Beef, buffalo and venison jerky are popular snack foods that also make great Christmas treats. Most people don’t realize that fish can also be made into an old-time, low calorie, high protein, delicious treat.
Fish with a low fat content like bass, crappie, trout and pike are best. You can use oily fish like catfish or salmon but they just won’t keep as long. Of course that really doesn’t matter because once you and others try fish jerky it won’t last long anyway.
Filet your fish, rinse and slice in about 3/8” strips. Even slices means all the pieces will dry at the same time. Now you’re ready to season your fish jerky.
I like to use Hi Mountain Seasonings www.himtnjerky.com. The seasonings and cure as well as easy-to-understand instructions are all in the box. For fish my two favorites are the Spicy Lime Blend and the Mandarin Teriyaki but they offer a lot of other flavors that work just as well.
Mix the spices and cure according to Hi Mountain’s mixing chart and put them in the enclosed sprinkler bottle. Now spread out your fish strips on a piece of plastic wrap or foil and sprinkle the mixture evenly on both sides.
Next, put your seasoned fish in a large mixing bowl and tumble by hand until the mixture has been spread evenly on all sides of the fish strips. Store your fish strips in a zip lock bag in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.
Use bent paper clips or alligator clips from your home office to hang the strips on your oven racks or in your smoker with foil or pans underneath and cook for 60 to 75 minutes at 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
I prefer to use my dehydrator because it circulates air around the fish strips which helps the drying process. Just remember that no matter how you cook it, the internal temperature needs to be 165 degrees.
Store it in your refrigerator until you are ready to hand it out as Christmas treats or you could just hide it somewhere for your own special treat when nobody’s looking.
—
CHRISTMAS QUOTE: “He who has no Christmas in his heart will never find Christmas under a tree.” – Charlotte Carpenter