River perch is small, prickly and difficult to cut. Most often it is used for making fish soup or smoked. However, it is best to dry this fish. This will make it the most delicious.
Before you cook river perch, you need to clean and gut it. And only then you can go directly to the jerky.
How to remove scales from perch
This procedure is optional. And many anglers say that this is not necessary. But then, already when you eat dried fish, it will be much easier for you to divide it into pieces. Not so fingers will cut, as unpeeled.
There are several ways to cut perch, the simplest of them is to put the fish in the freezer. When it freezes a little, you will need to get it. Remove the scales from it. It should come off very easily. In addition, before you clean the river bass, you can dip it in boiling water for a few seconds. The scales will peel off, and the meat and skin will remain intact. Then the fish should be cleaned in the same way as in the previous method.
After the scales have been removed, the perch must be gutted, the intestines removed from it. Rinse fish thoroughly under water. The gills can also be removed if desired.
How should a river bass be dried?
After cleaning, the fish should be rubbed inside and out with coarse salt, put salt under the gills, if not removed, and in the mouth. You don't need to regret the salt. The fish will not take more of it than necessary. And you will have a guarantee that the perch will be dried correctly. Also, if the perch is large enough, it can be cut along the ridge. In this case, it also needs to be salted along the cut line.
For the drying process, after salting the fish, it should be transferred to a bucket, pot or saucepan. Stir and press it to release its own juice. If it is not there, you can add a little water.
Salted perch should be left in a cup for 3 days to a week, pressed down with a load and covered with some light material (for example, gauze) to protect it from flies. It is desirable that the place in which it is stored these days is shady and cool. After the expiration of the period, the fish should be taken out, soaked in water for 2-4 hours, laid out on a towel or other material to glass the water.
Now it remains to insert toothpicks or matches into the belly of the perch, hang it upside down so that the fat remains in the fish, on a rope in a ventilated area. It can be protected from flies with the same gauze or old small tulle. From above, in order to repel insects, perch should be sprinkled with vinegar. The fish will be dried under dry weather conditions - 2-3 days.
That's all, the dried river bass is ready. Now you can safely eat it with your family or friends.
