THE PRESERVATION OF FISH BY SMOKING AND DRYING 413 



Smoked Bonito Sticks. Another distinctive method which is utiUzed principally 

 by the Japanese is the production of bonito sticks (Smith, 1947) . The fresh bonito 

 are headed, eviscerated, and split into fillets; if the fillets are large, they may 

 again be split. The strips are then placed on trays and boiled for 1 to 2 hours. 

 The temperature is raised slowly so as to prevent splitting. After cooking, the skin 

 and bones are removed and any cracks in the flesh are filled with a fish paste so 

 that the original shape is maintained. The fish are next dried on trays in large 

 ovens over a wood fire which both dries and smokes the strips. This process is 

 taken slowly so as to dry the fish thoroughly. When the process is complete, the 

 pieces are dark bro\\'n in color and very hard. A further step is the removal of fat, 

 which is accomplished bv a mildew process. The sticks are allowed to stand in 

 a warm, damp room until covered with mold. The latter is then scraped off and 

 the pieces are sterilized. A very hard, durable product which keeps remarkably 

 well is the result of this process. The sticks, which are extensively used in pre- 

 paring soups and broths, are so hard that shavings must be pared off for use. 



Smoke Curing Prior to Canning. In recent vears there has been a noticeable 

 increase in the canning of certain fish and shellfish which have been given a pre- 

 liminary smoke cure. This procedure gives the canned product additional flavor, 

 enhances the color, and in some cases improves the textirre. Subsequent storage 

 tends to intensifv the smoke flavor and color. For this reason the fish should not 

 be over smoked. Canned smoked products may be prepared from fresh and 

 frozen fish or from salt-cured fish, such as salt herring and mfld-cured and hard- 

 cured salmon. However, two quite distinct types are produced depending upon 

 the kind of material used. All these that are prepared from salt-cured fish are 

 not heat-processed after sealing in the cans. The tin container merely serves as a 

 suitable package for marketing purposes. In the processed type the fresh or frozen 

 fish is subjected to a preliminarv smoking, followed by heat-processing or steriliza- 

 tion of the canned product. 



Non-Processed Products. As previouslv mentioned, smoked mild-cured king 

 salmon sides may be sliced and packed in 1- and 5-pound tin cans. Some packers 

 add a small quantitv of \egetable oil to each can. Since this item is highly perish- 

 able, it must be shipped and stored under refrigeration preferably just above the 

 freezing point. 



Another excellent article prepared on the Pacific Coast is canned hard-smoked 

 salmon. Following the usual procedure of hard-smoking the sides of salmon are 

 cut into can-length sticks or into slices and then packed in tin containers of 

 various sizes. Oil mav or mav not be added. While all 5 species may be used, the 

 red and silver salmon, because of their better color, produce the most attracti\e 

 packs. The keeping qualitv depends entirely on the amount of moisture remo\ed 

 bv the smoking process. The drver the fish the longer it will keep without refrigera- 

 tion. However, for extended periods cold storage is recommended. 



In Norway and other Northern European countries a \ariet\- of non-processed 

 products are prepared from cold-smoked fish, such as salmon, herring, mackerel, 

 pollock, etc. The customary procedure is to smoke the fish until firm and reason- 

 ablv drv. After removal of the skin and bones the fish are cut into thin slices. 

 Packing is usuallv in small rectangular tin containers, similar to a /-i-size sardine 

 can. \'egetable oil is generally added to fill the container before sealing. Extended 

 storage should, of course, be under refrigeration just above the freezing point. 



