Brining fish

Make a brine solution as above, and immerse the chilled (35°F/20°C) whole fish or pieces in it. They should be soaked for 30 minutes if under 3 ½ oz/100 g; or for an hour if between 8 oz/250 g and 1 lb/500 g. Add one hour of brining for each extra 1 lb/500 g weight, and add an extra 25 percent of the time calculated if the fish are oily.

Brining can be carried out at room temperature in cool climates, but in hot weather cool the solution by putting a bag of ice cubes in the crock. During the process check that the fish remain completely immersed in brine, and move them around from time to time to make sure the solution reaches every part of each fish. This is called overhauling.