From the word itself, you have an idea of what I was making and what I will be talking about. There's a dried fish which is popular in our country, the Philippines. I heard there's that dried meat as well but I haven't tried or seen one. I didn't know how they were made but I think the process was the same. Place it under the very hot sun. The tastes of it will be changed but the usual taste will not be gone.
There are two reasons in my own opinion why I decided to dry it. To have a different taste and to preserve it. Okay, I know there are so many ways if we want to preserve food. There's a refrigerator that can make goods that will not be wasted. Sometimes keeping goods inside the refrigerator for long will not be good to eat. I don't know for others but for us, our whole family thinks that way.
Before we proceed in the process of making a dried fish. Let me give you an idea first of how this squid can be caught. Maybe you'll be interested in learning this matter since it's not the same as catching a fish.
# How to catch a squid?
Unlike the fish, the squid like this one, the small one. They can only be caught during the night. The fishermen will observe the moon if it's not a full moon or if the moon is not it's time to show up. The fishermen started catching squid when it's too dark.
They used a "kawel", a Bisayan word that is a tool they used to catch squid. It has a fishing hook that surrounds but a lot of them because squid has a different type of mouth. I will show below what it looks like. Also, there will always be a thread or nylon tying from it.
They will round a bait in that tool. It should be visible under the water so the squid will see it right away. However, the squid will not notice it if there's no light under the sea. I don't know why maybe they like a disco. lol, That's why we need another tool to use. It's like a flashlight but the form is very different. There are a lot of colors in its light and it will be blinking. To make sure the squid can see it right away. Of course, I have here to show you what it looks like.
The fisherman will notice a squid eating the bait when the weight changes. It will be pulled right away, it has a lot of fishing hooks so it's impossible not to catch. Sometimes it can't be caught depending on the right time of pulling it. You have an idea now how a squid can be caught. Let's make a dried squid now.
# How to make a dried squid
The process is simple, it's up to you if you will cut the squid in half which is much easier. Cutting it into half is making sure that what's inside of it will be taken away. It will provide a bad odor if you don't remove it and just place it immediately under the sun.
It's up to you if you don't cut it in half as well but at least cut a little part of it. You can still remove the inner parts but it's too much hassle to do. It's your choice any way you like it.
We don't put salt into the squid like we used to do in making dried fish. After we clean it we will place it right away under the sun. Just wash it with seawater because squid seems saltier compared to fish we usually make.
After cleaning, place it under the sun. Place it for at least 2 days to make sure its smell will be gone. This is to avoid the flies coming because the smell of it is too strong compared to fish. That's how to make dried fish. It's just simple, right?
Thank you for reading
images are mine
d' dreamboy,
@mrnightmare89
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