Any self-respecting fisherman cannot imagine his life without dried fish. It is considered a kind of trophy, because it is not only independently caught, but also independently dried. How to dry fish at home? This process requires special skill.
How to dry fish
How to dry the fish so that the fly or other insects do not sit down? To do this, it is necessary to make its correct preparation before this process:
- It is necessary to salt the fish until it begins to shine through.
- During the soaking of the salted product, it is recommended to add from 50 to 150 grams of vinegar to the water (this substance repels flies, however, it is not always effective).
- For drying, it is best to take not very large fish, because it dries faster, and various insects are not so willing to sit on almost ready-made fish.
- If you still decide to take large prey for drying, it is recommended to remove all the intestines from it and extract the gills.
Following this plan, you will slightly increase the chances that the flies will not fish, but they will not be able to get rid of them 100%.
After that, the product is hung out in the open air and dried for a week, up to ten days.
How to dry fish at home?
Not every fisherman has a special place for drying fish. Accordingly, not everyone knows how to dry fish at home.
To do this qualitatively, it is necessary to stock up with such seasonings as bay leaves, salt and black pepper. In addition, it is necessary to prepare a dense foil and oven.
So, how to dry fish at home? After preparing all the above things, you need to follow this plan:
- The fish should be washed, dried with a paper towel, pull out all the intestines, and then make cuts on it. After performing these steps, the product is sprinkled with salt and pepper and placed under oppression. Further, the fish must be thoroughly washed with salt under running water and dried.
- After drying all the fish, you need to heat the oven and place the foil on the baking sheet. All prey is laid out on it, it is imperative to ensure that the heads are turned in one direction. During the drying process, the oven door needs to be opened by about 50-70 millimeters. The temperature should be no more than 50 degrees. After two hours, the heads of the fish are covered with foil, and it continues to dry for three or four hours.
- Then the product is taken out of the oven, strung on an iron wire or thread, and then hung on fresh air, in the apartment - it could be a balcony. It is dried there for at least two days.
In winter, after pulling out of the oven, you can hang the fish on a rope or wire above the stove.
What is a hanging fish dryer and what is it for?
Drying fish on a rope or wire is a fairly simple and traditional way, but it does not eliminate product spoilage by flies. But the hanging fish dryer is able to protect it from this harmful effect.
The hanging dryer is presented in the form of walls made of gauze or mesh. Such "walls" allow air to pass through and do not slow down the process of drying fish. As a rule, a suspension device consisting of slats with extensions and chains is placed inside such dryers. Hooks for hanging fish are attached to these chains; when buying such a dryer, they are included.
To install this type of dryer, you just need to stretch the stretch on neighboring trees or just drive in stakes. If the fish is dried in the apartment, then you can purchase a special frame or build it yourself.
Dry fish in the summer
How to dry fish in the summer? This process in the warm season has almost no differences from its drying in the winter. The only difference is that in summer the product can be taken out to the balcony or (in a private house) to the street. In winter, it is necessary to dry the fish over the stove, having previously done the above procedure using the oven.
Most often they practice summer drying of fish, because winter fishing is not as popular as in the warm season.
Drying fish on the balcony
For residents of apartments, the process of drying river production is a little more complicated, since there is not so much open air. How to dry fish on the balcony? You must perform the following steps:
- Rinse the fish thoroughly, remove the intestines. In no case can you remove the scales, as this will attract flies and contribute to drying the prey too quickly (this may affect its further taste).
- On the back of each fish it is necessary to make a shallow but long incision, approximately from head to tail.
- Further, the product is salted in a bowl. The best container is enameled, and the salt is large. The latter is taken with the calculation of 20% of the mass of the weight of all fish. If you wish, you can add bay leaf and black pepper to the salt.
- The fish is transferred to another container in layers, each layer is carefully covered with salt. You also need to grate the product inside.
- Above is placed on top of the fish and all this is placed in a cool place for several days. It is recommended to use a refrigerator.
- After salting, the fish must be washed and dried.
- Further, it is hung out on a balcony (a thread or a wire is used). How to dry the fish so that the fly does not sit? It is best to treat each with 3 percent vinegar.
The fish is dried in about a week.
How to dry fish with guts?
To dry the fish with guts or not is a matter of taste. It is worth noting that if the product was dried together with the entrails, then in its taste there may be a certain bitterness, which not everyone likes.
Drying of fish with intestines occurs in the same way as all the above methods, the only difference is that you do not need to remove the entire contents of its belly.
On the one hand, removing the insides of the fish is a very complicated matter, but if the fisherman does not want to get a dried product with a bitter taste, then it is better not to evade this matter.
What is a box for drying fish?
How to dry the fish so that the fly does not sit? For this purpose, the best solution would be to use a box for drying fish.
It can be bought or made with your own hands. Creating a box yourself will cost about half the price.
The optimal size of the frame of the box for drying fish is 1 * 1.10 meters, depth - 0.5 meters. The most suitable material is a tree (its species does not matter).
To create such a box, you must do the following:
- Mark the beam and cut it with an electric jigsaw. Then, using a screwdriver, angles and screws, assemble the frame.
- Stiffening ribs are attached on all sides.
- A cable is attached to the side walls (fish is dried on it).
- Then you need to complete the processing of the box with insect repellent.
- It should be absorbed and dry, and after that the box is opened with varnish. It must be applied in two layers with an interval of 4 hours.
- At the bottom of the box you need to install special spacing.
- The base of the door must be glued with a sealant.
By performing these steps, you will get a ready-made box for drying fish, which no insects can penetrate.
Tips for Preserving Dried Fish
The reader already knows how to dry the fish so that the fly does not sit. Now is the time to talk about how to properly store it.
There are some tips to help keep dried fish as long as possible:
- Before you put the fish in a bag for further storage, you need to thoroughly wipe it and put twigs of conifer in the belly, if it is absent, plain paper will do;
- in the hot season, it is recommended to spread nettles on top of dried fish, this will increase its shelf life by several times.
Here we told you how to dry fish at home. Fulfilling all the requirements, you will get a quality and tasty product. Bon Appetit!