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25 mei 2006
DIY Fish Emulsion
COME WITH ME on the strange and wonderful journey to homebrew fish emulsion.
You'll need: a package of "Eun Kal Chi" (salted cutlass fish) from the Michigan Ave. Korean grocery, a bag o' leaves, a cup o' dirt, and a sealable container (I used a washed kim chi jar with screw-on lid). Seaweed is optional. I have some old sushi seaweed floating around somewhere but unsurprisingly couldn't find it, so I'll add it later.
Remove 4 of the Eun Kal Chi filets (whew, talk about fishy!) from the package. Put the remaining 4 in the freezer for later. Chop up one filet into niblets. Put the remaining 3 in the fridge for a delicious dinner later of baked Eun Kal Chi, rice, and kim chi, yum-o. So not only does this project yield a garden helper, it yields a meal laden with nostalgia for the wonderful cuisine of Korea. Mmm. It's a win-win.
Crumble a handful of leaves, salvaged from the truck-bed, into jar till it's half-filled. Add a handful of dirt scooped from the front-yard dog lawn-destruction zone and a cup of water. These bacteria-laden ingredients will magically interact with the fish to create a rich bacterial soup that, when eventually diluted 1: 10 with water, will make plants spring up like jacks-in the box.
Add the fish bits and seal tightly. Put container on sunny windowsill (mine is on my kitchen windowsill). Stir once a day for two weeks till the fish is well rotted. Yes sir, no need to shell out hard-earned cash for them fancy fish emulsions when you can rot fish at home on your kitchen counter! Note: you may want to use a respirator when unsealing the jar for its daily stir. Happy Decaying!
Posted by ypsidixit at 25 mei 2006 19:52
Comments
You can also add sugar or molasses to help control the odor. I added neither, xince I've weaned myself off all refined sugar and don't have molasses.
Nosir, this is fish emulsion the way our hardy pioneer forefathers made it in their thriftily saved kimchi jars. The real deal. I'll post numerous updates on my rotting fish for your reading enjoyment.
Posted by: Laura at 25 mei 2006 20:14
No scads of appreciative, rapt comments on "DIY Fish Emulsion"?
That's a surprise.
Live and learn.
Posted by: Laura at 26 mei 2006 00:17
I feel like Dr. Frankenstein. What hath God wrought?
Posted by: Michael McC. at 26 mei 2006 07:46
So, um, what is fish emulsion used for anyway?
Posted by: tom at 26 mei 2006 09:08
Fertilizer.
Posted by: Michael McC. at 26 mei 2006 09:54
I love the DIY fish emulsion idea. You say "need to shell out hard-earned cash for them fancy fish emulsions when you can rot fish at home," which makes me wonder, how does the price actually compare? Is this really cheaper than them fancy fish emulsions?
And would it work to beg fish scraps from merchants and rot those rather than buying and rotting perfectly edible fish? (Not that I'm likely to make this request myself.)
Posted by: Chuck W. at 26 mei 2006 10:50
Yes, Michael, I was inspired by you. :)
Posted by: Laura at 26 mei 2006 11:04
Tom: Fish emulsion is used for fertilizer, or as a tasty spread on toast (mixed with a little bird flu, it's darn yummy).
Posted by: Laura at 26 mei 2006 11:05
Fish Emulsion - Eeuugh! It's pretty stinky stuff. Then again, it is nearly the same as Nam Pla (fish sauce) which has a permanent place in my pantry. Love that Thai flavor!
Posted by: Ginny at 26 mei 2006 11:32
Laura, the Brits have something called Marmite, which seems to have the same uses (toast spread or fertilizer) and flavour.
Posted by: tom at 26 mei 2006 12:14
I've seen little jars of it in the grocery store. Is it anything like Vegemite?
Posted by: Ginny at 26 mei 2006 13:47
Ginny: That is a fermented/rotted fish sauce if I remember right, and renowned for its flavor and added to many dishes. I love pickled/fermented foods in general.
Posted by: Laura at 26 mei 2006 13:48
Chuck: It's true, scraps would be preferable to using perfectly edible fish (I baked the remaining 3 pieces last night and they were delightful with some rice and kim chi).
However, it's food to leverage more food. As these fishies swim down into the soil of my garden, they'll promote a bumper crop, hopefully, of all sorts of edible goodies ranging from multicolored sweet corn to tender beans and storable squash.
Posted by: Laura at 26 mei 2006 13:51
Tom: Ah yes, the famous Marmite, loved/reviled by millions.
Any substance that thriftily doubles as a toast spread and a fertilizer is OK by me.
Posted by: Laura at 26 mei 2006 13:54
Ginny: I believe Vegemite is kin to Marmite. They are, I believe, both (fermented?) yeast spreads.
Nothing like a big smear of decaying yeast to start one's day off right!
Posted by: Laura at 26 mei 2006 13:57
You don't really have to open the jar and stir, right? Couldn't you just shake it? If so, I might try this...
Posted by: Lisa Marshall Bashert at 01 juni 2006 08:28
My sources tell me that both Marmite and Vegemite are made of the leftovers from the beer brewing process. Let's hear it for leftovers, pass me a brewski!
Posted by: Ginny at 01 juni 2006 09:22
Lisa: I was going to stir it last night with a chopstick...but then I examined the disintegrating, slime-covered fish bits through the glass.
I gave it a shake and called it a day.
Posted by: Laura at 01 juni 2006 09:52
Ginny: Yay for the beer brewing process. :)
Posted by: Laura at 01 juni 2006 09:53
HOW DO YOU GET THE SMELL OUT OF YOUR TRUNK AFTER THE STUFF IS SPILLED?
HELP!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Tom Dunham at 23 juni 2006 18:40
Tom D.: That's easy.
You'll need five bags of self-starting charcoal briquettes, three cement blocks, two oven racks, 50 friends, two kegs of beer, a boom box, a pack of paper plates, cups, potato salad, chips, napkins, forks, 100 hamburger patties, and 25 bratwursts plus buns for same.
In the trunk, place the three cement blocks along its width, with one in the center. Pour in the briquets and spread evenly. Place the oven racks on the cement blocks so that each rack covers half of the trunk. Light the briquets.
As they burn, set up the salad, chips and begin offering beer to the arriving friends. Make rows of hamburger patties on the oven racks and flip as needed. Start feeding your friends burgers. Turn on some music.
Enjoy life. Have someone take over the flippin' for awhile and relax with a burger and a beer. Chat with your friends. Reminisce over old times. Crack a joke or two. When the food runs out, serve another round of beer, crank up the music, and have an informal dance party on your lawn.
Invite curious neighbors peeking out from behind their curtains.
When the beer runs out, bid your friends a hearty farewell and let the coals die down. Next day, merely shovel the ashes out and discard. Shop-Vac the now carpetless, sanitized, purified trunk and.....voila.
It's as simple as that.
Posted by: Laura at 23 juni 2006 22:30