Curing of Fish

a technique of the drying of lightly salted fish in the open air. Fish lose a significant amount of moisture during curing; under the influence of ultraviolet rays, chemical change of proteins occurs and the fat is redistributed over the entire thickness of the muscle. These changes make it possible to use cured fish as food without further cooking preparation. Curing takes two weeks or more, varying with the size of the fish and with weather conditions. The basic indicators of well-cured fish are the following: a moisture content not higher than 38 percent, clean scales, low salt content (up to 10 percent), and fat meat. Among fish usually cured are Caspian roach, sazan, shemaia, zarthe, and Black Sea roach. Fillets and stomachs of sturgeon and Caspian sturgeon are prepared by curing, as are salmonlike fish (white salmon, nelma, and omul).