How to Make Fish Jerky

By Gary L. Nelson
Published on July 1, 1982
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PHOTO: FOTOLIA/DAVE WILLMAN
Flavorful fish jerky starts with lean-fleshed swimmers such as crappie, bass, or pike. Fillet your catch by carefully cutting the meat from the bones.

The next time you find yourself with a king-sized mess of fish, why not dry up a batch of seafood jerky? This old-time edible makes an inexpensive, nutritious snack all by itself — and can serve as an important ingredient in your homemade soups and chowders, too.

Like other dried foods, the tough and tasty strips are lightweight, compact and easy to keep. If you spend a lot of time outdoors, you’ll find that fish jerky is an ideal trail snack. Also — when properly processed and stored — the chewy morsels are a valuable survival food.

Best of all, you can easily produce the victuals right at home in a dehydrator, kitchen oven, or smokehouse, or with the help of a hot summer sun.

How to Make Fish Jerky at Home

Fish with a low fat content (bass, pike, and crappie, for example) are the best candidates for jerky. Oily species such as catfish should be avoided for this use, because they’re more likely to become rancid.

Once your catch is in hand, the first step is to fillet and skin the finny critters.

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