Ingredients portion 4
Trout 1 piece
Coarse salt to taste
Sugar to taste
Spices to taste
Cooking instructions 1 hour
1 Start salting red fish this way. The fish is washed, wiped dry with a cloth and partially filleted. Cut off the fins, head and tail. If you catch some of the fish’s body with the tail, you get a great billet for fish soup (waste-free production!). You can also add the underbelly itself to this set. As a rule it is very fatty and it’s a real treat to eat. Having cut the fish with a sharp knife along the backbone, it gets sort of flared into two symmetrical halves. The backbone is removed and the ribs are removed as much as possible. Although, if you like beer and fish, you can keep the ribs – there’s plenty to devour later with another beer.
2 The two half-fish are sprinkled liberally with the following salting mix. Coarse salt and sugar are taken in equal proportions (a slight bias towards salt is allowed), ground oregano pepper and/or other spices are added (one of my acquaintances likes to add tarragon – also not bad). All this is mixed. Again, the proportions are arbitrary, the fish will take all it needs, so there is no danger of over-salting. There is a danger of under-salting. For 1 kg of fish, you need about 3 tablespoons of salt, sugar and spices to taste.
3 In a large bowl, spread a little of the mixture on the bottom and place one half of the fish skin-side down. Then sprinkle it with the brine mixture, a splash of lemon juice or diluted citric acid, a few bay leaves and, optionally, dill, parsley or other aromatic herbs. Then lay the second half, skin side up, and sprinkle the mixture over it as well. The flesh of the second half should also be coated with the mixture. It is as if the fish is assembled all over again, but with a layer of the brine mixture and spices. Close the container and put it in a cool place, but not out in the cold. The refrigerator, for example.
4 The salting process takes about 1-2 days – the larger the fish, the longer. You can, however, taste it the next day – it will still be lightly salted and resemble sushi. After salting, take the pieces of fish out of the brine (the fish will give plenty of it), sweep them with a soft brush from the remains of the mixture and wipe with a napkin. Do not rinse the fish!
Tip for the recipe Store the fish for about a week, as is. Slice thin slices with a sharp knife right off the skin. Serve the slices sprinkled with lemon juice and garnished with herbs.
