Can one preserve cooked fish with salt?

Can one preserve cooked fish with salt? - Person Holding Fork and Knife Slicing Vegetable on White Ceramic Plate

I am attempting to replicate a Thai delicacy called 'Pla Tuu'. It is a small fish that is salted, cooked in water, and then reheated periodically to preserve it.

My question is: Should the initial salting be done before the fish is cooked for the first time, or afterwards?

My worry is that the salt will be washed off or leached out during cooking, and the preservative effects will be lost. On the other hand, I have never heard of preserving a fish or meat after it has been cooked.

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Best Answer

Disclaimer - I'm not familiar with the recipe, and I also couldn't find much on it when I looked, so I just had some thoughts to possibly offer in the absence of anything more offical.

If the salting is done before cooking, it wouldn't depend on the presence of salt "not being washed away" while cooking, but on the changes in the fish that happened while in the salt - it might be used for a short time to quickly draw water out of the fish, so it is drier and firmer when cooking, or it might be left in the salt longer, actually stored in salt for a while, to cure (like salt beef or pork). The difference might be identified by how dry (and salty) the finished product is, since something cured in salt will tend to be very dry, maybe tough, and jerky-like in consistency, since salt is very efficient in extracting water, and may need to be washed and rehydrated before subsequent cooking, while something softer in consistency was likely salted for a short period of time and will depend on the cooking to stay unspoiled. Salt-cured meat usually needs to be prepared further before eating (it is an ingredient, not a ready-made food).

If the salting was done after cooking, you would get different tastes and textures - probably mellower, less raw, and not needing further preparation (though it can be, it is a food moreso than an ingredient), something like that. It isn't unheard of to preserve meats after cooking - you might look at confits or potted meats, to get ideas for how it would work. Confits are also often briefly cured in salt and aromatics before cooking and storage, so this might be a related technique (or at least give some ideas). Of course, confits and potted meats are also cooked or stored in fats (specifically for the air- and water-tight qualities, which keep bacteria from finding the food), which may be quite different from your Pla Tuu - and possibly the reason it needs periodic reheating to keep it safe while it is being, transformed?, during the storage or curing process or whatever.



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Quick Answer about "Can one preserve cooked fish with salt?"

Cleaning and filleting the fish. Method: Roll fish in salt and layer in the crock, adding salt to the bottom and between each layer. Salt will draw water out of the flesh, creating brine that inhibits certain microorganisms and enzymes. Place a weight on the fish to submerge them in the brine and to prevent spoilage.

Can you preserve fish with salt?

Salt has been used to preserve food for basically ever. Packing meat and fish in salt (or alternately, soaking it in a brine solution) not only preserves the food, but infuses it with more flavor and a lovely firm texture.

How do you preserve cooked fish?

Store it in a shallow covered container to allow the fish to cool to the proper temperature more quickly. Cooked fish can be stored for up to 2 to 3 days in a refrigerator at 40\xb0F or less. If leftovers are not going to be used within this time, they can be frozen and stored for up to one month.

What is the best way to preserve fish?

The four most popular methods of fish preservation are freezing, canning, smoking and pickling. Top quality fresh fish are essential for fish preservation....To freeze fish
  • Prepare the fish as you would for table use. ...
  • Wrap the fish in heavy-duty freezer bags.


    • How long can fish be stored in salt?

    Vacuum-packed, smoked fish will last for two to three weeks, or two to three months when frozen. Salting fish involves rubbing your fish with a dry brine made of salt, sugar, and spices and storing it in a refrigerator for two to three days.


    Discover How to prepare Salted Fish I Ghanaian Koobi preparation I Nanaaba's Traditional Cured Fish



    More answers regarding can one preserve cooked fish with salt?

    Answer 2

    Pla Tuu. Are smaller fish. Split open then hung on the bow of the boat to catch salt water spray. Then once ashore cold smoked dried. then boiled to eat. Philippine stile. Not sure of Thi. It will make the water cooked in salty. Some times hung on the bow lines of a fishing outrigger for over a week to catch salt spray & soak in. o sea salt sprayed & sun dried on the boat. Smoked once ashore.

    Answer 3

    If you want to preserve it for a long time, then give salts before cooking it.

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