How to pickle pike: for smoking, for drying, at home, whole, in brine, for hot smoking, on a ram

Dialogues about fishing in +34…

But because It’s already one o’clock in the morning, and tomorrow I have to go to work, then I’ll quack. I mean short. We arrived at the place, it was my first time on this reservoir. Consists of 2 “bowls” connected by a narrow passage in the reeds...

In general, the place is not very beautiful, but quite positive...

It’s warm outside, to put it mildly... We’re sorting out the gear, rocking the boat...

We treat the area with an anti-tick solution from a spray bottle (must have!) - because nuihnah. We are setting up temporary housing. Pesdes, of course, I wouldn’t wish such a home in such heat on my enemy. At night we froze like dogs, but during the day I decided to lie down “in the shade” - it was a shame I didn’t take a broom with me... Well, for some reason I don’t like sleeping in the car.

We suffered through crap for half a day, alternating whining with a shower from a canister. Fortunately, there was plenty of ice-cold beer, and we slowly began to go out on the water in order to be in place by 7-8 pm, because... For some reason the engine didn’t fit into the car this time (because the refrigerator and other persimmons fit in...)

The sun has set. The heat subsided a little and let's go...

It is worth noting that neither in the morning nor, naturally, during the day did the fish refuse to come out to people and there were real fears that we might smoke reeds again. Still, the weather is the weather... In general, we almost left without fish. A few perches and that’s it... But just before sunset we found an interesting creek with a water lily plantation - we took two “pencils”. AT LEAST! This is the catch:

It was already dark in the evening when we got out of the water and it was too much to bother with fish. We decided to postpone it until home. But at home, laziness and selfishness took over again and I decided to dry the fish! Moreover, she herself asked me about it...

Although maybe she was just muttering, like “suuuho...” or “suuuuka”?.. I’m not much of a fish, to be honest. I brought a bouquet of berries to Baba (it sounds good, by the way - “a bouquet of berries”) and there, please, without puns or wit - I was fishing!

We gut the pike and perch and... Ahh, why am I so lazy - cleaning the fish! Just gut it and start a cool salt solution

. I freaked out and it turned out almost like a mess. But it is convenient for her to coat the fish both inside and outside:

Add salt on top...

...and because the solution (“ointment”) was cool - it didn’t take much time. The heat on the balcony was terrible and I was afraid to shake off the salt. The fish will take as much as it sees fit. However, this is an emergency method to relieve fatigue and save time. Still, the classic soaking in a liquid saline solution is more adequate. We stick wooden skewers into the eyes of the fish and place them in a convenient place...

Be sure to cover the top with something. Gauze, paper - just so that the flies don't get to you! People over there are making special boxes, but I’m probably not old enough to have such gadgets yet. As you understand, it was Sunday, and here comes the long-awaited Friday!

We calmly shake off the excess salt, pour a cold beer and, squinting from the evening sun, we devour pike and perch in the company of a couple of friends...

The boys really liked the fish (I was really embarrassed that I had used too much salt) and it ran out pretty quickly. A fresh one is still really different from one that has been lying around for who knows where and for how long! I, as usual, liked the perch more than the pike, but these bastards left me only a pike and half a perch while I went to the store for half a liter (because beer without vodka... yeah) - so I’m thinking of repeating this process from beginning to end. In more suitable weather...

And then allow me to take my leave... Your Polkovneg.

Pike is considered a low-fat and very delicate fish, many delicious dishes can be prepared from it and it is valued by fish lovers for its special taste, so the question may arise of how to dry pike

yourself.

Dried fish is fish that is first salted and then air-dried. During drying, fish is gradually dehydrated, and complex biochemical and physical processes take place in its meat, which result in the specific taste of dried fish.

Dried pike is good because it can be eaten immediately, without any additional cooking. It also lasts well and for a long time.

There are several ways to wilt pike

.

If you have one large pike, then the following method will do.

It is necessary to separate the head and cut the pike along the ridge to the tail (you can leave 10 cm), and then carefully separate the bones. Shallow cuts should be made every 5 cm. Next you need to prepare the brine. To do this, place potatoes in hot water and add salt, stirring until the potatoes float. Place the pike in the brine for half an hour, then hang it on a hanger. You need to turn the fish over every day.

