108 MADRAS FISHERIES BULLETIN VOL. XlII, 



the fish by cooking it at a temperature above that of boiling water, so 

 that the moisture (which in fish amounts to 70 per cent of the weight 

 of the whole fish) of the tissues may be partly driven off as steam ; 

 this not only sterilises the fish but firms and shrinks the tissues so 

 that the fish can be conveniently handled and packed, and will 

 also bear processing and transport without breaking up and 

 becoming ' mushy ' in the cans. In this operation a certain 

 amount of oil penetrates the fish and to that extent flavours them ; 

 hence the necessity for good oil even in frying. It is obvious 

 however, especially with such small fish, that the rapid drying 

 effected by oil frying may drive out so much moisture that the fish 

 will shrink and dry excessively ; this must be guarded against, for 

 a dry sardine is a spoilt sardine. Ordinarily a minute or so at a 

 temperature 270° to 300° F. is sufficient; the fish are sufficiently done 

 when they begin to rise to the surface of this oil, this fact resulting 

 from the drying out of moisture and thus rendering the fish lighter, 



153. It is also obvious that both sterilisation and the driving off 

 of moisture can equally be effected in other ways, e.g., by the 

 baking in an oven or by steaming with 'dry' steam. These 

 methods have the advantages of speed and cheapness but the 

 French canners claim that the best goods are not produced in this 

 way, since the fish do not absorb oil. On the other hand these 

 methods do away with the ill effect of bad or scorched oil as is 

 often found in the pans after a number of grilles have been fried, 

 and the fish can easily be given extra oil when packing. At 

 Beypore steaming has been successfully resorted to, but the 

 experiments require further investigation and new methods. See 

 paragraphs 59—63 and 94 — 98 supra s.v. ' frying. ' It is however 

 certain that steamed sardines require more oil in packing than 

 sardines fried in oil for the reason given by the French canners, 

 viz., that sardines fried in oil necessarily absorb oil. Moreover 

 great care must be taken not to steam the fish too long, as this 

 unduly dries and hardens the flesh. 



154. The fish after the surplus oil has been drained off are 

 emptied from the grilles on to tables which are preferably covered 

 with zinc, slate, glass, etc., for purposes of cleanliness. Here they 

 are packed into cans, usually ' quarters. ' The cans are thoroughly 

 cleaned and a clove, two black peppers, and a piece of bay leaf (a 

 sprig of thyme is often added by the French) are put in ready for 

 packing; some canners add the required oil before the fish are 



