Fish is one of the most important components in the diet of any person. There are many ways to prepare this product for every taste. You can eat it raw, fry, steam, cook or bake. And each of these methods has its pros and cons. For example, fried or baked fish during thermal processing retains fewer beneficial properties than lean and steamed, but it is better in gastronomic qualities.
So is there a way that will have no shortcomings, will preserve all the useful properties of seafood and will delight you with its amazing taste? Of course there is! For this, seafood fillets should simply be salted.
How to salt fish dry salted correctly?
Today, everyone knows about this cooking method. There are many recipes and types of salted fish. The most common methods are: dry salting and wet. In the first type of salted fish, only bulk ingredients are used without the use of water. They are simply mixed together and added to the product. And in the second, such a curing mixture is diluted with water and only then the fish is lowered into the resulting brine.
But the fastest and easiest is still dry. Thanks to him, fish retain all their properties and taste. With dry salting, the fish gets a fairly dense structure, which is ideal for canapes, sandwiches and sushi. This cooking method can be used by both experienced chefs and beginners. Ideal fish for dry salting is pike perch, pike, balyk, roach, ram, sprat, sardines, bream and carp. This cooking method is especially good for medium-sized seafood, from 300 grams to 2 kg. You can apply dry salting for salmon.
Dry salted fish recipes at home
For this method of preparing salting, it is recommended to take a medium-sized river product. Before the process itself, you need to process the carcasses of the fish. Initially, they must be washed and dried. Sprats and sardines can be salted in their original form, and for large individuals, the entrails and gills should be removed, then rinse the abdominal cavity and wipe with a cotton rag.
Components for salting (for 5 kg of fish)
- A barrel or box of suitable size (before the process itself, the container should be clean and dry).
- Sugar - 50 grams.
- Black pepper (peas) - 20 grams.
- Salt - kosher or medium grinding.
- Fresh fish - 5 kg.
Kosher salt is necessary in order to remove all moisture from the fish. If you take a small one, then it does not dehydrate the product, but only greatly salt and burn.
Cooking Phase
- Gutted fish, its gill holes and mouth should be covered with salt.
- If the product remains in its original state, then just sprinkle on it.
- The largest fish should be laid out in prepared dishes, first of all, with the back down, in layers.
- Each new row of carcasses needs a little sprinkle with salt, sugar and black pepper.
- Layers should be laid out in the opposite direction. If the first was laid out in the direction of the heads of the fish, the other lies on it in the direction of the tails. Layers should fit snugly together.
- When all the carcasses are laid out, it is also necessary to sprinkle the fish with salt and sugar on top.
- Next, on the ambassador you need to put a suitable size lid or wooden circle with a hole and press down with a weight or a clean stone.
- Put the fish in a cold place for 4-10 days.
- During this time, monitor the formation of brine. If after four days it is not enough to cover all the carcasses, you must prepare your own (250 grams per liter of water) and pour into the ambassador.
- After 10 days, when the back of the fish hardens, it can be removed from the liquid. Before storage, it should be washed with salt and air-dried for 10-15 days.
- After the fish, salted in a dry way, you can eat it or put it in a basket or box for further storage.
Sugar can be added to the ambassador if desired. But it is worth noting that thanks to him the product acquires a delicate taste.
The following recipe for dry salted fish is appreciated for its ease of preparation.
Ingredients (per 5 kg of product)
- Wooden crate or basket.
- Sackcloth.
- Fresh fish - 5 kg.
- Sugar, salt.
Cooking process
Before the salting process itself, process the fish, rinse well and dry with a cotton rag.
Lay a burlap at the bottom of the basket or box so that it covers the sides of the container.
Sprinkle each fish with salt, not forgetting about the belly and gill holes.
Lay it in the prepared basket with the back down, tight to each other, each layer in the opposite direction (head to tail).
When the ranks end, cover the salting with a wooden lid and press on top with oppression (stone or some other heavy object).
Place the fish in a cold place, put a waterproof cloth under a box or basket , as in the process of dry salting, the fish will secrete juice that flows through the cracks.
Leave on for 7-12 days until completely salted.
When the back of the fish hardens, it is necessary to remove it from the liquid, rinse and dry a little in the air. Ready salted product can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than a week.
Dry big fish ambassador
Thanks to this method, the product receives delicious taste and retains all the nutritional properties. Such dry salting is suitable for pike, zander, bream, carp and other fish weighing more than 2 kg.
Ingredients (per 10 kg of product)
They are as follows:
- A box or barrel of a suitable size.
- Sugar - 150 grams.
- Fresh fish - 10 kg.
- Kosher salt or sea salt - 1.5 kg.
- Cloves, bay leaves and black pepper (peas).
Cooking process
Remove the entrails of the fish, fins and tail, rinse well and make two cuts along the back.
Fill her belly, gill holes and mouth with salt.
Outside, also rub her fish.
