Dry bream. Dried bream: cooking method

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It is necessary to dry the bream correctly!

Salt and wilted whole bream. To make the fish tasty, with a pleasant aroma and the correct meat consistency, you need to follow a few simple rules.

Salting and drying bream

We will salt the bream whole without removing the entrails - this way the fish will turn out to be fatty and as tasty as possible.

The whole process will consist of several stages:

Cooling fish;
Salting;
Soaking;
Drying.
The main difficulty in salting large fish without gutting is to preserve its freshness throughout the whole process of salting and drying.

Cooling

In order for the fish to turn out without the slightest odor, it must be properly cooled before salting. For this, the fish is placed in the freezer for 1-2 hours, depending on the size and quantity of fish. It is important to prevent it from freezing.

You can also cool the bream in the refrigerator, but it will take more time.

Salted bream

For salting, you need a container of a suitable size. The bulkier plastic food container found in any hardware store is best suited for this.

10 kg of fish will require approximately 3 kg of salt.
The bottom of the container in which the bream will be salted is sprinkled with a thin layer of salt. Each fish is salted in the area of ​​the gills, placed in a container and sprinkled with salt on top.

Bream is stacked in layers, each layer of fish is sprinkled with abundant salt. After all the fish has been laid out, a lid and weight will be placed on the fish, which will keep the fish in the brine.

The container with the fish is put into the refrigerator and salted in it for 7 days. Every day, the container with the fish must be taken out of the refrigerator and the fish must be pushed with their own weight to get rid of the air from the inside.

Salted fish can be sealed and stored in the freezer. As needed, the fish is thawed, soaked and dried. This is one of the ways to store salted fish for a long time.

Soaking

Soaking the fish after salting is a must. During soaking, the fish will get rid of excess salt.

The fish is placed in a container with plenty of cold water. In hot weather, ice is added to the water, and it changes to fresh water every few hours. For a large enough bream, you need to take at least 20 hours for this.

Drying bream

After soaking, the fish is strung on hooks and hung to dry in a cool, ventilated place. It is best to hang large bream by the tail to drain excess fat.


To wind the fish faster, it is better to use a household fan. The fan allows you to significantly speed up the process of drying bream!

Bream is an extremely tasty fish that is ideal for pickling. In addition, this is an excellent snack for a cool beer, especially in the heat of summer. Therefore, every real fisherman should be familiar with how to salt bream at home. Moreover, this process is simple and involves the use of available products. But the result is amazing and to the liking of everyone, without exception.

A few words about the product

Bream is not only always tasty, but also healthy. It has a high nutritional value, since it contains the polyunsaturated fatty acids Omega-3 and Omega-6 necessary for each organism, as well as vitamin A. Its meat is considered the best antioxidant, contains compounds that help to normalize weight, and also control sugar levels in blood.

There are no specific rules on how to salt and wilted bream at home. The whole procedure for preparing fish depends primarily on factors such as the size of the trophy and individual taste preferences. Moreover, it is recommended to salt only fresh fish. Both a large trophy and a bream (small bream) are suitable for use.

Please note: salting fish for drying can be carried out by the following methods - intact and gutted. Cooking whole small bream is topical. Also, the technology of salting fish without gutting is suitable only if there is caviar. It is imperative to cleanse the entrails of a large trophy, since only under this condition its meat is well salted and does not deteriorate.

The main methods of preparation and preparation features

Allocate dry and wet salting of bream. Before starting the procedure, it is important to properly prepare the fish. The algorithm of actions at this stage is as follows:

  1. Good rinsing of the fish under running water.
  2. Removal of gills and internal organs.
  3. The second rinsing of the fish from the blood and the remnants of the entrails.

When the preparation is complete, you can start the cooking process itself. You can salt the fish in a box (wooden), saucepan or toe. If it is a bastard, you can also cook it in a jar.

