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How does hard-cure salting differ from ordinary dry salting?
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fish processing
Fish on a conveyor belt entering a processing plant, Newfoundland, Canada.
In the context of fish processing, the primary difference between ordinary dry salting and hard-cure salting lies in the final moisture and salt concentrations achieved through an additional drying step.
- Ordinary Dry Salting: Butchered fish are split along the backbone and buried in salt. As the brine drains, the process continues until the fish reaches approximately 50 percent water content and 25 percent salt content.1
- Hard-Cure Salting: This method incorporates an extra stage where warm air is forced over the fish's surface. This further reduces the water content to about 20 percent and increases the salt concentration to approximately 30 percent.1
By significantly lowering water activity, hard-cure salting is particularly effective for preserving fish in warm, humid climates where refrigeration is unavailable.1