According to salting technology, 1 kg of fish requires 200 g of coarse salt (non-iodized). You can dry several small pikes at once. The pike should be placed head down (large sizes - back down), sprinkled with salt, then apply a second layer and also sprinkle with salt. You need to put a circle on top, and pressure on it. Keep the fish for at least 24 days in a cool room (for example, in a cellar). After which it needs to be soaked for several hours (number of hours = number of days of salting). Dry the fish. Can be dipped in vinegar (3-4%). Hang in a shaded area with good air circulation (away from direct sunlight). If you are in the fall, it may not dry out completely, so you can dry it near the radiator for 3–4 days.

When there is a lot of fish, it is also dried on threads. Clean the fresh pike and string it on a thick thread. From 2 to 6 fish are strung on one bunch. Pour brine or brine, place the fish there and sprinkle dry salt on top (when the fish begins to protrude). Salting should last 5 - 7 days.

Salted fish should have a firm back and dark gray meat. Salted pike should be washed in fresh water, removing mucus and salt. Hang on poles in the air. If you don't have drying poles, you can string a string and hang it on it. Drying takes 20-25 days or more.

The fish is ready when its back has shriveled and the meat is tough and elastic.

The most suitable time for drying is spring. Pike is dried well and its taste becomes persistent.

Another recipe for making dried pike.

You need to take 50 g of butter and 1 tablespoon of salt (for a medium pike). Remove the scales, open the pike from the back, remove all the insides. The main thing in this recipe is not to injure the belly of the fish. It must be whole. Slots are made on the sides, longitudinal cuts are made on the back, and butter is placed in them. Next, the pike needs to be salted. Place the pike on a thick layer of straw (this is necessary so that the fish does not burn from below, so periodically the straw can be replaced with new one) and place in the oven at a low temperature (no more than 120 °C) for 8 - 10 hours. You can put crusts of rye bread around the fish and change them as they burn and dry. It is important not to burn the pike's head, as this will give the fish an unpleasant odor. Therefore, you can put a foil cap on the sharp part of the head.

Dried pike can be stored for a long time. You can store it in woven shingle boxes or wooden boxes in a cool, dark place.

Every spinner has caught pike at least once. Pike is widespread throughout Russia. It reaches sizes of 6-10 kg, but significantly heavier specimens are also found. How to dry pike at home? Very simple, and most importantly tasty and safe.

Recipe for dried pike:

• We wash the caught pike to remove mucus and let it stand in a cool place for 1-3 hours.
• A carcass up to 35 cm long is dried without cutting. Large specimens are gutted from the gill covers to the anal fin.
• Before salting, the carcass must be thoroughly washed. Rub tightly with salt. The gills are clogged with salt (in large fish it is better to remove the gills). For pike weighing more than 1.5 kg, a cut is made along the back, where salt is also poured.
• Then they place it belly up in a pickling container. At the bottom of the barrel or tub where it is folded, a brine solution is first poured at the rate of 1 part salt to 4 parts water.
• We send these containers to a cool area away from the sun so that the pike does not disappear. A cellar, pit, etc. is perfect. The main thing is that the temperature does not exceed 15-20 degrees.
• After 3-5 days, depending on the size of the pike and weather conditions (at high temperatures, the salting period is shorter), we take it out and string it on twine (rope, wire) through the eyes with the backs in one direction. Having acquired a suitable quantity, we hang it in the open air (preferably in the shade, with evening and morning sunlight). The pike must be completely ventilated so that there is no contact with nearby fish.
• You can also dry it in the shade in the wind, preferably in the evening, then the top layer will dry out overnight and there will be fewer problems with flies.

Now the dried pike is ready to eat, enjoy your meal, dear friends!

The biggest difference in drying technology is how to hang it: by the tail or by the head. There are experts who believe that it is better to head down. In this position, moisture flows out through the mouth and the fish dries faster and more evenly.

They pierce the tail with a knife on a wooden board and use straightened large paper clips or special hooks made of stainless wire to hang them on a string. Others believe that hanging by the tail is the last thing, since with this technology the fat leaves the fish during drying.

In this case, the pike is hung by the eyes, the internal fat is absorbed into the meat and a slight gall bitterness gives the finished product a unique taste that especially appeals to beer lovers. Drying lasts from four to ten days.

Useful properties of pike meat

Fish meat contains a large amount of nutrients.

It includes:

1. Protein – which forms the material for muscles and tissues;
2. Selenium – increases the level of immunity;
3. Omega-3 – helps to establish normal cholesterol levels;
4. Vitamins B12 and A – improves skin quality and helps with growth;
5. Sulfur – resists harmful bacteria;
6. Fish oil – resists the formation of blood clots in blood vessels;
7. Phosphorus – strengthens bones and teeth;
8. And also cobalt and copper.

