Dried bream: cooking method

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

The dried bream recipe is easy and affordable. However, the process of preparing such a dish takes time. But the end result is a wonderful appetizer that will appeal to all fish lovers. Dried bream is prepared in several stages: food preparation, s alting, soaking, drying. The technology must be strictly observed.

Quick Tips

To cook dried bream at home, you need to choose the right products. First of all, this applies to fish. Carcasses must be freshly caught and first class.

You can cook fish in any way. However, her preparation remains the same in either case. So that the product does not begin to rot, you should not start the drying process as soon as the fish has been caught. It should be placed in a well-ventilated and cool place. At the same time, it is recommended to protect carcasses from flies and other insects.

The next step is to clean the fish. It is necessary to remove all mucus from the bream by washing them thoroughly. After that, all the insides should be removed from the fish. ATthe completion of the carcass is thoroughly washed in running water.

It is worth noting that small (up to 30 cm) and bream with caviar can not be gutted. The head of the carcasses is not cut off. But the gills must be removed. When the fish is cleaned and washed, you can start s alting it.

Dry method

Most often, for the preparation of dried bream (the photo is presented at the beginning of the article), they resort to the dry s alting method. To begin with, it is recommended to weigh the fish. For 1 kg of fresh product, 250 g of s alt is required. It is advisable to use coarse. Such s alt removes excess moisture well.

For s alting fish, you will also need an enameled container. It is recommended to scald it with boiling water. The whole process of s alting bream comes down to the following steps:

1. Pour s alt into the bottom of the container. The layer should be approximately 1 cm thick.
2. Prepared carcasses are rubbed with s alt, and then tightly stacked in layers in a container, which are also sprinkled with s alt.
3. The last layer of fish must be covered with a layer of s alt. To enhance the taste, you can add a little sugar.
4. The container is closed with a lid, and oppression is placed on top.

The last item provides for any recipe. Only in this case, the dried bream turns out to be dense. In addition, the use of oppression eliminates the appearance of air cavities inside the fish, where pathogenic microorganisms often accumulate.

The container with s alted carcasses must be placed in a cool place,for example, in the cellar. After 4 hours, the fish releases juice. In it, it should be s alted for 3 days, but not longer. As a result of proper preparation, the backs of breams become elastic. There are other signs as well. The flesh of the carcasses should turn grayish, and the caviar should turn yellow-red.

Wet method

There is another way to s alt bream before drying. The wet method is ideal for small fish (up to 30 cm) that do not need to be gutted. However, the gills should be removed.

For the preparation of dried bream you will need a concentrated saline solution. How to cook it? So much s alt must be dissolved in a bucket of water so that the egg dipped into the liquid floats. Carcasses should be strung on twine with a needle. There should be no more than 5 pieces in one bundle. After that, the fish falls into the tank. Carcasses must be completely immersed in brine.

If the bream is too big, then you will have to pump saline into it with a syringe. At the end, the container with fish should be tightly closed and placed in the cold. The air temperature in this case should be no more than +8 ˚С. Thus, the fish is s alted for 3 days. You can check the readiness of bream on the backs. They should become elastic and firm. After s alting, you can proceed to the next step.

Soaking fish

To make dried bream tasty, you must follow the cooking technology. After s alting, the fish must be soaked. This will remove excess s alt. Thanks to this manipulation, the fish acquires its natural taste. Experts recommend soakingcarcasses in water for as many days as they were s alted. However, practice shows that sometimes 10 hours is enough. In this case, the water must be changed 3 times.

Before drying, it is recommended to dry the bream in a draft, hanging the carcasses in a separate room or in the air. Most importantly, make sure that insects do not spoil the fish. To protect against flies, you can dip the carcasses in a weak solution of vinegar, and then wrap with gauze.

Drying process

This is the last step in the preparation of dried bream. It flows at a temperature of +18…+20 ˚С. As for the duration - it all depends on the size of the fish. As a rule, the process takes up to 4 weeks.

How to determine the readiness of the product? Dried bream has a homogeneous structure that can be easily seen in the light. With proper processing, there are no traces of s alt that has come through. The pulp is not dry, but elastic and soft to the touch. After removing the skin, yellowish fat should be visible. In order for the fish to acquire an exquisite taste, after drying, it should lie down in the refrigerator for a while, pre-wrapped in parchment. That's all. Now you know how to cook dried bream at home.