Summer method

Dry ambassador of bream provides for the following procedure:

  1. Place a layer of salt on the bottom of a suitable container.
  2. Place the fish on it (in a row), belly up.
  3. Cover it with spice, then lay out the next row. This should be done until the bream runs out.
  4. Cover the top layer generously with salt.
  5. Close the container with a lid and press down with a stone pressure. The container should be moved to a cool place. The product is stored better at low temperatures. Salt penetrates into the meat rather slowly, and where the product has not yet been salted, the cold reliably protects it from spoilage.

In order for the salting of fish to be successful, it is important to use only rock salt for it. How much spices do you need to take for high-quality bream preparation? One kg of product will require at least 125 g of salt. In general, the question of how much to salt the bream for drying depends on the weight and, accordingly, the parameters of the fish. It should be remembered that salt is used not only to add flavor, but also to remove it from moisture. This function is perfectly handled by a coarsely ground spice. It dissolves rather slowly and actively absorbs moisture.

It is important to keep the fish in brine for at least 7 days. On the seventh day, you need to check the condition of the brine. If the surface of the bream is soft, keep the fish in dry brine for a few more days.

At the end of the salting procedure, the fish should be soaked in cold water for a couple of hours before drying. Soaking the bream will get rid of excess salt. Fish should be dried in a well-ventilated area. The dry salting method is advisable to use in summer, when it is hot outside.

How long does it take to dry the fish? We dry the bream in a suspended state for at least 10 days. To prevent flies from encroaching on it, you need to cover it with gauze, which can be sprinkled with a vinegar solution. The smell of the latter scares away insects. If you need to wither the fish quickly, use small specimens. Large bream can take up to several weeks to dry.

If you regularly cook fish in this way, then it is advisable to make a special tray for drying. The latter is made in the form of a rectangular structure consisting of strips covered with gauze. Inside it is pulled by the strings of the fishing line.

Important: dry salting is used to prepare fish for smoking. It is this method that allows you to more reliably salt the meat. For smoking, it is enough to salt the fish for up to three days. After this time, it is well washed and left in cold water for several hours. Thanks to soaking, the bream loses excess salt and gains weight.

Winter method

Wet or, in other words, brine salting method is suitable for preparing small river specimens. This method is useful in winter. It differs from the previous method in that after the salting procedure, the product does not need to be dried.

The algorithm for cooking fish in a wet way for the winter is similar to dry salting. It also needs to be rubbed and spread with layers of salt. Consumption: for 10 kg of product, take from 1.25 to 1.5 kg of spice (moderate salting). To make the meat more tender, add 1 more tablespoon of sugar to the recipe. With a strong wet salting of the breeder, up to 3 kg of salt is consumed.

To improve the taste of the product, you will need a few leaves of lavrushka, a pinch of coriander and red pepper. The spices should be added directly to the marinade.

For 2-3 days the fish is covered with its own juice. The product is completely salted for 5-8 days (it depends on the size of the specimens). River bream can be consumed immediately after the end of salting.

Service in a European way

Fishing and hunting recreation center "Uglianskoe" invites everyone to fish bream in the summer and winter. We have a school for a beginner fisherman, where experienced specialists will teach you the basics of this exciting lesson. We have created for fishing lovers the best conditions for their pastime, we guarantee our clients comfortable accommodation, a menu of Russian and European cuisine, and the best service. The territory of the recreation center "Uglyanskoye" is under the round-the-clock supervision of the security service.

It’s hard to think of a better beer snack than dried bream. Such fish is easy to prepare, available for sale, ideally combined with a popular foamy drink.

The drying process itself includes several mandatory procedures: the selection and preparation of fish, its salting, soaking and final drying.

To achieve a good result, it is important not to deviate from the time-tested technology, only then will the dried fish turn out to be tasty and will look appetizing.

Where to start?

First of all, it is important to clearly understand why you generally need to dry. Initially, this is one of the oldest ways of storing meat and fish invented by people. During this process, the fish is deprived of excess moisture, after which it can be safely stored for a long time without much spoilage and visible loss of taste.

