# Self Sufficiency/Living off the Land or Off the Grid > Fishing >  sun-drying fish

## coldlightning

if i clean(gut+head) the fish, and hang them out in the sun to dry, how long do they last, what's the best way to store them, and do i have to cook them before eating?  what about smoking them, do smoked fish have to be cooked too before eating? sorry to be such a newb!

----------


## crashdive123

> if i clean(gut+head) the fish, and hang them out in the sun to dry, how long do they last, what's the best way to store them, and do i have to cook them before eating?  what about smoking them, do smoked fish have to be cooked too before eating? sorry to be such a newb!


Sun drying is pretty common throughout the world and has been used for preserving food for a long, long time.  For sun drying fish, I would recommend a small fire initially that is producing smoke (add green vegitation) in order to keep the flies (and laying eggs) and other insects off of them.  You do not have to cook dried fish.

----------


## Stargazer

You could also salt them. I have seen salted cod hanging from clothes lines.

----------


## oldtrap59

don't know much about drying fish in the sun but have smoked lot of them over the years. As you smoke the fish or whatever you smoke you are cooking it. After you finish the smoke it can be stored in many ways and used the same ways as you use any precooked item from the groc store.


oldtrap

----------


## coldlightning

i see, thanks guys.

----------


## Rick

I'd suggest a box made of screens to keep the flies out. In this heat they should dry pretty quickly. The more fat the slower they will dry. 

http://www.geopathfinder.com/9473.html

Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

----------


## justin_baker

Do you have to fillet them or can you do the whole fish? Do you have to slice the fish into thin strips like with meta?

----------


## Alaskan Survivalist

I have dried fish hanging them on poles. I cut them in filets and then thin strips to dry faster. Fish sitting in the sun rots and I preserve it with a salt and lemon juice brine before hanging. I build a fire near by. it does not really smoke it much but keeps the bugs away. I don't like salmon preserved this way because the fat is completely retained unlike using some heat and while healthy it is to greasy for my taste. Natives like it.

I am curing my eggs from a recent fishing trip but again it is put in a cure to sit for an hour.

Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

4 trays like the one above are spread out on a screen to dry to desired firmness. The dry it is the better it will hold on a hook. Vacuum packed I have used cured Salmon eggs with great success years after they were packed. I do it to the eggs but I will not be eating them.

Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

I don't anticipate drying any fish in the near future but if I hear of anybody doing it I'll go over and take a few pictures to explain it. I have to be in more of a survival situation than I am now to do it.

----------

