Lightly salted red fish is one of the most delicious healthy dishes. Prepackaged and vacuum-packed pieces of lightly salted fish can be bought in the store, but it is especially good, cooked at home according to secret recipes passed down from generation to generation. The quality of the final product largely depends on how well the fish was stored before and after cooking.
How to choose the right fish for salting
If we compare the cost of ready-made salted salmon and the one that is sold fresh along with the head and tail, it turns out that it is much more profitable to buy fresh fish and salt it at home. This method of cooking, such as salting, does not imply any heat treatment, which means that you can enjoy a really great taste of fresh salmon only if it is of impeccable quality. The slightest violation of the storage technology will affect the taste of the final product - the fish will have an unpleasant smell and taste of fish oil.
Since salmon are in most cases supplied to stores from Norway, it is clear that they are transported frozen in special refrigerated machines. The store should also have special equipment for storing frozen fish. Subject to all the rules and conditions, the salmon will not lose its taste and nutritional qualities, and with a one-time defrosting, it will not differ in any way from a fresh product.
When buying fish from a store, check its quality. Outwardly, her carcass should be intact, undeformed, all scales should be in place. Press with your finger on the carcass - the notch from it should disappear immediately when you remove your hand. The fish should have a dense structure, keep up with the bones. Smell the carcass - fresh salmon smells like fresh cucumber and nothing else.
A small portion of salted fish that will be eaten in the first couple of weeks can be cut into small pieces, put in glass jars, tamped and poured a little olive oil on top.
How to store lightly salted salmon
Since one such fish can weigh 3-4 kilograms, after you salt it, the question of storing this delicious product will arise. Naturally, it would be desirable that during storage its taste does not change and the aroma is not lost. You can not worry about the safety of salted salmon, it is perfectly stored frozen. But before placing it in the freezer chamber, it is better to dry the pieces a little. Wrap each piece without rinsing, along with salt and spices, wrap a clean linen rag, over which you can wrap a paper tea towel. Place the pieces on a tray and leave to stand in the refrigerator for 1 day, covered with cling film on top.
You need to defrost lightly salted fish in advance, putting it on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator a day before.
When the cloth and napkins have absorbed all the excess liquid, remove them and wrap each piece with cling film, being careful to do this as tightly as possible so that no air remains in the package. Place the pieces in a large plastic bag, or pack them in several. Put them in the freezer and take them out one at a time as needed.