This problem has long been faced by fishermen. After all, after a successful fishing with an abundant catch, something needs to be done. Especially on hot summer days, when freshly caught fish spoils as soon as possible. Thus, the need for quick processing of the catch forced the fishermen to use all the methods available to them to work with fish.

In the south of Russia, in the space between the Don and the Volga, the same bream are dried in a simple (marching) way. The caught fish are gutted, washed, and then cut along the ridge and unfolded in the form of a "book". Then the spread-out bream is doused in a large amount of salt and hung on a rope in a freely ventilated place.

This is how the famous Tsimlyansk bream is prepared - quickly, efficiently and with not the worst gustatory result.

At home, it is better to wilted bream in another way. First of all, you need to pay attention to the quality of the feedstock. Only fresh fish should be chosen for subsequent drying - first-class bream and undergrowth.

The fish must be thoroughly cleaned: remove mucus, rinse well, then remove the internal organs and rinse thoroughly again.
Small specimens and fish with caviar, as a rule, are not gutted. It is also not customary to cut off the head of a bream, the gills are subject to mandatory removal.

Only after completing these procedures can you start salting the fish.

This stage is rightfully considered the most important and is invariably present in any recipe for dried bream.

The available fish should first of all be weighed. For dry salting, a simple proportion is used - 250 grams of salt per 1 kilogram of fresh fish. Moreover, it is better to take coarse salt, as it most effectively "removes" excess moisture.


A good, capacious container for salting will certainly come in handy. It should first be doused with boiling water.

After gutting bream, removing gills, black mucus and weighing, you can start the process itself. Part of the measured salt should be poured onto the bottom of the container so that a uniform layer about 1 cm thick is formed. With the remaining amount, thoroughly rub the fish carcasses, both outside and inside.

Next, the bream are placed in a container in dense layers, which are important to sprinkle with salt, covered with something flat (a large plate, a cutting board). At the same time, the upper fish are also covered with a layer of salt with a small addition of sugar in order to enhance the taste. It is very important not to forget to install some kind of oppression on top.

Oppression is important for several reasons. Firstly: only so wilted bream will be dense. Secondly: when using oppression, air cavities will not appear inside the fish, in which harmful microorganisms like to accumulate.

It will take two days for high-quality salting. The fish container is placed where it is cool. After a few hours, the bream will start up the juice, it is in it that the fish will be salted all the allotted time. Correctly salted carcasses will eventually become elastic, the flesh will acquire a gray tint, and the caviar will become reddish-yellow.

Soaking and drying

After two days, the resulting brine (brine) should be drained. The bream must be soaked in water to remove excess salt. There are different points of view on this score. Some professionals advise soaking the fish for the same number of days as it was salted. There is a recommendation to soak for 10 hours. In this case, it is important to drain the water during the process at least three times.


The bream should be hung in a cool room (basement, attic, balcony). A gauze canopy can be used as insect protection

Drying

Autumn is the ideal time for drying. Breams accumulate "fat", the weather is right. The fish can be dried freely on the balcony at natural temperature.

The total time is determined empirically - it depends on the ventilation of the room with air, the size, weight of the fish, and the established temperature.


Average drying time is one to two weeks

The readiness of bream is determined by a number of characteristics. The structure of well-dried bream is uniform, easily visible in the light. Salt protruding is not noticeable. The pulp is firm with an amber color of meat. The aroma is pleasant.

To improve the taste, wrap the bream in thick paper and keep it in the refrigerator for a while.

Wet salting

This method of pretreating bream before drying is good for small specimens (less than 30 cm in length). Such fish are not cleaned of entrails, but only the gills are removed.


For salting it is necessary to prepare a saline solution with a good concentration.

Salt in a container with water (bucket) must be dissolved so much that an egg immersed in water rises to the surface.