Eating pike meat is valued due to the following properties:

• Strengthening blood vessels;
• Prevention of diabetes;
• Saturates the body with vitamins and minerals;
• Fights viruses.

Let's celebrate! In addition, fish meat restores hair and strengthens nail plates. The calorie content of pike depends on the cooking method, so fresh - 90 calories per 100 grams, salted - 103 calories, but smoked - about 170 calories per 100 grams.

Preparation

Since the process of drying pike is not much different from drying other fish, in principle you can use any recipe to obtain such tasty fish meat.

However, the preparation of each type of fish for further processing by salting, smoking or drying sometimes differs markedly.

So, in order for it to be delicious at the very end, you initially need to:

• rinse the pike well;
• gut it;
• remove gills;

It is not customary to cut off the pike's head.

• dry with a paper towel;
• make shallow cuts along the entire spine;
• open the fish, that is, crucify it.

Wet method

1. Clean the pike from scales, gut it and cut it into pieces.
2. Place the fish in a non-metallic container (enamel, glass, ceramic).
3. Prepare the brine: add 100-150 g of salt to 1 liter of water. If the brine is prepared correctly, a raw chicken egg will not sink in it.
4. Pour the prepared brine over the fish so that it is completely immersed in the liquid.

Do you like pike dishes?

• Yes 86%, 4074 votes
  4074 votes86%

  4074 votes – 86% of all votes

• No 10%, 495 votes

  495 votes10%

  495 votes – 10% of all votes

• I don't eat fish 3%, 159 votes

  159 votes3%

  159 votes – 3% of all votes

Total votes: 4728

18.06.2020

• Yes 86%, 4074 votes
  4074 votes 86%

  4074 votes – 86% of all votes

• No 10%, 495 votes

  495 votes 10%

  495 votes – 10% of all votes

• I don't eat fish 3%, 159 votes

  159 votes 3%

  Read also: 

  159 votes – 3% of all votes

Total votes: 4728

18.06.2020

×

You or from your IP have already voted.

Cooking time:

After 3 days, the fish can be served, garnished with onion rings and poured with vegetable oil.

Amount of ingredients:

For a pike weighing 1 kg you will need about 1 liter of cold water and 150 g of salt. You can add 0.5 tsp to the brine. sugar, this will give a delicate taste to the salted fish.

KBJU 100 g of salted pike: 84 kcal, proteins 18.4 g, fats 1.1 g. No carbohydrates.

Drying pike "ramming"

And it starts with cleaning and salting it. Some people cut off the head and clean the scales, but this is absolutely unnecessary. Just gut the pike, make a cut along the ridge, pour coarse salt inside, place it in a pan, and sprinkle with salt again.

Now the fish needs to be thoroughly salted. Cover the pan with a lid, put it in the refrigerator, and let it sit for 3-4 days.

Before drying, you need to wash off the salt. Rinse the pike in several waters and soak for half an hour in cold water, to which you can add a couple of tablespoons of vinegar. This will not affect the taste in any way, but will repel annoying flies.

To make the pike dry faster, you need to put a “spacer” in the belly. You can make it from a toothpick or a match, without the head of sulfur.

Hang the pike by the upper lip with a wire hook, and cover it with gauze, folded in half, making a kind of bag. Inspect from all sides so that there are no holes and flies do not get to your pike.

The fish should be brought home at night so that it does not gain moisture. With good sun and wind, large pike will dry out for at least a week.

How to select and prepare pike for salting?

To choose the right fish, you should follow these tips:

1. The fish should have a pleasant smell, not rotten;
2. The surface of the pike should not be sticky or slippery, this indicates improper storage and transportation;
3. The eyes should be bright without clouding;
4. The body does not retain the hole when pressed, but quickly takes on its previous appearance;
5. The scales do not have red spots, and the gills should be red.

Preparing for salting:

• If the fish was frozen, it must be thawed;
• Remove carcasses from bones;
• Remove tail and fins. If the fish was with its head, then it should also be removed;
• Wash in cold water several times until the water becomes light in color without streaks of blood;
• Drain the fish in a colander to remove excess liquid.

Note! This preparation must exist in any recipe, but if the pike is small in size, you can leave it with the head and tail.

