The traditional method of authentic cured fish, the ingredients are simple and delicious, and the longer it is stored, the more fragrant it tastes

Today I will share with you a traditional and authentic practice of pickled fish, explain the method and recipe in detail, do it at home, the longer it is preserved, the more fragrant it tastes, and the method is particularly simple.

1. I used tilapia today, and the reason for choosing it is that its meat is fresh and tender, except for the big spines on the back of the fish, there are relatively few spines in the fish. Pickled fish can also be used with larger herring or grass carp. When friends buy fish, remember to tell the fish boss to let him open the fish from the back of the fish. Because the back of the fish is thicker in the meat, it is easier to air dry from here. Wash under running water, scrape off the mucus on the back of the fish with a knife, and clean up the black membrane and fish teeth in the fish belly, which is one of the sources of the fishy smell of the fish, and must be cleaned.

2. After rinsing the inside and outside of the fish, prepare a few hooks with iron wire, pass through the head of the fish, and then hang it on the balcony or in a ventilated place to dry the surface moisture, and use a toothpick to stretch the fish belly to facilitate the drying of the water in the fish belly. The drier the surface moisture of the fish, the longer the dried preserved fish will last.

3. Next, we are ready to make the marinade for the preserved fish, prepare a plate, add 4 star anise broken into small pieces, broken into small pieces of cinnamon, so that the fragrance will be easier to exude in the process of frying, break the bay leaves, and then prepare more peppercorns, cumin, chili pepper segments, and finally prepare 140 grams of salt, 20 grams of salt for a pound of fish. The fish with dried surface moisture is estimated to be about 7 catties.

4. Then pour the salt into the pot, first turn on the high heat and fry for one minute, then turn to the lowest heat, pour in the spices and stir-fry until the fragrance of the spices comes out, and then turn off the heat.

5. Pour into a plate, let cool slightly, then add two spoonfuls of dried chili noodles to it, and then stir well with chopsticks. Set aside and let it cool naturally.

6. In the process of making preserved fish, do not touch raw water or edible oil, otherwise it will easily cause deterioration. Therefore, the knife board container must not have oil or raw water.
7. When the surface of the fish and all the corners of the moisture have dried. Cut the meat from the back of the fish with a knife and tap it with a rolling pin to make sure the cut is complete. When cut out in this way, the cut surface of the fish will be more complete.

8. Prepare a waterless and oil-free basin, you can marinate it, first prepare some high-grade liquor, evenly spread the liquor on the fish, the back of the fish, and the tail of the fish, and every corner of the fish head should also be smeared with a layer of liquor. This can not only sterilize and disinfect, but also absorb the aroma of the liquor in the fish meat during the curing process. The cured fish will be very rich and delicious, and it will be very delicious after all the cured fish is processed like this.

9. Next, spread the fried marinade evenly on the fish, evenly smear the marinade on the inside and outside of the fish, and don't let go of every corner, so that the marinated fish will not be bad after being wiped well, and then close. The second fish is also repeated from the previous method. One pound of fish meat with 20 grams of edible salt, if the salt is less, the marinated fish is easy to spoil. Once everything is processed, the remaining spices are finally spread on top. Then wrap it in plastic wrap and let it marinate in the shade for 3 days. Remember to turn it over every 24 hours. Turn the bottom over to the top so that the marinade will be more uniform and flavorful. Just continue to marinate slowly in the shade.

After 10 or 3 days, the fish has been marinated, and at this time it can be taken out and dried, and the hook or rope is threaded through the head of the fish.

11. Hang it on the balcony or in a ventilated and shady place, and then use a bamboo skewer to stretch it out from the middle, so that the contact surface of the fish in contact with the wind is larger, it will be more even, and it will also dry the fish more quickly. Don't be exposed to the sun for a long time, generally 7 days is about the same if the air is dry and windy.

12. Put it away after air drying, put it in the refrigerator and freeze it, and it will not be bad for a year. Soak the prepared preserved fish in warm water, and soak it for more time if the salt content is large. It can be steamed and eaten with bacon, not to mention more, stewed or stir-fried, all of which are very fragrant. Now this temperature is the best time to make preserved fish, and if you miss this year, you will have to wait for next year.

Tips:
1. When marinating preserved fish, the moisture on the surface of the fish body should be dried, otherwise the marinated fish is not easy to preserve.
2. After the marinated fish is hung in a cool and ventilated place to dry, be careful not to let the fish dry directly.