eats algae, which can ultimately give the product a certain bitterness.
Therefore, if you decide to figure out how to dry the fish in the summer months, then be sure to prepare a special solution of water and table vinegar in a ratio of five to one. The carcass of the fish should be thoroughly washed under cold running water, and then left to soak for 15 minutes. During this time, all liquid should drain.
But in winter it’s not necessary to cut raw materials; you can only do this by washing the fish and thoroughly drying it with paper towels.
To get guaranteed delicious, the fish carcass must be salted evenly. Especially this should be monitored if the fish itself is very large. It should be cut along the ridge and spread into a single plane. You can also find tips to cut fish into steaks. Note that the method of cutting fish will not affect the final result, it all depends on personal preferences. Now you can independently figure out how to dry fish properly at home.
Salted fish
The drying process itself is divided into two main stages - this is salting the fish and the drying process itself. It is worth noting that even a beginner and inexperienced mistress will understand how to properly fish, that there is no difficulty. Briefly outline the technology, first the salting of the fish itself is performed, then it is soaked, and then the carcass is dried. In this case, it is necessary to maintain good air circulation, relative humidity should be quite high.
There are several recipes for salting fish that will help you figure out how to dry fish at home. First, we will analyze one of the most common.
Initially, it is recommended to rinse the carcass with water, move to a large dish and put it in a cold place for two hours. When this time has passed, transfer the fish to a deep container, it should be placed tightly to each other in one row, while it is best to place it evenly along the entire bottom of the container. Next, you need to sprinkle the fish with copious amounts of salt. It is important in no case to save money so that the final product you get is rich and tasty. Therefore, as a rule, the more salt, the better it works in this case.
After the first row of fish, place the second one, repeat all the above manipulations until all the containers are filled with well-salted fish carcasses. Now it must be left for some time at room temperature so that a sufficient amount of juice is released.
Some believe that a large amount of juice can negatively affect the final result, but many years of practice prove that this statement is erroneous. Most often, inexperienced housewives fail when they add too little salt, because of this the dish turns out to be fresh and tasteless.
After a while, the fish should give juice, which means that you are doing everything right. On this basis, it can be determined that the pickling has begun. After that, you can safely move the fish to the refrigerator for about a week.
The second option is salting
Another recipe for drying fish involves pre-salting the fish in a liquid. The carcass is first thoroughly washed and then dried with paper towels. Each fish should be grated a large amount of salt.
Now you need to lay the raw materials in a deep container and fill with a solution of room temperature. After that, the fish is put under pressure. Separately, a brine is prepared. For him, 500 ml of filtered water are mixed with 120 grams of table salt. Mixing is necessary until the salt crystals finally dissolve.
The required amount of salt is quite simple to determine. To do this, you need to remove one carcass of fish and send it to a container in which fresh water is located. When the fish comes up, you can proceed to the next stage, directly drying. If the fish sinks and does not rise to the surface, then there is too much salt, it is necessary to reduce the amount of this ingredient. Next, the raw materials should be kept in ordinary water until the excess salt is finally washed.
Drying process
Before you figure out the recipe for how to dry fish at home, you need to prepare all the equipment that we need. This is a strong thread, the so-called twine, on which the fish itself will be strung. Gauze and a wooden box will also be needed, which should prevent insects from entering the product and ensure a continuous flow of air.
After the completion of the salting, the carcasses are laid out on parchment paper, they can be replaced with album sheets on which the fish is partially dried. Now proceed to stringing the fish into twine, armed with a thread and a needle. The needle must be passed through the eye holes of the fish, directing the backs of the carcasses in one direction.
It is very important to string the raw materials in such a way that the bodies are not in contact with each other. Note that the final number of carcasses on a bunch should not exceed 15 copies, if you have a small fish, and no more than 6 copies, if the fish is large enough.
In the summer, fish must be dried in the fresh air, and in the winter in the kitchen. In the warm season, the box in which the fish will be stored will need to be put on a loggia or balcony, be sure to cover it with gauze. When it gets too cold outside, the bundles must be placed in close proximity to an electric or gas stove.
Note that the time it takes for the stockfish to cook completely depends on the size of the carcasses. If the fish is large enough, then it will take up to one month. If the specimens are small, then the drying process will take from two to three weeks.
Product readiness can be determined by the appearance of the fish. The fish is ready when no traces of salt remain on the surface of the carcass, while the fat should come out. Also, the finished carcass should not have dry patches of meat, and its skeleton should be visible in the light of a daylight.
When the fish meets the above requirements, you can safely remove it from twine and wrap it with parchment paper, it is not recommended to eat it yet. Send the fish to the bottom shelf of the refrigerator where it should mature completely. This will take about three more weeks.
