Biltong
A South African classic snack, biltong is made by marinating beef strips briefly in a salty (and sometimes sour) solution, before drying it out over a week or so. The result is slightly jerky-like, but not quite as teeth pulling. Find it in South African grocers around Australia.
Made basically by cold-curing salmon (lax) in a mixture of sugar and salt, this classic Scandinavian dish has seen many flavour variations in the cure. Fennel, dill and beetroot rank amongst the most common, but you can use anything you'd like, like juniper, gin, and pepper! The world's your oyster. Or salmon. You know what we mean... ;)
Get this beetroot gravlax recipe right here.
Beetroot gravlax
Get your lax on
Gravlax (gravet laks)
Considered by some as the king of dry-cured meats, prosciutto is a whole leg cured in salt and air-dried over months to produce its trademark aroma and distinctive flavour. Ideally, you need to cure a large, fat leg, as this means it will have more chance to air-dry properly. Once dried though, it's aged for at least 18 months, and will definitely see you through those zombie apocalypse years!
Mojama
This Mediterranean-cured tuna (salted for a couple of days, and then dried) has the texture of a lean cured pork, but with a deep tuna flavour. It's usually enjoyed thinly sliced and doused in olive oil, but we like it any way we can get it! And you know, you can't be picky during a zombie apocalypse. Find it online or at select Spanish charcuteries.
Basturma
Basturma takes cured beef to a whole other level! Lean beef is pressed, dried and cured, and then coated in a garlicky chilli paste that gives bursts of flavour one sliced. Find it at Armenian delis.
Dried seafood
The cornerstone of Chinese cuisine, dried seafood not only imparts incredible flavour to the food but it's also highly prized in the culture. Dried scallops, shrimp, and squid help to create everything from classic soups to stews, to stir-fries, and even XO sauce! A pantry staple, not only for an impending apocalypse but to add oodles of yum to every meal!
Bacalhau
Imagine this: a Viking ship sailing across the high seas, with no refrigeration but needing a way to store food. The answer? A salted and dried cod that'll last you for ages. Enter bacalhau (or bacalao, as it's sometimes known), which is usually soaked and rinsed to get rid of excess salt before being cooked.
From Japan and Korea to East Asia, dried anchovies are a common way for fishermen to make use of their cheap, small catches. In Southeast Asia, they're called ikan bilis (ikan meaning fish), and are deep-fried, and seasoned with salt and sugar to make a popular snack. You might also see them on the side of your Nasi Lemak order - the crisp texture (sometimes served with roasted peanuts) provides a textural counterpoint to the fragrant rice.
Jamon
This Spanish ham is prized for its silky texture and melt-in-your-mouth fat. Jamon Ibero, specifically, is made from breeds of fatty mountainous pigs fed on sweet acorns, to provide silvers of pure bliss.
Grey mullet roe (or sometimes, bluefin tuna roe!) are cured and dried, till the sacs are stiff, which allows it to be sliced or grated. Add it to a simple buttered pasta, enjoy it simply on a good slice of bread with a squeeze of lemon and drizzle of olive oil, or even blend it into your Caesar salad dressing in place of anchovies - there's no question that this Italian ingredient can add a touch of the sea to whatever post-zombie attack meal you can piece together.
Sliced botargo Source: Getty Images/Brett Stevens
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Spaghetti alla bottarga
Belacan
These brown-grey blocks may look unassuming, but they are the secret ingredient to many Singaporean/Malaysian dishes like sambal, chilli crab, and even laksa! A small amount, toasted over an open flame, adds a pungent, salty depth of seafood flavour to those dishes. Be careful, though, there is an old wive's advice that says to never toast belacan around wet laundry or wet hair - it's a surefire way to walk around smelling like fermented shrimp all day!
This week it's all about preserving your seafood on Food Safari Water with Maeve O'Meara 7.30pm, Wednesdays on SBS and then you can catch-up on all episodes via SBS On Demand. Visit the program page for recipes, videos and more.
