How to store dried fish at home

It is difficult to find a person who would not like dried or dried fish. Such a delicacy adorns the table during friendly gatherings in good company. Dried fish is an ideal beer snack. Every self-respecting fisherman makes preparations of dried fish, which all winter delight the home with its rich taste. Usually the fish is dried in large batches - for a couple of small fishes it is too much trouble. In the end, usually a large amount of tasty and moderately soft fish is obtained, which stimulates appetite. But often the problem arises - how to store this fish? How to save the product for many months? After all, spoiled fish can be not only bitter, but also dangerous! We will talk in more detail about how to dry fish for storage, where and in what to store the product.

The benefits of salted fish

Well, what can be the use of this salty product, you say? And make a mistake. Salt kills all microorganisms, making the fish absolutely safe to eat. At the same time, the fish is not subjected to heat treatment, which preserves all the vitamins, fats and minerals in it.

It is proven that dried fish kills some cancer cells, so the product is used to treat cancer. There are a lot of omega-3 fatty acids in fish that affect brain function. Regular consumption of fish reduces the risk of senile dementia, improves performance, increases brain activity. The use of dried and dried fish reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke, improves the functioning of the heart muscle. By filling in the deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids and eating dried fish, pregnant women reduce the risk of premature birth. After the fish diet, very calm children are born who are not deficient in many vitamins.

How to pickle fish for long-term storage

In order for the fish to be stored for a long time, it must be properly salted and dried.

1. For drying, you need to choose strong and healthy fish without visible damage. All caught fish is lowered to the bottom of the basin or bath. We wash the fish from silt and mucus with our hands. Be careful not to damage the scales. Without it, the fish will be stored much less. After this, the fish must be gutted. Small fish can also be dried whole, but often bile gives the carcass an unpleasant bitterness. If you have enthusiasm and patience, it is better to clean the fish. It will turn out much more delicious.
2. After that, the fish is transferred to a plastic or enameled container, pouring salt. That is, you need to sprinkle salt on the bottom, then put a layer of fish, then salt and fish are new, etc. For salting, select fish of approximately the same size so that they are salted at the same time. Sprinkle a lot of salt on top of the fish so that the carcasses are almost invisible. Cover the fish with oppression and leave at room temperature. After a while, fish juice starts to stand out - brine.
3. After a few days, you can check the fish. Grab the fish with the gills with one hand and pull the tail with the other. If you heard a characteristic crunch - the fish salted, if not - give it another day. Now the fish needs to be soaked. Pour the entire contents of the container into the bath and draw water. All fish settled to the bottom are well salted, and the one that has surfaced is not very salted. It is usually eaten first.
4. Soak the fish in the bath for about 5 hours, changing the water several times a few times.
5. After this, the fish must be strung on a metal wire so that the carcasses do not touch each other. You need to hang the fish by the head, more convenient by the eye holes.If you hang the fish by the tail, the fat from the head will drain down and the fish will turn out to be too dry.
6. Dry the fish for about 10 days in a well-ventilated place. You can not dry the fish in the sun - it can go bad. It is important to protect the fish when drying from flies, otherwise such a fish will not last long. To do this, wipe the carcasses with an vinegar or alcohol composition, or simply dry the fish under gauze.
7. It is very important not to dry the fish, otherwise it will literally have to be bitten. If the carcass near the ridge is a little soft - it's time to collect the "crop".

Cooking fish is not a major concern. The main task is to store it properly.

How to keep dried and dried fish

To store this product, you need a cool room with a certain level of humidity (approximately 70%). The cellar is best suited for these purposes. The dried fish should be wrapped in baking paper or tracing paper. It is not recommended to use a newspaper for these purposes - printing ink is quite toxic. Large fish need to be wrapped separately, and a trifle can be put a few pieces in a bag. After that, you need to hang the bundles under the ceiling so that air circulates around them. Too dry a room will cause the fish to simply dry out and become very hard. But too much humidity is useless - such a product may become moldy. You can also store fish on a glazed balcony or in the attic. If there are no such utility rooms, send the fish to the jar.

This is a common and effective way of long-term storage of dried fish. The jar is pre-washed and sterilized. The fish are tightly placed in it, but so that they do not get damaged each other. At the top is a small candle cinder on a metal stand that needs to be set on fire. While the candle is burning, quickly, but carefully (so that the flame does not go out), we roll the jar with a lid. When all the oxygen is burned, the candle itself will go out. The lack of air in the jar protects the fish from the multiplication of various bacteria and microorganisms. The cans themselves are stored in a dark and cool place. In this form, the fish can be stored for 3-4 months.

Fishermen store dried fish in special boxes. From boards or pieces of plywood, you need to put together a box a little higher than the size of the fish. Fish in general are suspended from the ceiling of the box and are in such a suspended state. The box is placed in a cool and dark room - basement, attic, cellar. In the walls of the box must be openings for ventilation. Cover the box with gauze to protect the fish from insects. Be careful - do not let the cat into the room, it will ruin all the fish for you.

Is it possible to freeze dried fish

Frozen fish can be stored for a very long time, up to a year. If you consume the fish in small pieces, in order to avoid repeated freezing, you can cut the fish in advance and freeze it in portions.

If you notice that the fish is rancid, moldy, or has begun to rot, do not cut off the damaged areas and eat the rest of the carcass. Do not risk health - such a fish, after all, has not been thermally processed, and in an insufficiently dried state can be dangerous. Cook and store fish properly to enjoy a tasty and safe delicacy.

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