REVERSING EXCESSIVE DRYING OF RAW FISH

[FRANCIS HOWARD BOND]

Had chunks of stale Raw Cod fish and put them on a plate in garden for flies to find.   Much as I enjoy really rotten raw fish, I was eager to go to the next stage.    Unfortunately it was a warm, dry, day and flies settled but showed little interest.    When I took it in it was bone hard and totally indigestible.    Thought hard and put it in a jar of water and it sank to the bottom.    After a day or two the fish became white and clean again and was fit to eat once more.   Quite chewy and firm, and still gave slight sting in the throat.    Thus all right and salvaged to eat.    I wondered if same effect could enable raw meat, that was dried too much, to be used and not wasted?   

[eveheart]

Because I hang and dry-age all my beef as large, untrimmed, whole muscles, I often get too-dried beef as it ages. I don't reconstitute it in water; instead, I slice thin with the grain and gnaw until I can chew it. It gets softened by saliva and chewing and has a very nice flavor. At this dryness, any fat still yields some delicious grease when chewed.

I buy tiny, dried Korean whole anchovies which can be eaten dry as a snack. (They are also used to flavor broth.) I haven't enjoyed accidentally-dried larger fatty fish because I simply don't enjoy fish fat as it ages, but I'm sure that's a personal preference, not an indication of bad fish.

[TylerDurden]

I had thought of dehdyrating my meats and then putting them back in water. But it takes ages for the water to get back in. I suppose partial dehydration would slow down the aging of the meat enough so that I could take it for a 5-6 day hike without issues re rotting/aging.

[FRANCIS HOWARD BOND]

Fish is particularly able to both yield and accept moisture so an ideal candidate for softening in water, if over age hardened.   Have not yet tried with meat and believe this would take more than a day to regenerate softness if dried hard.