It is believed that the most delicious dried crucian carp is obtained in autumn and winter, because at that time it contains the most fat. But the most convenient time for drying it is summer, because hot weather speeds up the process. Only flies, which are very numerous in the summer, can interfere with the preparation of rams, but there are good ways to protect them.
Selection and preparation of ingredients
For drying and drying, usually choose small and medium-sized crucians, so that it is easier to pickle them and not spoil them during cooking.
In order for large fish to dry well, during drying, you need to insert toothpicks into the belly, and throughout the process keep it open.
The fish should be as fresh as possible, with a pleasant smell, without damage and stains. Very small crucians can not be gutted or removed from their gills, if you are not against light bitterness.
Recipes for salting crucian carp on a ram
Experienced anglers and lovers of beer with ramming most often use two recipes for salting crucian carp for drying and drying. In the first, only salt is used, and in the second, an aqueous solution of salt and sugar. Moreover, sometimes when cooking fish in a wet way, add dry dill and garlic.
Dry way
10 kg 2-3 weeks
coarse salt
1,5 kg
Nutritional value per 100 g:
- Rinse the fish thoroughly under cold running water.
- Cut the abdomen and remove all the insides.
- In large individuals, cut the gills and cut them along the ridge into two parts, so that it is easier to dry.
- Rinse everything very well again.
- After preparation, you can start salting the carcasses. To do this, it is better to take a wooden box covered with canvas. There should be holes at the bottom so that excess liquid flows into them.
- Put fresh fish on the bottom of the box in layers (belly to the back, and tail to the head), while pouring each layer with salt. Be sure to salt the abdominal cavity, mouth and gills, because with insufficient salting in these places harmful microorganisms can begin to multiply. The salt layer below, between the layers and above should be at least 1 cm.
- Lay the board with the yoke up to remove excess air.
- Leave the carcasses in the crate for about a week so that they can be salted well. Readiness can be judged by the cessation of fluid from the drawer.
- Rinse the crucian carp under the tap, especially paying attention to the abdominal cavity, mouth and gills, and then soak them in water to remove excess salt. As a rule, they are soaked for as many hours as how many days the fish salted.
- Make a weak vinegar solution (water + vinegar).
- Put the fish in this solution and leave for an hour to get rid of harmful microorganisms and scare away the flies when dried.
- Dry the crucian carp and hang it with your head down, making punctures in the tail and stretching a wire or rope through them.
- Place the carcasses at a distance of 5-7 cm from each other on a long wire. Wait until all liquid has drained, and then hang them in a well-ventilated, warm place to dry.
- Carassius will be dried for 4-6 days, but it needs to be dried for about two weeks.
Important! If the dried ram turned too dry, you can wrap it in moist paper and leave it in this form for a couple of days.
Wet ambassador
3 kg 2-3 weeks
Nutritional value per 100 g:
- Prepare a concentrated salt solution and add a spoonful of sugar to it to make dried fish more tender.
- Take the enameled pan of the right size and put in it crucian carp, well washed and without viscera, belly up.
- Pour the fish with saline.
- Cover with a lid less than the diameter of the pan and place a load on top.
- After 2-3 days, you can check whether the carcasses are well salted. If they are ready to dry, the backs should be tight, and the meat on the cut should be dark gray.
- Rinse the fish thoroughly under a tap and soak in water, and then in a vinegar solution, as in the dry cooking method.
- Hang the carcasses head down on a wire or rope. To protect them from flies, you can wrap them with gauze or put them in a special dryer with a mosquito net, in which it is very convenient to wilt the fish.
- You can fade for about 4-5 days, this will be enough. But it takes about two weeks to dry the ram.
Features of storage of dried crucian carp
It is better to store the ram after such drying in the refrigerator on the lower shelf. With this storage method, it can remain fresh for up to six months, especially if you wrap it with paper.
Important! Sun-dried fish should not be put in a plastic bag, because it spoils very quickly from this.
To make an excellent snack for beer very simple, fast and tasty at home, you need to take into account all the nuances of this process, otherwise the product may be spoiled at any stage of its production. Only following all the rules will help to get a high-quality ram, which will be very tasty and can be stored for a long time.
