Guest guest Posted February 19, 2005 Report Share Posted February 19, 2005 Great work, Heidi! I want to try this. Although my concern with freshwater smelt (which is what I think I'd get around here) is higher toxin levels and possible parasitic contamination. IIRC you live in Washington state so maybe you have saltwater smelt. Great source of calcium and raw protein, and what a great snack! Tom Heidi Schuppenhauer wrote: > > Awhile back I said I was trying to make my version of " canned anchovies " . Mind you I LOVE canned anchovies, even though most folks, I know, don't, even on pizza. But, I just adore the salty little critters. The only problem is that they are rather pricey: for one little teeny jar it's like $4. > > So, I read a website describing how they are traditionally made, and decided to make my own. I didn't have any " anchovies " handy, fresh ones at least, but our local market carries fresh smelt regularly (or thawed ones that have been frozen, which is likely better from a parasite point of view). > > I took the whole smelt and buried them in sea salt. First I put a layer of salt at the bottom, then some smelt, separated by 1/2 inch or so, then another layer of salt. I cheated and used one of those Japanese " vegetable presses " (plastic), but if one wanted to do it right they'd use a wooden box with rocks or some other weight on top, or a glass jar. Then I let them set for a couple of months on a shelf in the garage. > > I unearthed one smelt the other day, rinsed it, and cut it into peices (bones and all, I like bones). It tastes marvelous, just like canned anchovies! I put the rest of the peices in a jar covered with olive oil, and put them in the fridge for snacking. > > Anyway, it's pretty much the same routine as for lardo, but even easier. If you like canned anchovies! > > -- Heidi Jean > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 19, 2005 Report Share Posted February 19, 2005 >Great work, Heidi! I want to try this. Although my concern with freshwater smelt (which is what I think I'd get around here) is higher toxin levels and possible parasitic contamination. IIRC you live in Washington state so maybe you have saltwater smelt. Yep, these are saltwater smelt, probably local. Actually they also sell herring and anchovies too, but usually in the bait shops. They seem fresh enough though, so maybe worth experimenting with. Smelt don't seem very different from anchovies though, except they are bigger, and most stores carry them. I think any small fish would work though, or even strips off a bigger fish. >Great source of calcium and raw protein, and what a great snack! Really convenient too! It's been hard to replace the " handful of chips " snack habit. > Heidi Jean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 19, 2005 Report Share Posted February 19, 2005 At 04:46 PM 2/19/05 -0800, you wrote: >Really convenient too! It's been hard to replace the " handful of chips " snack habit. > >Heidi Jean Wait. You mean to tell me you were ever able to stop at just one handful? Wow, you ARE dedicated! MFJ Whose biggest downfall in two years was some fool opening a big bag of Doritos at work Yep, I was sorry later MFJ If I have to be a grownup, can I at least be telekinetic too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 19, 2005 Report Share Posted February 19, 2005 >Wait. You mean to tell me you were ever able to stop at just one >handful? Wow, you ARE dedicated! > >MFJ >Whose biggest downfall in two years was some fool opening a big bag of >Doritos at work >Yep, I was sorry later Uh, no, I can't say that I stop at a handful! That's one thing I don't like about our local Mexican restaurant. You get there hungry, and they have this BIG BOWL of chips with this wonderful homemade salsa plus pico de gallo. However, I was amazed that this time we didn't actually finish 2 bowls before the food came (had about 3/4 of the first bowl). Fortunately they don't have gluten ... Heidi Jean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 20, 2005 Report Share Posted February 20, 2005 Hi Heidi, > That's one > thing I don't like about our local Mexican restaurant. You > get there hungry, and they have this BIG BOWL of chips with > this wonderful homemade salsa plus pico de gallo. However, I > was amazed that this time we didn't actually finish 2 bowls > before the food came (had about 3/4 of the first bowl). > > Fortunately they don't have gluten ... How do you deal with the fact that they are fried in some kind of indeterminate vegetable oil? We just ate our monthly mexican last night and I was feeling guilty about the bad fats even as I was eating away. Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 20, 2005 Report Share Posted February 20, 2005 >How do you deal with the fact that they are fried in some kind of >indeterminate vegetable oil? We just ate our monthly mexican last night and >I was feeling guilty about the bad fats even as I was eating away. > >Ron > Some Mexican restaurants fry chips in lard. You may want to ask. Deanna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 20, 2005 Report Share Posted February 20, 2005 Heidi et al, Anyone know anything about the nutritional appropriateness of blind robins (salt herring?) They make a dandy inexpensive substitute for anchovies on pizza. -- Quick, USUM (ret.) www.en.com/users/jaquick Laws metastasize where morals atrophy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 20, 2005 Report Share Posted February 20, 2005 >>Some Mexican restaurants fry chips in lard. You may want to ask. >> >> > >I would be surprised if that were " real " lard. >In all probability they use commercial lard - the same stuff available in grocery stores. > I bet you're right. So the question is: Which is the lesser of the two evils, commercial vegetable oil or commercial lard for frying those tortilla chips we are going to indulge in from time to time? Deanna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 20, 2005 Report Share Posted February 20, 2005 >Heidi et al, >Anyone know anything about the nutritional appropriateness of blind >robins (salt herring?) They make a dandy inexpensive substitute for >anchovies on pizza. >-- > Quick, USUM (ret.) I used to be able to get salt herring, but I didn' t know they were called " blind robins " ! I would guess they are about like anchovies nutritionally ... lots of salt, but if you aren't trying for low salt then you get the protein and bones. They sure tasted good (not that anyone else will eat them in my family!) Heidi Jean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 20, 2005 Report Share Posted February 20, 2005 Commercial lard is usually hydrogenated these days (I guess to indefinitely extend its shelf life). But then, so is a lot of vegetable oil used for commercial frying. I'd pick the commercial lard but I'd keep it to an absolute minimum. Tom Deanna wrote: > >>>Some Mexican restaurants fry chips in lard. You may want to ask. >>> >>> >> >>I would be surprised if that were " real " lard. >>In all probability they use commercial lard - the same stuff available in grocery stores. >> > > I bet you're right. So the question is: Which is the lesser of the two > evils, commercial vegetable oil or commercial lard for frying those > tortilla chips we are going to indulge in from time to time? > > > Deanna > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 12:50:29 -0800 Heidi Schuppenhauer <heidis@...> wrote: > I unearthed one smelt the other day, rinsed it, and cut it into peices (bones and all, I like bones). It tastes marvelous, just like canned anchovies! I put the rest of the peices in a jar covered with olive oil, and put them in the fridge for snacking. > > Anyway, it's pretty much the same routine as for lardo, but even easier. If you like canned anchovies! > > -- Heidi Jean Ooooh Heidi is eating some raw animal foods. I likes! I likes! " I feel sorry for all those health food people. Someday, they will be lying in a hospital bed, dying of nothing. " Redd Foxx ================================================= " This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take... He will take... He will take... He will take... ... he will take... He will take... " (I 8:11-17) ================================================= Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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