328 PRESERVATION METHODS 



Cod is the principal species salted by the dry salt process, and the 

 following description of its production typifies that used for other species. 

 Most of the cod salted in North America is produced on the Atlantic 

 Coast in the Maritime Provinces of Canada, and much smaller quantities 

 are produced in the New England states. The method described is typical 

 of that used in these areas. Canada is, in fact, the leading producer of 

 salt cod; most of its production is exported to countries in the Carribean, 

 to South America, and to Southern Europe. 



The cod are eviscerated at sea and preserved in ice until landed. The 

 fish are graded as to size, beheaded, and split down the back, leaving the 

 bone in one side of the fish. After thorough washing, the fish are gener- 

 ally salted by the pickle cure in wood or concrete tanks or in butts or 

 hogsheads. A layer of salt is placed at the bottom, followed by layers of 

 the split fish, flesh side up, each fish having been given a light sprinkling 

 of salt. The tanks or butts are filled above the level of the container with 

 fish, using a heavier amount of salt at the top. About 17 pounds of salt 

 per 100 pounds of fish are employed. The fish gradually sink down below 

 the top of the container as the brine forms from the moisture withdrawn 

 from the fish. As this process continues, salt is added to the top layer to 

 hold the fish beneath the brine and to keep it fully saturated with salt. 

 Fish remain in the vats for three weeks or longer. 



When fish are salted aboard vessel, the ''kench" curing method is used 

 whereby the fish are piled in the hold of the vessel without use of con- 

 tainers of any kind. This method can also be used ashore if the climate is 

 quite cool. 



The fish are next removed from the brine and ^'waterhorsed." In this 

 process the fish are piled flesh side down in stacks about three feet high. 

 The weight of the fish in the pile presses brine from the fish. Sometimes 

 the piles are weighted down to increase the pressure and to remove addi- 

 tional moisture. Over a period of a day or so the piles may be rearranged 

 to put the fish previously at the bottom of the pile at the top. 



The cod at this stage are ''green salted" and still contain too much 

 moisture, the excess of which is removed by drying. This was formerly 

 done entirely by sun drying on racks. Currently artificial dryers in which 

 humidity and temperature can be controlled independent of weather con- 

 ditions are displacing sun drying methods. 



In outdoor or sun drying, the fish are merely spread on wire netting 

 supported by wooden frames in the open air and allowed to remain until 

 the moisture content has been sufficiently lowered. The rate of such dry- 

 ing will depend, of course, upon the relative humidity of the air, its rate 

 of movement, and the temperature. Drying is generally more rapid in the 

 spring or fall than in the summer because of the lower humidity. 



