Perhaps no festive table can do without salted fish . After all, this is one of the most common snacks. Salted fish stimulates appetite, satisfies hunger and even neutralizes the effect of alcohol on the body a little. But, unfortunately, fresh food is not always on the shelves. And yet, how to be sure of the quality of the fish? It's simple: you need to learn how to salt it yourself. And this is actually not so difficult. And to find the answer to the question: "How to salt fish?" - it is enough to read this article to the end. You will need a minimum of products and a little patience.
Which fish is better to choose?
You must choose either winter or spring. During this period, her meat contains more fat, which significantly affects the taste of the product after processing. And one more thing: it’s worth remembering that premium fish is obtained only from salmon, herring and mackerel species. Large varieties are necessarily gutted, and small varieties can be left intact.
How to pickle fish?
So, let's take a closer look at several ways, and we have three.
Dry ambassador
For the first method, we need a wooden container, for example, a box or basket, 10 kg of fish and 1.5 kg of salt. The bottom will need to be covered with a burlap or canvas rag. The fish should be laid tightly to each other (jack, belly up) and sprinkled with plenty of salt. Then it is covered with a wooden lid, on top of which a load is placed (for example, a large stone). After a few days, the fish should give a juice that will flow out through the slots of the box (basket). She salted on average on the 5-10th day, everything will depend on its size. The larger the fish, the longer it will take to cook. It should also be taken into account that all this time she should be in the cold. Well, now you know how to quickly pickle fish.
Wet ambassador
The second method is also simple. For this we need an iron bowl, 10 kg of fish, 1 kg of salt and 1 tbsp. a spoonful of sugar. Next, we do the same as in the first method. The fish is laid abdomen in tight rows. Then it is covered with salt, into which a spoonful of sugar is added. It is this combination that gives the fish an unusually delicate taste. Cover with a lid, put the load and remove in the cold. Usually after a couple of days the fish is completely covered with brine, which is very good. On the 5-8th day, it can already be taken out of the vessel, washed in running water and dried. Now you know how to pickle fish in another way.
Sagging ambassador
The third method is significantly different from the previous ones. So let's look at how to salt a river fish properly using the sag method. To do this, it will be necessary in advance to prepare a saline solution, the density of which is easy to check with ordinary raw potatoes. If it does not sink, then there is enough salt. The fish is suspended on the rods so that there is a small distance between it - it should not touch one another. Then dipped in a container with the prepared solution. It remains only to be patient and wait. It will take 7 days, and the fish can be eaten.
Helpful hints:
1. Little is known about how to pickle fish; one must also be convinced of its readiness. It is enough to check it for “oakiness”: it becomes quite hard and bends badly.
2. Large fish must be gutted, and small fish can be left untouched.
3. Important! Fish during salting must be protected from flies. Therefore, the container in which it is located is best closed with gauze.