There is one more recipe for which we will need:

– Rock salt (coarse) – one hundred grams (it all depends on the size of the fish)

- Fifty grams of sugar.

– A quarter of a teaspoon of ground cloves.

– Half a teaspoon of dried marjoram or rosemary.

Thanks to the ingredients listed above, you can salt from one and a half to two kilograms of pike. As for the salting process, it is not very complicated; the most important thing is to follow all the nuances and keep the fish in the brine for as long as indicated in the recipe.

Advice:

If you want to dry the fish, then after the fish has been salted, it must be rinsed from the brine and hung in a dry and well-ventilated room for a couple of days. Watch out for flies and other insects entering the room. The fish turns out to be much tastier than store-bought fish and will serve as an excellent appetizer for a foamy drink.

In one of our articles we already talked about how to dry fish so that there are no flies.

How to make taranka correctly: dry salting method

First, rub the fish well with salt, pour salt into the belly, into the cut on the back and into the gills, if you decide not to remove them. The carcass is pierced with a fork or knife and salt is rubbed into the holes. Pour about 0.5 cm of salt into a large stainless steel metal dish, place the ram in dense rows with the back facing down and sprinkle generously with salt on top to create a real salt layer 1 cm thick. For 1 kg of fish, approximately 250 g of salt are required.

Make another layer, and then place a plate smaller than a pan or a wooden board on top - this is necessary to provide fresh air to the fish. Place a pressure on the lid and put the fish in a cold place, such as a refrigerator, cellar or balcony. At the same time, make sure that the fish does not get exposed to sunlight. By the way, at first it is better to apply a little pressure, after about 6-7 hours you can increase it - this way the fish will be salted evenly. It is interesting that in Rus', in villages, fish was salted in a wooden box with holes, which was placed in a spacious container.

During the salting process, liquid is formed that will have to be drained, and the salting time depends on the size of the battering ram. A fish weighing up to 100 g is salted for 1-2 days, a medium-sized fish weighing 600-800 g is enough for 3-4 days, and large fish will need from 5 to 14 days until completely salted. As soon as the ram stops releasing juice, it is ready, but first it should be washed well and soaked in cold water for 2 hours, then kept in vinegar water for an hour - take about 50 ml of vinegar per bucket of water. This is done to prevent the proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms, which cause the ram to deteriorate very quickly.

lightly salted

It is better to prepare lightly salted pike at home from pre-cleaned, gutted and freezer-aged fish.

1. Remove the fish from the freezer and let it thaw on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
2. After thawing, cut large fish into fillets and small ones into pieces.
3. Place a layer of coarse salt on the bottom of an enamel or glass container and place the fillet tightly.
4. Sprinkle each layer of fillet well with salt.
5. Place a weight on top and leave in a cool place for 3 days.

Cooking time:

After 72 hours the fillet is ready. Before serving, rinse with running water, remove skin and cut into pieces.

If lightly salted fish is being prepared for future use, then the pieces must be placed in a glass jar, topped with onion rings, covered with marinade, and topped with sunflower oil. Shelf life in the refrigerator is no more than 10 days.

Ingredients:

• Fresh frozen pike – 1 kg
• Coarse salt – 100 g.
• For the marinade:
• 0.5 liters of water
• 1 tbsp salt
• 0.5 tsp Sahara
• 1 medium onion.

How to salt pike for drying

For the salting process, use dishes that do not oxidize. An enamel pan is suitable for this, as well as a plastic or glass container of a suitable size.

If you want to learn how to salt pike for drying so that the dried fish turns out tasty, then take note of these simple tips. It is important to prepare the fish correctly and not make a mistake with the required salt concentration.

Let's start the cooking process:

1. The fish is washed thoroughly and the insides are removed, in this case it turns out drier. But if you wish, you don’t have to gut the pike.

2. Prepare an enamel pan of sufficient volume and pour a 1 centimeter layer of salt onto its bottom.
3. Place the pike on its side in the pan, and again cover it with a centimeter layer of salt on top. Place all the fish in this manner. Sprinkle the last layer with salt.
4. Place a weight in the form of a weight or a container of water on top of the lid so that the fish releases juice.
5. Place the pan in a dark place for 2 weeks.

Stages of salting pike at home:

1. To make salted fish tasty, it is better to use fresh pike. It is necessary to properly cut the fish.

Advice:

Don’t throw away the fins, tails and heads; you can make a very tasty fish soup from them.

After the fish is cut, we do not recommend washing it; it is better to carefully wipe it all with a paper napkin.

