How to Make Dried Fish Carefully at Home

Despite modern refrigeration technologies, people still love the taste and versatility of dried fish. Drying, salting, and smoking fish help preserve your extra catch and can be done without modern conveniences. Learning how to make dried fish will give you the ability to store tasty fish in your cellar or pantry through the lean winter months.

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During our 11 years living off the grid in Canada's far north, fish played an important role in our family's food supply. A successful day on the water could give us more fish than we wanted to cook at once, so learning safe ways to preserve the extra catch made sense.

It's true that drying fish takes more care than drying fruits or herbs, but it gives you another useful way to make the most of the food you bring home.

Follow these tips to get started.

What Exactly is Dried Fish?

Many variations of dry fish exist, including salted and dried, wet-salted, or freeze-dried.

Essentially, removing water from the fish helps inhibit microorganisms and bacteria from growing inside the meat. The type of fish ideal for drying usually have a low-fat content, since they will preserve longer with less fat.

Lean fish usually work best for home drying because fat can become rancid during storage. Good options may include:

• Cod
• Haddock
• Pollock
• Halibut
• Perch
• Pike
• Walleye

The fish available to you will depend on where you live. Choose fresh fish with firm flesh, and trim away skin, bones, and visible fat before drying.

Depending on where you're located, you may have different local species of fish. Just remember to select a fish with a generally low amount of fat, as it will spoil and go rancid quickly. It's near-impossible to properly dry and preserve chunks of fat.

Related: Making Pemmican With Game Meat

Why Do People Do This?

Removing moisture from fish as a preservation method has existed for thousands of years. It was especially important with the growth of commercial fishing in the 15^th and 16^th centuries. Fishermen needed a way to keep their fish from spoiling during transportation to different ports.

And salting/drying their catch worked perfectly. Native and indigenous communities across Canada still practice the fine art of making dry fish as a method of food preservation.

In fact, most coastal cultures around the world have created their own versions of dried fish throughout history. For example, in the Philippines, they refer to their dried fish as Daing, which literally translates to "sun-baked, or sun-dried."

This dish is still popular today and is often served with rice as a breakfast dish. However, the versatility of this dish means it can be used in many meals and preparations.

Interested in learning how to make a simple Daing for breakfast? You'll probably have most ingredients in your pantry. Check out this traditional Filipino Daing Na Isda recipe to get started.

Another way to preserve fresh fish is by canning. If your family depends on fish for food security, learning how to can fresh fish could be a good idea.

Related: Smoking & Dehydrating Game Meat

Common Ways to Dry Fish

When using this method of fish preservation, you want to use the freshest fish possible to get the best results.

For a simple home method, cut clean fish into strips no more than ¼ inch thick. Keeping the pieces close to the same size helps them dry evenly.

You can lightly salt the strips or place them in your favorite fish-jerky marinade. Always marinate fish in the refrigerator, not on the counter. Avoid using an untested long-term curing method unless it comes from a reliable food-preservation source. The salt will draw all of the moisture out of the fish, and starve bacteria so they won't be able to grow.

Modern technology means you can make fish this way in a dehydrator or even make smoked fish using a charcoal smoker. Read the instruction manual carefully before trying this.

And make sure to wash all parts of the dehydrator in hot soapy water before and after preparing the fish.

Alternatively, you remove moisture to preserve fish by smoking them.

If you have access to a smoker, this will be easy. If not, space the fish out on a wire mesh or rack with good airflow underneath.

You can also smoke fish, but smoking and drying are not exactly the same process. Use a tested smoked-fish recipe and follow the instructions for your smoker. Don't rely on smoke alone to make fish safe for room-temperature storage.

Making Dry Fish

On those days when the fish are jumping in your boat, dry out the extras to make a tasty snack.

Important Dried Fish Safety Tips

Fish can carry harmful bacteria, so don't dry it at a low temperature or leave it sitting in a switched-off oven. Use an oven or dehydrator that can hold a steady temperature between 145°F and 155°F, and follow research-based home food preservation methods whenever you preserve fish. Keep raw fish refrigerated until you're ready to prepare it, and clean every surface and tool that touches it.

