Tips on how to properly and for how long you can store salted red fish at home

Salted red fish is the main ingredient in many salads and appetizers. Juicy, satisfying and tasty, it goes well with many foods.

But it is important to store salted salmon or trout correctly. Otherwise, such a treat will not only lose its taste, but may also cause poisoning.

We’ll talk about how and where, as well as for how long, to store salted red fish in the article.

General storage rules

The manufacturer usually indicates the shelf life of red fish sold in stores on the label.

The main condition is salted red fish must be kept cool, or better yet, refrigerated.

Where can I keep it at home?

If home salting was carried out or the purchased salted or lightly salted red fish was not in vacuum packaging, such a product can be stored for no longer than 48 hours.

If it comes into contact with other ingredients, bacterial growth becomes more intense. Therefore, you need to make salads and sandwiches immediately. The product can only be stored in the freezer or refrigerator., observing certain temperature conditions.

In a refrigerator

The shelf life in this case is affected not only by the temperature, but also by the container in which the product is contained. Plastic containers are least suitable for this purpose - they accumulate all the odors of detergents, as well as previous stored food. The plastic container imparts all these aromas to the product.

How to prepare a product for storage in the refrigerator:

1. Prepare the fish according to your own recipe or buy it at the store.
2. Bring the prepared dish to the desired level of salting.
3. Next, rinse the product with running water.
4. Wipe cold fish dry with a towel. It is permissible to rub with vegetable oil.
5. Place the product in a bowl or container with an airtight lid. Additionally, you can pre-pack the workpiece in cling film. In this case, it is necessary to make punctures in it.
6. Send the fish to be stored on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator at a temperature of 2-4 C° for no longer than 6 days.

In the freezer

Storing salted red fish in the freezer is a controversial issue. This method has a number of pros and cons:

In general, you can freeze different types of red fish.This way you will always have the necessary ingredients for sandwiches or salad on hand.

But it is very important to comply with 2 main conditions:

1. Only high-quality product should be sent to the freezer.
2. Once fish has been removed from the freezer, it should not be allowed to defrost at room temperature. A refrigerator shelf is best suited for this purpose. Here it can be stored after complete thawing for up to 24 hours.

Freezing rules fish in the freezer:

• remove any remaining scales, wash the product and dry it with a towel, cut into portions of the desired size;
• each piece must be wrapped using cling film, the pieces are wrapped in several layers, there is no need to pierce the film;
• Place the prepared pieces into a container and cover it tightly with a lid;
• place in the freezer.

The video will show you how to salt and freeze red fish:

At room temperature

This product can only be stored outside the refrigerator at room temperature for 2 hours. If it was initially cooled to 0-2 C°, storage up to 4 hours is allowed. If the red fish was not immediately eaten, it is better to freeze the leftovers immediately.

Even if the temperature does not exceed 4 C° (mandatory condition), the shelf life of the product will not be the same as if it were stored in the refrigerator. Air fluctuations are monitored in the basement and on the balcony, and this negatively affects the quality of the fish and leads to its spoilage.

Features for lightly salted

Lightly salted fish, freed from vacuum packaging and brine, can be stored at 14 C° for up to 48 hours.

With every minute spent on the table, the shelf life of such a product is reduced.

You can extend the shelf life of a lightly salted product by using special preservation. Remove the skin from the red fish steaks and place the flesh in a glass or ceramic container.

Sprinkle all layers well with salt, add spices to taste, and pour in refined vegetable oil. After such preservation, the product can be stored for up to 3 months at temperatures up to 6 C°.

Deadlines

Depending on the place of storage and salting, different types of red fish have different shelf life.

Salmon

Salted salmon can be stored on the top shelves of the refrigerator for up to 6 days at a temperature of 2-4 C°. It is better to consume the product before this date - the taste of the fish will change every day.

Store salmon in unopened packaging on the refrigerator shelves until the expiration date indicated on the package.

Salmon

The shelf life of fish on refrigerator shelves in brine without packaging depends on the concentration of the liquid. According to SanPin, the standards are as follows:

• strong ambassador - 28-30 days;
• average salting - up to 2 weeks;
• weak salting - up to 1 week;
• homemade - up to 1 month, if various methods are used to extend the shelf life, it can be stored longer;
• frozen salted fish - carcass up to 1 year, pieces - up to six months.

How to preserve a product longer after salting or purchasing?

Immediately after purchase, red salted fish must be refrigerated. And in the hot season, place it in the freezer for a short time.

How else can you extend the shelf life? fish:

1. Do not place pieces covered with scales and skins into the container. After salting, these parts are removed, leaving only the pulp.
2. Wrap the container with salted fish in a damp cloth that has been soaked in a solution of vinegar or salt.
3. Use spices. Garlic, bay and peppercorns slow down the development of rot bacteria. Therefore, these spices can be placed near the fish fillet.
4. The air gap between the stored fish and the container lid should be minimal. Therefore, it is better to use sealed containers.

Conclusion

In some cases, the only way to prolong the freshness of red fish is to leave the pieces to pickle in concentrated brine.