dried seafood

[wildwanderer]

Anyone tried dried squid or another form of dried seafood while on the trail? (The Asian store packaged type)

Whats the taste like?

Does the packaging smell after opening? (Or before?)

[rustyjus]

I haven't had it on the trail but Ive eaten plenty while travelling though out thailand .
Its an acquired taste, ripe and fermented and slaty. the dried squid is generally heated over coals and then bashed or rolled to break it apart...
the crispy fish and prawns are mainly used in salads.
I think it would be a very stinky and linger if you carried it in the pack and you would be the butt of many jokes from your fellow hikers.
Dried japeanese bonito Katsuobushi has smoky bacon flavour and would probably be a nice accompaniment to rice or noodles.

[Huntsman247]

I like dried anchovys, particularly the spicy ones. Been a while since I've had them on the trail though. No strong smell and no cooking required.

The dried squid or dried milk fish is usually fried. Doing so produces a very strong smell or stench (depending on the cultural background of who you ask. Lol). I rekon they taste great but cooking it will impregnate your clothes and hair with a strong smell which as mentioned above can make you the punch line of every joke of the trip since a shower and change of clothes after is probably out of the question.

If you want to be adventurous with asian food on the trail you could look at salty eggs or century eggs. Not exactly dried but they can last a while & are usually precooked so no chances of leaking eggs.

[Snooze]

A person I know is very fond of that white dried squid from Japan. It's pretty salty so makes a good snack to accompany beer etc. The way I like to eat it is to tear it into thinnish strips, toast the strips lightly under the griller, dab with just a bit Kewpie mayonnaise, and scoff while warm.

[Orion]

I was addicted to dried squid for a short while. The stuff I was eating came from Japan or Korea, I can't remember. It was chewy, salty, fishy tasting. It's basically squid jerky. It went well with beer. It wasn't particularly smelly.

I found that, just like jerky, it was too easy for me to eat enough of it that I later wished I hadn't. So I stopped buying it. But in moderation it could be another thing to snack on.

[ofuros]

Squid snacks in strips & sheets form, from a Thai supermart...original, mild & spicy flavours.
Most Asian shops will have a dried snack isle. Nice if to like your scroggin on the savoury side, like me.
Slight smell of the sea once the packet is opened, a chewy & tasty alternative snack for the trail.

Those roasted seaweed sheets available in the big supermarkets are very moreish too...yum yum.

You could probably grind down those packets of dried shrimp & use them in some way too.

[wildwanderer]

Sold! I'm grabbing some for the next trip

[flingebunt]

I love dried squid. The best I had was from a local fisherman in Hong Kong (my friend's grandfather). Dried seafood will last a long time even if not sealed in plastic.

You can buy it and eat it as snack to see if you like it. In Korea we went into a bar (where they have to serve food when you are drinking) and along with our beers we got complimentary dried squid. My German friend was like "I am not going to eat that" but once he tried it, he liked it.