334 PRESERVATION METHODS 



pickling centers as New York, Chicago, Detroit, or Los Angeles. Gener- 

 ally the fish are first cut into some form, depending upon the ultimate 

 product to be prepared. This may be fillets, the backbone may be re- 

 moved or, in other cases, left in. The cut herring are then stored in dilute 

 vinegar and 35° salinometer brine at about 34°F until the final processing 

 operation takes place. 



For the final processing, the fish may be soaked overnight in a tank of 

 fresh water or for a shorter time in running water. They are then gener- 

 ally held for about 72 hours in a salt-vinegar solution which usually con- 

 sists of about three per cent white distilled vinegar and six per cent salt. 

 The herring are then cut into final form, consisting of strips, or various 

 shaped pieces, or left in the original dressed state. They are finally packed, 

 usually in glass jars, with the curing and flavoring ingredients. 



A wide variety of pickled herring products are prepared in the United 

 States. As examples of some of these, the preparation of three will be 

 described briefly. For more detailed description of the pickling of these 

 and other products the reader is referred to Jarvis^ 



Cut Spiced Herring. This product is prepared from pieces of herring 

 one to two inches wide cut across the body of the fish. The slices are 

 packed in 8, 16, or 32 ounce glass jars with mixed spices and with diluted 

 vinegar (2}^ per cent of the acid) containing about }i pound sugar and 

 }yi pound salt per gallon. Various spices are employed and may include 

 combinations of the following: mustard seed, oil of cardamon, white 

 pepper, black pepper, allspice, cloves, and bay leaves. In some cases 

 slices of onion, lemon, or pieces of bay leaf or pimento may be added. 

 Cut spiced herring are also packed in tubs for distribution through whole- 

 sale markets. 



Rollmops. This product consists of vinegar-cured herring fillets wrapped 

 around pieces of dill pickle or pickled onion, cured in a spiced vinegar 

 sauce, and generally packed in glass jars. 



Bismark Herring. This product is somewhat similar to cut, spiced 

 herring except that instead of using cut pieces of herring, the herring is 

 boned and trimmed with head removed but leaving the two sides attached 

 along the back. The fish are then cured for about ten days at 40°F in the 

 vinegar-spice mixture before packing vertically in glass jars containing 

 three per cent acidity vinegar and usually a slice of lemon or a piece of 

 bay leaf. 



LITERATURE CITED 



1. Anon., Pacific Fishennan, 60, No. 5, 32(1952). 



2. Beatty, S. A., and Fougoro, H., "Tho Processing of Driod Salted Fish," Ottawa, 



Fisheries Research Board Can., Bull. No. 112 (1957). 



