Notes from the smokehouse
What we are curing, drying and packing this week, written down while it happens.
Basa fish fins and collar cuts, pale pink and translucent with the fine fin rays still attached. The meat is soft and gelatinous around the bone.
A favourite for slow-simmered soup and hotpot, where the collagen thickens the broth. The thicker portions also slice cleanly for sashimi.
Bought at the quay and cured on our own racks, to the weather rather than a calendar. We weigh it drained, so the number on the label is the food you actually get.
Cured and dried goods keep in a cool, dark cupboard in their paper wrap. Chilled goods belong in the coldest part of the fridge and are best within two days. To freeze, wrap tight and use within three months.