how is dried fish used, how do you store it and what qualities do you look for in dried fish?

Question

im doing this project and i am having a hard time trying to find this information.

Answer 1

Dried fish has been used traditionally to ensure a ready food supply that is not easily perishable.

It is used in cooking in Italy, Portugal, Africa, Carribean, France, and Asia. One of the most famous dishes is Baccalà (dried salt cod) alla Vicentina a spectacular conversion of a tough, rather stringy fish into a creamy delight. The Vietnamese have a famous sauce made from dried fish that is used like soy sauce in their cooking.
There are recipes that call for soaking larger fish to desalinize and hydrate before cooking, and recipes where you toast small dried shrimps or cuttlefish and grind them to use as flavor and texture in a dish. Some dried fish is prepared as it is and then sauced and put in the refridgerator to hydrate slowly before eating. Lots of recipes use dried fish in different ways.

The main thing is if salted and dried – you need to desalt by soaking, and somehow the fish will need to be able to hydrate.

http://italianfood.about.com/od/baccalandstockfish/Baccal_and_other_Salted_or_Dried_Fish.htm

What drying does:
Drying removes the necessary moisture for the bacteria that rot fish to grow
Drying forms a crust on the fish that covers moister areas. The crust prevents fly eggs from maturing, preventing maggots which in nature provide a critical role in clearing rotting fish and animals Often until a crust is formed on a drying fish, the fish is enclosed within a smoke area.
Drying fish in the presence of cool, dry smoke is one method used to remove the moisture necessary for bacterial growth. But fish need to be kept cool while drying or they will rot. Smoke creates an environment that the flies and insects cannot penetrate to lay their eggs. Freshly cut fish are often dried close to the smoke house smudge pots until a crust is formed.

In order to prevent spoilage, the moisture content needs to be reduced to 25 per cent or less. The percentage will depend on the oiliness of the fish and whether it has been salted.
Salting or brining is often used in conjunction with other preservation methods such as drying, as most food poisoning bacteria cannot live in salty conditions.

http://seafood.ucdavis.edu/haccp/compendium/Chapt04.htm
http://seafood.ucdavis.edu/haccp/compendium/chapt04.htm
http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/publications/VS/cutting.html
http://geoheat.oit.edu/bulletin/bull24-4/art7.pdf
http://www.fao.org/WAIRdocs/x5434e/x5434e0f.htm

Storage
Once fish is dried – if it is not frozen, preventing any moisture that could cause an environment for things that deteriate the fish is key. Packaging material that will prevent rehydration is the best solution, When you buy a salted cod fillet normally – it is salted and dried and sold as it is in a stack without any covering. This is ok as long as it stays dry. Water activity is the measure of the amount of water in a food that is available for the growth of microorganisms, including pathogens. A water activity of 0.85 or below will prevent the growth and toxin production of all pathogens, including Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium botulinum, and is necessary for a shelf-stable dried product. The best storage is vacuum packaged.

Qualities to look for:
You look for any unnatural dark spots, mold, any softness, moisture, unusual smell. If it is a cod fillet the flesh should be pliable, compact, and not feel woody; you should try to select a piece of uniform thickness so it will soak evenly. If it is a small fish, it is often hard to know what quality it is without trying a brand. In Asian grocery stores, I often ask a person who looks like they might have a preferred brand. If the fish tastes strange or has a sour taste – don’t continue eating it.

Answer 2

Why do you have to bathe him weekly? That's probably drying out his skin a lot. Cats don't usually have to be bathed very often. When you DO bathe, use lukewarm water (room temp, not warm or hot) so you don't strip the oils from his skin. Use a good quality shampoo with fatty acids or aloe and oatmeal. Don't ever use a flea shampoo. Brush your cat every day to stimulate the oil production and get rid of excess dead skin stuck in his coat. Feed a high quality diet and add fatty acids (I like the premixed 3V-Caps liquid you squirt on the food, but there are other brands and other things you can use).

Answer 3

Dried fish can be fried. Soak in a little water if it's too salty. Eat it with fried rice & a sunny side up egg. Can be added to coconut based dishes. Store it in a container wrapped in foil. No need to put it in the fridge.

Answer 4

Fruits are described as ripened flower ovaries which produce seeds.