CURED FISHERY PRODUCTS 333 



above 90°F) for 24 to 48 hours in a light smoke. The density of the smoke 

 is then increased and the smoking continued for another period of 48 hours 

 or longer. 



In recent years some thawed frozen salmon has been used in place of 

 mild cured fish for smoking. Smoked salmon made from frozen fish has a 

 milder flavor due to the absence of salt. Most smoked salmon is sold in 

 piece form but some is cut into thin slices. Small quantities of salmon are 

 smoked in other ways, the most important of which is hot smoking to 

 produce kippered salmon. 



Chub. Chub, the second most important species of fish smoked in the 

 TTnited States, is a small oily fresh-water fish taken in the Great Lakes, 

 particularly in Lake Michigan. The fish are caught during a short summer 

 season and are generally frozen and stored during the year, being smoked 

 just before marketing. The thawed fish are dressed, split, and thoroughly 

 washed. After draining, the chub are brined for several hours, drained, 

 threaded on sticks, and placed in the smokehouse. Air is first blown 

 through to dry the surface, and the fish are then smoked for about five 

 hours in a light smoke at 80 to 90°F. The temperature is then increased to 

 170 to 180°r, and the fish are smoked for an additional one to two hours. 



Sea Herring. Sea herring are not smoked in large quantity in the 

 United States, but on a world-wide basis this is the most important 

 smoke-cured species. Important centers for producing smoked herring 

 include Germany, the Netherlands, Scotland, England, and Norway. A 

 wide variety of smoked herring are produced, including bloaters, a lightly 

 dried, cold smoked, whole fish (a product having a short keeping time) ; 

 kippered herring, a dressed, split, lightly cold smoked product; and hard- 

 smoked herring (sometimes smoked after skinning and boning) which is 

 given a long cold smoke that imparts relatively long keeping quality. 

 For details concerning methods of producing the different types of smoked 

 herring the reader is referred to Jarvis^ 



Processing of Pickled Fish 



Pickled fish are prepared largely from herring or the related alewife 

 (river herring) in the United States. The fish are either local varieties 

 obtained from Maine, Chesapeake Bay, and Alaska or often are imported 

 from Canada, Iceland, Norway, or Great Britain. The fish are generally 

 received in the salted state at the plant where the pickling operation 

 takes place. Sometimes a preliminary pickling is carried out at the original 

 producing site. In such cases the headed and eviscerated herring are cured 

 from three to seven days in 80 to 90° salinometer brine containing 23-^ per 

 cent 120 grain distilled vinegar. The herring are then packed in barrels 

 with 70° salinometer brine containing a little vinegar and shipped to such 