Several fish are strung on tight thread, line or twine using a needle. Usually, half a dozen carcasses are placed on one thread. Then the bream are dipped into the solution with full immersion.

After that, it is important to close the bucket with bream more tightly and put it in a cold place. The temperature there should not exceed 8 degrees Celsius. Salting will take 3 days. Readiness is determined by the elasticity and hardness of the backs. Then you can move on to the next stage.

How to dry bream without gutting

For lovers of dried fish with caviar, you can offer to dry the bream without gutting, with a whole carcass.

For these purposes, only the freshest fish is suitable (less than a day from the time of catch). It is necessary to immediately rid the bream from the gills, rinse and salt. The salting process is the same as for gutted specimens. The only difference lies in the severity of the oppression. Better to take more massive, about half the weight of the entire fish.

After two days, the bream should be washed and then hung in a cool place (no higher than 10 degrees Celsius). A gauze curtain or mesh frame is required to keep out flies.

As for the benefits of dried bream for the body, it should be borne in mind that they contain a lot of fatty acids, calcium, phosphorus. But there are a lot of calories in such fish, as well as salt. Therefore, you should not go to extremes and eat exclusively dried fish. Everything is good in moderation.

Fish has always been a favorite dish of almost all peoples of our planet. But this product begins to deteriorate quickly enough. Therefore, people have long invented many ways to store fish in reserve.

It remains to find out how to do this: how to properly dry the fish at home, dry and salt the product so that it does not deteriorate.

Types of fish to dry

Drying or drying is an old way to preserve food. Most often it is applied to fish and meat. By slowly drying in a ventilated room or in the fresh air, the product acquires a spicy taste. Can all types of fish be treated like this?

According to the masters, it is better to use the following types for drying:

Generally speaking, small-sized individuals are best suited for drying. Among professional fishermen, such fish is called low-value. But larger "brethren", for example, catfish, bream or pike perch, can also work.

All of the listed species are freshwater. They are most often used for drying. But the masters recommend not to give up the gifts of the seas. You can use frozen fish for this. Flounder, herring, halibut and mackerel are also used.

It is better to get jerky, which contains a large amount of fat. Therefore, for drying, it is better to take a spring or winter catch before spawning. For best results, fish caught should be salted immediately.

In the regions of the north, the "bearish" drying technique is often used. In this case, raw materials are used already with a smell. But this option, due to its taste specifics, may not please everyone.

Main steps

Drying or drying fish, like any other work, is carried out in a specific sequence:

  1. The first stage is salting. The fish should be placed in any suitable container and sprinkled with salt. Next, it is placed in a cool place.
  2. The next step is soaking. The fish is first washed and then placed in fresh water.
  3. The last stage is direct drying. The process can take place in natural conditions or with the use of any devices, it all depends on the method chosen.

But before proceeding with the sequential execution of all stages, the fish should be prepared. It is cleared of mucus and washed in running water. In large specimens, the insides are taken out, small ones can be left as they are. In this case, you do not need to peel off the scales.

Salting fish methods

Dried fish is a favorite product of many nations. Therefore, there are many methods of initial salting. This process is the first stage of drying. Depending on your preference, you can apply the following methods:

With the dry and wet method, salt is used at the rate of 1-1.5 kilograms per 10 kilograms of fish. But here a lot depends on the size of the fish. And how long does the salting itself last? If we are talking about small specimens, then for any method, it is enough to withstand a couple of days. For large fish, it will take more time, up to ten days.

To check the degree of readiness, you should pay attention to the appearance. The back is pulled to the ridge, and the meat itself becomes hard. You can slightly pull the fish by the head. If a crunch is heard, then everything is ready for further processing.

Preparing for drying

When the fish is salted enough, proceed to the next steps. But this is not the drying itself. The first step is to get rid of excess salt. For this, the carcasses are placed in fresh water. This stage is very important. If you leave salt on the outer surface, the skin will become damp during storage and begin to deteriorate quickly. Soaking is carried out at the rate of one hour for every day of salting. In this case, the time when the fish is washed in running water to remove mucus also counts.

