The finished dish has a bright taste and useful trace elements. It contains in itself vitamins B and Y, as well as calcium, iron, nickel, zinc, chromium and fluorine. Regular use improves the condition of blood vessels, regulates the work of metabolic processes and has a beneficial effect on the state of the mucous membranes.
All this leads to a reduced risk of stroke or coronary disease. Serve dried bream can be a separate dish, and in the form of snacks for beer.
How many calories in this dish? Energy value: there are about 221 kcal per 100 grams of finished fish – this is not very much, since most often people are limited to a small amount of dried product. Information about BZHU (proteins, fats, carbohydrates) – 42; 5.9 and 0, respectively.
How to cook fish for drying
First you need to select the right specimens from the catch – the size should be no more than 35 cm, otherwise the dried bream inside will remain raw. Big fishes are better left to cook other dishes. Do not rush and immediately begin salting, pre-fresh fish should be left in a well-ventilated place for a while.
To prevent flies or midges from sitting on the product, it is possible to cover it with gauze dipped in a weak solution of vinegar and water. Next bream washed in cold water, remove all the insides and again washed to remove mucus. Small fish can wither without gutting.
A prerequisite for cooking is the removal of the gills, but do not need to cut off the head!
Curing process
Drying fish is not as simple as it might seem at first glance. Failure to comply with the technology may cause the carcasses to rot, which leads to the poisoning of a person if such a product is consumed. Before preparing all the ingredients for salting, it is important for the bream to be properly salted, soaked and dried. A good product is stored for a long time, without changing its taste and qualities.
For salting use dry or wet method. Salt does not improve the taste, but only removes excess moisture. The more liquid is removed at this stage, the tastier the snack will be, but you should not keep the carcass in salt for too long.
Cook dried bream at home by the following methods:
- Wet salting. This type of preparation for drying is more suitable for small fish – up to 20 cm in size. It consists in dissolving salt in a bucket of water in such a quantity that a raw chicken egg does not sink. Next bream strung on a thick rope or twine with a needle, in one bundle – up to 5-7 pieces. Threads with carcasses dipped in a bucket with a solution. For larger fish, the method is less commonly used, since they need to pump a syringe into the belly of the solution. The container should be tightly closed with a lid or plastic and cleaned in a dark place at a temperature of up to +8 degrees. The process will last about 3 days.
- Dry salting.This method is the fastest, so it is often used. The amount of salt depends on the weight of the fish, the recipe of dried bream is simple: for 1 kg take 250 g of coarse-grained salt. It is necessary to cook an enameled pan (or a bucket), scald it with boiling water and pour 1 cm layer of salt to the bottom. Next, spread alternately with layers of bream and salt. The last fishes are filled with salt completely, that is, so that the carcass is not visible at all. Allowed to add a little sugar to enhance the taste. Capacity tightly closed with a lid and set the load. As it is often used a three-liter jar of water or a weight. The oppression is necessary to eliminate the air gap and the appearance of microorganisms, which will negatively affect the quality of the product. A bucket with salted fish is recommended to be removed in a cold place for 2-3 days.
The choice of method depends on your own preferences and the size of carcasses. Most often, fish lovers prefer dry salting, as it is simpler and takes less time. Check the readiness of the transition to the next stage can be on the appearance of the fish. It looks like this: the color of the meat changes to grayish, and the calf, to orange-red, the back of the carcass becomes stiff and elastic.
Soaking and drying fish
In no case should the bream be left to dry immediately after salting! Such a dish would be simply impossible to eat. For soaking you need to lower the carcasses in clean water for a certain time, according to the rules – this is the time of salting (if the fish was salted for 2 days, then you should also soak it for 2 days). However, often at home is enough for 12-15 hours.
It is recommended to change the water 3-5 times. When salting with a wet method, it is enough to wash the bream under running water for 1-2 hours. It is still too early to start drying fish. Now you need to dry the fish a little, leaving it in a draft for several hours in the supine position.
For drying use a special dryer, which hung fish. How to make it at home? It is not necessary to buy a unit at a high price, at home it is possible to hang bream near a gas stove or on a balcony in the warm season. Do not forget about the protection of the product from insects that carry the eggs of parasites.
The recommended temperature for drying fish is no more than +20 degrees. It will wilt from 1 to 4 weeks, depending on the size and weight of carcasses, as well as salting. The ideal dried bream is the product on which salt does not act. The meat of such fish is covered with dry fat of yellow color, but the bream itself is dried soft and elastic. It is possible to improve the taste by placing the finished product in the refrigerator for a while.