Expert Advice
To always get a tasty fish, there are some important tips on how to dry your fish at home. If you follow them, then you will be guaranteed to succeed.
Firstly, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that the most delicious fish varieties that have an extensive fat layer are always obtained. Therefore, before proceeding directly to the drying process itself, a careful selection must be made.
Secondly, many can be confused by the unpleasant smell of silt, especially if the fish was recently caught. You can neutralize it by folding all available carcasses into a container or a sufficiently deep bucket. Put fresh nettle branches to them and leave them in a cool place for at least half an hour.
Thirdly, during the evisceration of the largest individuals, it is necessary to remove the intestines and gills.
Fourthly, if you dry fish in the summer, then an additional tool with which you can scare off insects will be vegetable oil. Lubricate the surface of each carcass with it and leave it until it is completely absorbed. A vinegar solution works according to the same principle; it is prepared in a proportion of 1.3 liters of pure drinking water per 100 ml of vinegar.
Fifth, do not forget to monitor the level of humidity. Please note that humidity in the region of 70-80 percent is considered optimal for dried fish. At the same time, the fish should be stored in a dark room with good ventilation.
Sixth, you need to know that flies, wasps and other insects fly only on recently hung fish to dry. To neutralize these consequences, hang the twine with fish on the balcony in the late evening, then in the morning they will be covered with a small crust.
Finally, to speed up this process, you can open the belly of the fish and gut it, fix it in this state with matches, removing the heads.
How to dry fish in winter at home
The process of drying in the winter has its own characteristics, which must be remembered. Drying fish in the winter months is one of the best ways that helps to get a gourmet product, while maintaining a large catch. For harvesting in the winter months, choose a fish that is not too large; its average weight should be approximately 700 grams. The procedure itself will consist of three stages.
Fish should be salted, soaked and dried. Before salting, clean it of any contaminants and mucus, while washing it is not recommended, additional water can only degrade the quality of dried fish.
On average, a kilogram of fish will require a little more than 100 grams of salt. Stack carcasses tightly to each other, pouring salt. Then cover the fish with a lid of a smaller diameter and place something very heavy on top.
Fish is salted from several days to several weeks. You can check the readiness by pressing on the back, when the dent stops aligning, this will mean that the fish has salted enough. When this happened, it should be soaked in cold water at the rate of one day of salting corresponds to the hour of soaking.
In winter, we sack the fish, placing it in a place in which there will always be an influx of fresh air. For example, such a place can be arranged on the balcony, next to a heating radiator or stove, some even specially hang a fan nearby. The advantages of winter drying of fish are that there is no danger of spoiling it due to larvae of flies.
Properly dried fish should be no more than three days. After that, you need to withstand it for a couple of weeks in a canvas bag until fully prepared. Now you know how to dry fish in winter.
There is a special way to cook fish this way right on the street. You can freeze fish in the cold. After standard salting and finding the fish under oppression, it must be soaked and sent to frost. It is believed that the harder the frost on the street, the tastier the fish will turn out and cook faster. Frost will help free it from water, even large specimens will dry quickly and evenly. Sun-dried fish will be very tasty and nutritious.
Homemade smoked meats
There is a special recipe for smoked fish. For its preparation, the fish must be washed, get rid of mucus and scales, open the belly, and remove all the insides. At the bottom of the tank, in which we salt, smoke, weaken the fish, pour out large salt. We lay the prepared fish and again cover it with salt. We lay out in rows in this order: salt, fish, salt again.
We remove for a short time in the refrigerator, the fish should be there for one to three days. In this case, it all depends on your taste preferences. We wash it again and insert the spacers from the matches, after breaking off the sulfur. This is necessary so that the fish is better saturated with aroma. Let her dry for several hours in a well-ventilated area. Do not forget about flies and other insects that can ruin everything, so cover the fish tightly with gauze.
Send the fish smoked immediately after it dries enough, after about one to two days. Do not delay this moment, otherwise the fish will simply dry.
Curing temperature
An important factor at which temperature to dry the fish.With artificial drying, this indicator should be given special attention. To create conditions as close to natural as possible, many use air conditioning. It maintains constant parameters - the optimum temperature is 18 degrees and humidity is 50%.
This method is usually used in large fish processing enterprises. Humidity increases significantly after passing through the drying zone. Passing through the technical tunnel, the carts filled with products each time find themselves in a warmer and drier atmosphere.
The drying process is specially stopped every two hours so that moisture is evenly distributed throughout the entire thickness of the product. This is one of the most effective methods of industrial drying of fish. Good luck to everyone!