Prepare a barrel or box before the process itself, wash, dry and pour a layer of salt to the bottom.
Mix the remaining salt, sugar and spices.
Lay the fish layers, as in the previous recipes, not forgetting to sprinkle each new layer with a mixture of salt and seasoning.
Cover the finished dry salting with a lid or a wooden circle and put it in the basement or on the balcony (if winter) for 12-15 days.
If it is necessary to speed up the process of salting fish with dry salting, the box can not be cleaned in a cool place, but left at room temperature. In this case, it will be salted out for a week.
When the approximate period of salting passes, and the back of the fish hardens, it can be removed from the liquid.
Store the finished product in the refrigerator, after wrapping it in parchment or newspaper. If the fish needs to be dried, then after removing it from the brine, it must be washed under running water and dried for 5-7 days in a suspended state, in a room with good ventilation. Such a salted product can be stored at room temperature in a dry place.
Dry salted red fish recipe at home
Among the many ways to cook seafood, I would like to highlight recipes for red fish. Such a delicacy is found at almost every feast and celebration. Red fish is loved for its delicate and pleasant taste, useful properties. From it you can cook snacks, salads, soups or serve on the table in the form of slices. Today you can buy salted red fish in almost any supermarket. But it will cost a lot, and a guarantee of quality can not be found on every product. Because of this, many modern chefs prefer to pickle red fish with dry salting on their own at home.
Preparing seafood before salting
For dry salting, you can use both fresh and frozen red fish. The skin of the product must be free from damage, unpleasant odor, yellow spots and streaks. On frozen fish, an ice layer of up to 5 mm is allowed. Also, when you click on seafood, it should not emit liquid.
Before salting, red fish should be thawed naturally at room temperature. On average, it will take from an hour to three. For cutting, a slightly frozen fish is suitable.
The first step is to remove the scales from it and rinse under cold water. Then you need to remove the head, tail and fins from the fish. Particular attention should be paid to the abdomen, in which caviar may be present. To do this, you need to cut it vertically and carefully extract all the contents. If the caviar is still present in the fish, it can then be salted together with the product fillet.
Next, the ridge and bones of the carcass should be removed. To do this, fish should be cut in half along the back. Then shift to a cutting board, so that the fillet is on top and carefully with a knife to remove the ridge and all the large bones. The last step in preparing fish for dry salting at home is to remove the skin. This procedure is optional and the skin can be left if desired.
Ingredients (per 1 kg of red fish)
- Glass or enamel pan with lid.
- Kosher or sea salt - 100 grams.
- Sugar - 50 grams.
- Red fish fillet - 1 kg.
Cooking process
Mix sugar and salt, if desired, add spices (cloves, bay leaves, basil or pepper), or lemon juice.
Cut red fish fillet into pieces of 5 cm before reaching the skin.
With a mixture of sugar and salt completely cover the carcass. Pay special attention to cuts and skin.
Transfer the fillet to the dishes, cover and leave in a cool, dark place for 24 hours. Get salted fish.
After salting, remove layers of salt from it and dry in air or with napkins.
Then the fish can be cut into pieces and tasted.
It is recommended to store seafood fillet in the refrigerator, having previously wrapped it with parchment.
Dry salmon salmon at home
Not all fish in the salmon family have a soft structure and do not harden when salted. For example, the pink salmon meat in the classic salting recipe in a dry way can be very dry. In such cases, a special recipe is needed that can preserve all the useful properties of red fish and not harm its structure.
To begin with, you should also prepare the carcass, clean the scales from it, remove the tail, head, fins and all the insides. After that, rinse it under cold water and dry with a napkin. Then you need to make a deep incision along the back of pink salmon and pull out its ridge and large bones. Then, if desired, you can either leave such a filet whole, or cut it into pieces.
Ingredients (per 2 kg of fish)
- Olive oil - 50 ml.
- Sugar - 2 tablespoons.
- Salt - 150 grams.
- Enameled or glassware with a flat bottom.
- Black pepper, bay leaf and cloves (to taste).
Cooking process
Mix a mixture of spices (except bay leaf), salt and sugar, mix together and carefully rub into a fillet.
Pour half of the olive oil into the bottom of the cooked dishes and place the pieces of red fish in it, so that the skin is on top.
Sprinkle layers of fillet with the remaining mixture of salt and sugar, and lay bay leaves on it.
Pour the resulting dry salmon from red fish with the second half of olive oil, evenly distributing it over the entire surface.
Cover the dish with salted fillet and leave at room temperature for 3 hours.
After this time, remove the dry ambassador from the fish in a dark, cool place for 24 hours.
After a day, remove the fillet from the oil, rinse it under running water and pat it with a clean rag.
It is recommended to store such pink salmon no more than three days in the refrigerator.
If the salted product turned out to be very salty, it must be placed for a couple of hours in vegetable or olive oil. After the time has passed, remove the fish from it and pat it with cotton napkins.
Bon Appetit!