THE PRESERVATION OF FISH BY SMOKING AND DRYING 417 



On the Pacific Coast a modified Norwegian method has been employed on a 

 limited scale to pack a species of anchovies which is found in abundance off the 

 coast of Canada and the United States. Since the size and quality of this fish 

 is similar to the Norwegian brisling, there is every promise of a future industry. 



Oysters, clams, shrimp, and crab legs have all been smoked and canned success- 

 fully. These specialty products are always in demand for use as hors d'oeuvres. 

 Oysters may he prepared by first being steamed open to loosen the meats for 

 easy removal. This precooking firms the meat and improves the texture. The meats 

 are brined for only 5 minutes in a 60° Sal. solution, after which they are spread 

 out on oiled wire-screen trays for handling in the smoke oven. Two to 3 hours' 

 smoking, with a gradual increase in temperature from 110 to 140° F (43.3 to 

 60° C) is sufficient to produce the desirable light tan color and delicate smoke 

 flavor. Packing is usually in /4-pound, round or rectangular cans. Small glass jars 

 may also be used. After the containers are filled with oil, they are sealed and 

 heat-processed in the usual manner. Handling of the other types of shellfish is 

 essentially the same, some kind of precooking being necessary before the smoking 

 operation. 



Cubing Fish by Dbying and Dehydbation 



Introduction 



Although in ordinary usage the words drying and dehydration may be con- 

 sidered synonymous, when speaking of fish it is customary to make a slight distinc- 

 tion between them. The term dnjing is applied to those processes in which the 

 moistvire is removed by exposure to natural currents of air and the humidity is 

 regulated by climatic conditions. Dehydration, on the other hand, is carried 

 out in a man-made apparatus in which the air currents and heat are produced 

 artificially and the relative humidities are under control. 



Drying in the open air is without doubt the most ancient method of preserving 

 food. Aboriginal man must have learned early in his existence how to hang and 

 dry his surplus fish in the open air; perhaps he made use of some rocky point 

 jutting out into the ocean so as to take advantage of the prevailing winds. Some 

 of the methods practiced today are probably not unlike the primitive methods. 

 Natural drying of fishery products has been employed to a certain extent in all 

 fish-producing countries, and in the United States limited quantities are still being 

 prepared. 



It would seem logical that sizable fish-drying industries would have developed 

 in tropical countries; however, this was not the case, except in certain island areas 

 where prevailing winds were steady and uniform. Conditions such as these are 

 found in the southern Philippines and parts of the East Indies, where salted and 

 unsalted dried fish are a major item of diet. Nevertheless, most tropical counti-ies 

 do not produce large quantities of dried fish. The abundance of fresh food at all 

 seasons of the year may have made it unnecessary to learn how to preserve the 

 catches; or heat and high humidity may have caused such rapid spoilage that fish- 

 drying was impracticable. More progress has been made in the temperate zones, 

 and the greatest amount of dried fish has always been produced in countries far 

 from the equator. There is extensive fish-drying in the northern part of Norway 

 beyond the Arctic Circle. The Japanese dry a greater quantity and variety of fish 