Choosing a place for drying

A faster method is also used - using an oven or electric dryer. In the first case, the fish are placed tightly on a baking sheet; in addition, foil can be placed under them. The temperature is made no more than 80 degrees and the oven door is left ajar 5-7 centimeters. The procedure itself lasts up to 8 hours, depending on the size of the carcass. Further, the fish are hung up for a day to dry.

If the farm has an electric dryer, then the finished product can be obtained in two days. It is necessary to use equipment with the ability to turn off heating. The fish is placed inside and the mode is set to 30 degrees with the fan on. After two days, the product is of a fairly good quality and is ready for use. It is worth remembering that using an electric dryer will not rid the room of an unpleasant odor.

You can dry the fish in winter. It is better to keep the air temperature above freezing. Therefore, balconies, attics and living rooms are used for drying. But you can also hang it out in the fresh air. Such drying has a lot of disadvantages. First, the process itself can take several weeks. Secondly, the taste of dried fish will not be up to par.

Drying recipes of different types

You can use the standard recommendations and recipes to salt the ram at home or prepare a dried omul or other fish delicacy. But in order to obtain a more tasty and high-quality product, the process of salting and drying in each case must be approached in its own way:

There are many ways to dry. It is important to correctly determine the readiness of the product. If done correctly, the dried meat will have a greasy sheen, become dense and elastic. The finished product is translucent, the skin should be easily peeled off. Finished dried fish can be stored in wooden boxes or baskets for up to 10 months.

Attention, only TODAY!

Salted bream is quite tasty and easy to prepare. In addition, such a dish requires a minimum of effort, a small amount of time and food. Many fishermen and chefs know how to pickle bream at home. They always follow the technology of the process and get amazing results.

Preliminary preparation of bream

In order to make such a dish, you need to prepare the carcass and know how to salt the bream.

Only fresh carcasses without the slightest signs of spoilage can be used for salting. To do this, at the very beginning, you must carefully examine all the fish and select the freshest ones.

After that, you should decide how exactly the fish will be salted: as a whole, gutted or chopped.

  1. Whole carcasses. This is the easiest way. For this method, carcasses no more than 30 cm in length are suitable. For him, they do not need to be opened and gutted, but you just need to carefully remove the gills and rinse very well in cool water. Then the whole carcass is salted.
  2. Gutted carcasses. Things are a little more complicated here, but there is nothing critical. To prepare the bream, rinse, open the belly and remove all entrails. Be sure to remove the gills and cut off the large fins, taking care not to damage the skin. Scales with this method should not be removed.
  3. Sliced ​​carcasses. This method is used only for very large individuals. For preparation, it is necessary to repeat all points from method 2 and additionally cut the carcasses into portioned pieces of 5 - 8 cm.

When choosing a method for preparing carcasses for salting, one must remember the simple rule that fish without entrails can be stored longer.

If you plan long-term storage, then choose method 2 or 3.

Fish ambassador

The choice of recipe also depends on the preparation method. Of the most popular, chefs and fishermen distinguish the following methods:

  • dry type ambassador;
  • salting in brine;
  • salting for large fish.

There is also a method of preparing large bream without being cut into pieces.

Dry salting

Salting bream with this method is very simple. Especially if you follow the step-by-step instructions.

  1. Prepare the carcasses in advance and rinse them in cool, preferably running water before the salting procedure.
  2. Prepare salt at the rate of 250-260 g per 1 kg of fish.
  3. Rub each carcass with salt and place them tightly in a wooden box lined with linen or cotton cloth.
  4. Sprinkle each layer with a little salt.
  5. After laying out the last row, cover everything with the rest of the salt and put the lid on top.
  6. Be sure to place oppression on it. It should be equal in weight to half the mass of salted fish.

With the help of the load, the liquid from the fish will go away faster, and the meat of the bream will become elastic and more dense.


