How to dry fish at home?

Imagine you came to a friend’s home to watch football, he took out a beer and a ram, you tried it and you liked it so much that you ask him for a recipe, but he doesn’t give it. Do you want to repeat this taste and are looking for the answer to the question of how to dry fish at home? If you stumbled upon this article, consider yourself lucky, and after reading it, you can impress your friend with the taste of your ram.

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Preparing fish for salting

For drying, fish is most suitable, which has an average fat content, for example, carp, ram, roach, the weight of which should be up to 1 kg. If you take a larger fish, make small cuts along the spine from the tail to the head - this will allow the fish to dry faster.

Important! During salting fish scales are not removed.

Therefore, as soon as you thoroughly clean and wash the fish, you can proceed directly to the salting process.

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Soaking and pickling

After cleaning, fish must be salted. The main task of salt is to draw out all excess moisture, so it would be better if you use coarse-grained salt, because it dissolves much more slowly.

Procedure for salting fish at home:

1. In a saucepan or a large bowl, lay the fish in layers, while pouring it with salt. You can also add a small amount of spices and bay leaf, of course if you like spices. Cover the final layer with salt so that it is not visible under a layer of salt.
2. Put oppression on top of the container, a can of water or a heavy stone, and then leave it for several days.
3. For the best effect, put the fish in a cool place, thus you will prevent its premature spoilage.

Important! Carefully salted fish should creak a little, if you pull the head and tail, the meat of the carcass should acquire a dark gray shade, and the back should be elastic.

4. When the fish is carefully salted, without sparing water, rinse it to remove all residual salt and spices. The best way is steeping. To do this, put all the carcasses in a clean pan and pour enough large amount of clean cool water.

Important! As a rule, the fish is soaked for as many days as it was salted. Some craftsmen resort to another method - they are soaked until the fish begins to float to the surface.

5. After soaking, thoroughly rub the fish with a towel or napkins.
6. Then hang to dry.

Important! In order to avoid maggots, you can treat the carcass with ordinary 3% vinegar or dip it in unrefined vegetable oil.

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How to dry fish?

Dry the fish in a sunny, dry and carefully blown place:

1. As a rule, fish are hung on hooks or strung on twine.
2. They cling to her eye or lower lip. Hooks can be made of wire or paper clips.
3. Cover the fish with gauze or similar material, for example, with old clean tulle.

Important! If you often dry fish, you can get a special box that is made of wood or plastic and covered with gauze.

Residents of city apartments recommend hanging ropes with fish over their gas stove. But the minimum height from the burner must be 80-90 centimeters.

Important! Near the stove, the fish should dry for several days, but in the air for about a week. Size also matters - larger carcasses will take longer to dry.

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How to store and use?

It is necessary to store dried fish in the refrigerator, while remember to carefully wrap it with cling film or parchment paper, otherwise it will become damp.

How to use it? - Yes, as your soul desires, the main thing is a good mood, as well as sincere company.

Important! You can also crush the dried small fish in a mortar, as a result of which you will get flour suitable for making main dishes.

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Dried or dried - what's the difference?

The fish is dried when drying pre-salted carcasses. This is a familiar, ready-to-eat product. Most people are dried and called dried. Therefore, if they ask the question: “How to dry fish properly?”, People, as a rule, mean - how to dry it properly.

Dried fish is obtained from both unsalted (fresh-dried) and slightly salted carcasses. Dried fish is already considered a semi-finished product that requires further cooking.

Important! It is usually dried in the northern regions, harvested in reserve, in order to use it in the winter. Dried carcasses can be stored for a long time, and at the same time do not lose their nutritional qualities.

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Salt with a brine

This method is also great for home, because it allows you to get evenly salted fish for a fairly short period of time period.

To do this, you must do this:

1. Prepare a slightly oversaturated saline solution, i.e. brine. To do this, dissolve the salt in ordinary water, gradually increasing the salt concentration. The solution is considered ready when a piece of potato or a raw egg will not sink in it. It will take about 1 liter of such a brine for about 2 kg of fish.
2. Pour a thin layer of salt at the bottom of a large container. Place the carcasses in a prepared container.
3. Pour brine so that it completely covers all the carcasses.
4. Cover with a plate or a lid, put oppression on top.
5. Place the container in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days - it depends on the size of the carcass that you salt.
6. After passing the necessary time, remove the carcasses from the brine, and then soak in clean water for 25-30 minutes, changing the water every 10 minutes.
7. Once you have finished soaking, let the water drain.
8. Hang the carcasses in exactly the same way as with the dry pickling method.

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How long does it take to dry?

Drying time of fish at home until fully prepared depends on the size of the carcass, as well as the conditions:

1. On average, this process takes 4-6 days.
2. If dried in the street, it will be blown by the wind, as a result of which it will dry faster, but at home - longer.
3. In winter, in a cool room, this period increases. That is why after 4-5 days, try the fish for the degree of its readiness. If it is slightly damp on the back, let it dry for another 1-2 days.
4. In the more northern regions, carcasses are taken out and frozen for a month and a half.

Important! Quickly and simply to fish at home to dry inside the electric dryer. Forced ventilation, as well as elevated temperatures accelerate the entire process of dehydration of the semi-finished product. In an ordinary electric dryer, at a temperature of approximately + 55 ° C, until complete readiness, it will fade only 5-7 hours.

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Stock footage

Bon Appetit! After all, now you know how to dry fish at home so that it is tasty.