Salted Fish
The SALAZON
Salting is one of the oldest methods of preserving food, using only sea salt for this purpose. The effect of salting is the partial dehydration of food, the reinforcement of flavor and the inhibition of some bacteria. It is known that more than 3,000 years ago, the ancient Egyptians began salting meat and fish in order to be able to store them and keep them edible for long periods of time. It was not until the 19th century, due to improvements in refrigeration and freezing of food, that salting as a means of preserving certain foods began to take a back seat.
Fish salting process:
- Cleaning. Clean the viscera leaving only the lean meat and the backbone.
- Stacking. A layer of salt one centimeter thick is placed as a bed and the fish is placed on its surface. On top of the previous layer of fish, another layer of salt of the same thickness is placed and the operation is repeated, obtaining different layers of salt and fish. Finally, a weight is placed on the last layer of salt (at least half the weight of the salted fish).
- Rest The previous stack is kept at rest for a week and a half.
- Washing After the established resting time, the fish is removed and washed with a 10% solution of water and vinegar.
- Oreado After washing, it is placed in the air in a place with air currents but not in direct sunlight. Depending on the climate of the place, it is left for a few days.
Currently, the process to obtain some salted fish differs in the time and materials used. In preparations such as roe or mojama, the layers remain at rest for 24 hours, after which they are washed and introduced into presses that drain the water. After passing through the dryer, they are vacuum packed. Drying takes place in the dryer, an insulated room with a humidity extractor that applies dry heat (its use is required by health regulations).
The most representative fish used in southeastern Spain for salted fish are tuna, bonito or frigate tuna, sardines, mullet, ling or sea bass.
With this principle we obtain this range of products as natural and exquisite as mojama, dried bonito or smoked herring among others.