2. The next step is to remove the bones and spine. This can be done thanks to a deep incision along the back.

3. Then you need to prepare the spices for salting, namely, mix the ingredients, depending on the chosen recipe.

Advice:

You should not remove spices from the recipe or replace one seasoning with another. Otherwise, the dish may not turn out tasty, or even acquire a disgusting smell.

4. Cut the prepared fish (we recommend) into large pieces and rub each one with spices on all sides and place in a dry enamel pan (you can use a glass one).

5. After the fish is laid out, you need to put pressure on the fish.

Remember:

The stronger the pressure on the fish, the drier the finished dish will be. Therefore, the weight is selected based on taste preferences.

6. Next, you need to leave the fish to salt at room temperature for 2-3 days. This is a sufficient amount of time for salting.

7. After salting, the oppression is removed. The brine that has formed needs to be drained.

Before serving, the pike must be cut into pieces (like herring) and can be served. Pike goes well with any of the side dishes.

Now you know how to cook salted pike and you can pamper your family and friends with a new and tasty dish.

Thank you all for your attention! No tail, no scales, fishermen!

Dried pike in an electric dryer

Large specimens are very fatty, and it is very difficult to dry them entirely, and there is no need to, if you can prepare a delicious snack for beer.

Clean the pike from scales, cut off the head and gut it. Take it apart into fillets and cut the fillets into thin strips.

Heat until the salt dissolves. Add spices to taste to the warm marinade and soak the prepared pike strips for 5 hours.

Drain the marinade, cover the tray of the electric dryer with parchment paper, and place the fish pieces in it.

The Ezidri electric dryer sets the temperature at 60 degrees, and the drying time for pike is about 10 hours.

Taste it, keep in mind that you won’t eat it all at once, and it will dry out even more on its own.

For more information about drying pike in an electric dryer, watch the video:

Drying fish: crucian carp and pike

Pike is the brightest representative of the family of predators. Its meat is highly valued due to its beneficial properties. I know how to cook this fish deliciously, how to boil fish soup, how to pickle pike. There are simply tons of recipes in my cookbook.

Pike is the brightest representative of the family of predators. Its meat is highly valued due to its beneficial properties. Since ancient times, this fish was considered an exquisite delicacy not only for ordinary fishermen, but also for persons of high government rank. Pike meat was especially valued in France, since its low calorie content and excellent taste distinguished it from a number of other similar food products. You can prepare a huge number of amazingly tasty dishes from pike: fry, stew or steam - it’s up to the chef, but all culinary creations from this predator turn out equally tasty and impressive. I am a hereditary fisherman and cooking from pike meat is my passion. I know how to cook this fish deliciously, how to boil fish soup, how to pickle pike. There are simply tons of recipes in my cookbook. However, there are favorite culinary masterpieces that have been collected for centuries, passed from generation to generation, from mother to daughter, and have become a traditional family attraction of our family.

Today I want to share with you the secret of how to salt pike so that you will not find a similar taste and aroma in any restaurant, store or home.

Benefits and harms

Any dried fish, including pike, contains a lot of Omega-3 fatty acids, which destroy cancer cells.
Its regular use reduces the risks of cancer and heart attacks. It is recommended for women to overcome childbirth and postpartum depression. Heavily salted dried fish has a negative effect on hypertensive patients. When purchasing or preparing at home, this factor must be taken into account. Those with fish allergies are completely prohibited from consuming dried products.

Careful consumption of small bones contained in dried fish compensates for calcium deficiency, and a large amount of protein delays the aging process of the skin.

“Dry” method of drying pike

Is it possible to get dried fish without spending months preparing it or using brine? Of course you can.

And to dry pike like this, you need:

• prepare the fish;
• cut the large carcass into pieces, and make long side slits on the small one;
• rub the pike with salt on all sides, including the inside;
• place in a plastic container;

By the way, if you carefully watch the videos that clearly demonstrate how to properly dry pike, you can see one interesting detail. Namely: many famous chefs use parchment paper instead of a container.

• install oppression on top;
• put in the refrigerator;
• wait 72 hours;
• drain liquid from the container if any appears;
• put the fish in the freezer for 72 hours.

This is how easy it is to prepare an excellent snack at home without any dryers or unnecessary movements.

So, in fact, drying, wilting or salting pike is not difficult. It is enough to have a little free time, patience and coarse rock salt on hand, because it is best suited for drying fish.