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air dried fish?

post #1 of 18
5/28/06 at 6:39pm
Thread Starter 
Hi guys,

just wanna know if there's an air dried like fish product that's like 'biltong'. Can be consumed just as it is, without artificial preservatives?

Thx!
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post #2 of 18
5/29/06 at 7:46pm

You know I've wondered about air dried fish myself...

In Guatemala on the Caribbean side you'd regularly see and pick your way around on the sidewalks) tons of Mojara and Roballo (Tarpin and Snook) as well as a bunch of unknowns drying on mats in the sun. I have no idea how they would treat them before they laid them out in preparation to sell locally and take to the City Mercado. Salt maybe?

All I know is the finished product was a staple and as far as I know there wasn't a whole lot of drama about food poisoning or whatnot. News spreads pretty quick around communities there when it involves a health issue.

Curious about the answer to this one.

April
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post #3 of 18
5/30/06 at 7:10am
Think of it as fish jerky. Salt is a natural preservative and the practice was a necessity for hundreds of years before refrigeration was ever an option.

If you have an Asian grocery, just visit and browse the aisles. You'll find ready to eat fish and squid preserved with salt.
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post #4 of 18
5/30/06 at 8:16am
When I was deep sea diving in Korea I always saw the locals drying fish, squid and octopus on the beach on these little racks. Mudbug is right. It's like fish jerky. I know that I never got sick. I was always eating that stuff.
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post #5 of 18
5/31/06 at 3:43am
Thread Starter 

fish jerky process..

So, does anyone happen to know, or have tried making air dried jerky using fish? :)
I would like to know the process. And, what kinda fish works well?

I have successfully made biltong from kangaroo (in my apartment room :crazy: ) and have another batch drying now..hehe ..i Love biltong
Got an experimental droewors up too today :)
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post #6 of 18
5/31/06 at 3:45am
Thread Starter 

fish jerky process..

So, does anyone happen to know, or have tried making air dried jerky using fish? :)
I would like to know the process. And, what kinda fish works well?

I have successfully made biltong from kangaroo (in my apartment room :crazy: ) and have another batch drying now..hehe ..i Love biltong
Got an experimental droewors up too today :)

THX!
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post #7 of 18
5/31/06 at 4:43am
kingfish i believe, is used in Thai cooking.
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post #8 of 18
5/31/06 at 7:39am
wuzzo87,

"Salting, which also inhibits bacteria growth, was a preferred method of preserving fish as early as 3500 B.C. in the Mediterranean world, and also was practiced in ancient China."
Food preservation

English settlers also used to preserve fish in salt. They were layered in barrels... each piece of fish surrounded by salt. They were either left that way for transport back home or if they had time, they would take it out after a day and air dry it. That simple really.

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post #9 of 18
5/31/06 at 8:47am
Wuzz, have you tried drying the fish in your biltong box? With the same treatment? What are your concerns that it would be different than any other meat?
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post #10 of 18
5/31/06 at 5:36pm
Thread Starter 

fish & other meat

Nope. I haven't tried it yet.
I'm afraid that some unfavorable results will surface, like ermm....mould and contamination because i haven't read about anyone using fish or white meat 'biltong style'.

Btw, white meat like chicken/ turkey air-dried? Are there such things? :look:
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post #11 of 18
5/31/06 at 10:47pm
Here you go...

Turkey Jerky

Jerky Mix
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post #12 of 18
6/1/06 at 9:44am
I asked someone who is a biltong expert about your question and the answer is yes, there is a fish "biltong". It's called bokkoms.
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post #13 of 18
6/1/06 at 9:45am
Btw, jerky is lousy compared to biltong. Not the same at all.
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post #14 of 18
6/1/06 at 10:04am
Wuzzo, here is a link to a biltong forum. http://www.biltongbox.com/talk/index.php
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post #15 of 18
6/1/06 at 1:05pm
Here's a link to a bokkoms site: http://www.bokkom.com/price.htm
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post #16 of 18
6/1/06 at 3:42pm
Thread Starter 

thank you!

Cool! i didn't know that, about bokkoms. I'll try to find out on the process of making it. Does the person u mentioned about make bokkoms too? i would like to know more about the process...and it seems to me that the only thing is that it's salted, with no spices or vinegar.

Thanks for the websites and esp the forum page !!
Yea, i agree...Biltong taste better than jerky, in my humble opinion :smiles:
Jerky is oven dried and not totally air dried isn't it?
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post #17 of 18
6/1/06 at 10:48pm
Depends on the recipe. Jerky was used as a method of preserving meat long before ovens were invented, just as salt drying fish was a necessity for food storage.

Jerky Facts
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post #18 of 18
6/2/06 at 5:23pm
Thread Starter 

jerkies

Gee, thx for the enlightening.

Didn't know about the whale though! haha...
Sounds pretty cool...

Btw, i asked an african food shop owner in my local marketplace about using white meat like chicken for biltong...And he said it's possible if the environment is very dry.
However, he said he thinks it's not so widespread because poultry are more proned to salmonella infestations...is that true? compared to red meats like beef?
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