You can determine the correctness of the process technology by the rigidity of the back: if it is soft, then something went wrong

Under pressure, the fish should be kept in a cool place for 7 to 10 days. After that, they take it out and soak it. This removes excess salt.

An enamel basin of the required depth is used for flushing. The carcasses are wiped and transferred, and then filled with cold water. This process takes 3 days. It is recommended to change the water every 12 - 14 hours.

After that, it must be dried. To do this, it is suspended with a wire through the gill holes in a well-ventilated room or outdoors. The carcasses are in this position for 14 - 16 days.

After proper salting, the meat acquires a special taste peculiar only to bream.

"Wet" or brine methods

You can properly salt the bream for further drying or drying in brine. This will require prepared, but uncut carcasses up to 30 cm.

For cooking, you will need an enamel bucket or other convenient-sized container, salt and purified water.

  1. Take the bream and put them in a container.
  2. Dissolve the concentrated brine in a separate container. Potatoes or raw chicken eggs should not sink in it. Approximately 400 g of salt is required per 1 liter of water.
  3. Then fill the fish with brine and cover.
  4. Place oppression on top of it.

Many people don't know how long it takes to make a good salting. The fish should be in this state for about 5 - 7 days, but if the brine is injected into the carcasses with a syringe, then the time is reduced to 3 - 4 days.

After that, they must be removed and rinsed well in running water. It is best to leave them under the tap for 60 to 90 minutes. This time will be sufficient to remove excess salt from the meat.

By the way, in this way you can quickly salt the pieces of fish. In this case, the period of their stay in the brine is reduced to 1 - 2 days.


After that, the fish can be salted, dried and cooked in the oven.

Bream can be salted in brine from your own juice (brine). This will require an enamel container and salt.

  1. Salt the carcasses very liberally.
  2. Lay them in layers sprinkled with salt in a deep container.
  3. Cover with a lid and put oppression on top.

The fish should be in this state for 8 - 10 days. At about the 2nd day, brine will start to stand out, and gradually it will fill the container. When mixed with salt, it becomes a brine.

Salted carcasses should be slightly soaked in cool water over time. 24 hours and one water change will be enough. Using this method is best to pickle the bream for drying.

Large carcass salting method

Large bream must not only be prepared, but also spread out like an open book. To do this, make a deep cut along the ridge from the inside and carefully remove it. After that, the carcass is opened. It is advisable to select fish of the same size so that they fit the container size.

For cooking, you need a small bowl with enamel and salt (300g per 1 kg).

  1. Pour about 1 cm of salt on the bottom of the basin and level it.
  2. Grate the unfolded carcasses well with salt and stack them on top of each other, sprinkling with 0.5 cm layers of salt.
  3. After that, put a lid or plate of a suitable size on them and put oppression on top.

It is best to use at least 3 carcasses for salting large bream. This will allow it to withstand the required time and soak them well.

The carcasses are salted in a cool place for 3 days.

They should be soaked for 20 - 30 hours with water change after about 10 - 15 hours.


This method is best to salt the bream for drying in a well-ventilated place.

Tricks and secrets

You can easily prepare delicious salted bream using a few tricks.

It is best to use coarse rock salt without additives.

Store fish during salting and drying in a place free of insects (especially flies). If organizing this is problematic, then it is better to use a special box with nets or gauze.

The head of the fish should be rubbed with salt more abundantly than the carcass. This will disinfect the gill openings.

For salting it is necessary to use only fresh fish that has not been frozen. This is due to the fact that salting thawed carcasses is difficult and during thawing, the structure of the meat is disturbed, and this leads to its delamination. It is also difficult to capture the moment of good salting.

Knowing the technology of the cooking process and little tricks, you can create a delicious culinary masterpiece that will drive everyone who tries it crazy. Taranka (colloquial name for dried or dried fish) can be served on the table with beer with friends during evening gatherings or watching football.