These instructions make fish jerky, not traditional salt cod or shelf-stable smoked fish. Those products require different tested curing and processing methods.

How to Make Dried Fish

Yield: 1 batch

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Active Time: 2 hours

Additional Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Estimated Cost: $

Learn how to make dried fish in an oven or dehydrator using controlled heat, steady airflow, and a final food-safety heating step.

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Materials

• Fish
• Salt
• Water

Tools

• Knife
• Jug/Pitcher
• Big bowl or container
• Oven
• Dehydrator

Instructions

Instructions

1. Start with fresh fish that has stayed properly chilled. Wash your hands, utensils, cutting board, and work surface before you begin.
2. Remove the skin, bones, and visible fat. Cut the fish into strips no more than ¼ inch thick. Keep the pieces as even as possible.
3. Lightly salt the fish or place it in a fish-jerky marinade. Cover and marinate it in the refrigerator for at least one to two hours.
4. Preheat your dehydrator or oven to between 145°F and 155°F.
5. Remove the fish from the marinade and pat away excess liquid with clean paper towel.
6. Arrange the strips in a single layer on dehydrator trays or oven-safe racks. Leave space between the pieces so air can move around them.
7. Dry the fish for 10 to 24 hours. Begin checking thinner pieces after several hours. The exact time will depend on the fish, thickness, humidity, and appliance.
8. Check the fish for dryness. It should feel firm and dry, and no moisture should come out when you press it. A cooled test piece should bend without feeling soft or wet inside.
9. Place the dried fish on a baking sheet. Following safe homemade jerky guidelines, heat it in a preheated 275°F oven for 10 minutes.
10. Let the fish cool completely before packaging it. Store it in a clean airtight container.
11. Keep the dried fish at room temperature for no longer than two weeks. Refrigerate or freeze it for longer storage.

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Depending on the method you use, you can add smoky flavor or just go for the traditional salted and dried style.

If you want a little flavor, try dipping the fish in some spicy vinegar. Chop up a few chili flakes and sprinkle them on top, or use them as part of a dry rub on the fish while it's salted.

How to Store Dried Fish

Let the fish cool completely before packing it. Warm fish can create condensation inside the container, which adds moisture and encourages mold.

Place the dried fish in a clean jar, freezer container, or food-storage bag with a tight seal. Pack it in small amounts so you don't expose the whole batch to air and moisture each time you open it. Keep it at room temperature for up to two weeks, or refrigerate or freeze it for longer storage.

Check the fish before eating it. Throw it away if you notice mold, moisture, an unpleasant smell, or any other sign of spoilage.

The key to making dried fish safely is controlling the temperature from start to finish. Work with fresh fish, cut even strips, keep the fish refrigerated while it marinates, and use steady heat and airflow while it dries. Store the finished fish carefully, and refrigerate or freeze it when you plan to keep it longer than two weeks.

Dried Fish FAQs

We've had a lot of questions on this post over the years. Here are some of our most popular.

How long does dried fish last?

Homemade dried fish can stay at room temperature for about two weeks when you dry and package it correctly. Refrigerate or freeze it if you want to keep it longer.

Can you eat dried fish without cooking it again?

The answer depends on the recipe and process. For this method, the final 275°F oven step helps the fish reach a safe temperature. Don't eat fish that has only air-dried at a low or uncontrolled temperature.

Can you dry whole fish at home?

Thin, even strips dry more safely and consistently in a home oven or dehydrator. Whole fish take much longer to dry and require a specific tested curing or smoking method.

What temperature should you use to dry fish?

Set the oven or dehydrator between 145°F and 155°F. After drying, heat the fish in a 275°F oven for 10 minutes as a final safety step.

How do you know when dried fish is ready?

The fish should feel firm and dry. You shouldn't see or squeeze out moisture, and a cooled test piece should bend without feeling soft or wet inside

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