MAINE SARDINE INDUSTRY. 109 



standpoint in regard to packing stuffed sardines is whether they can 

 spare the time and attention required to produce them. There 

 would be no trouble in securing a market for them. 



utilization of unavoidable waste. 



Sardine Paste and Deviled Sardines. 



Much of the edible portion of the large fish, now wasted in cutting 

 them back to fit the small cans, may be made available as a whole- 

 some food product in the form of a paste or as deviled sardines. 

 Several experimental packs of sardine paste were put up according 

 to a recipe taken from "Die Merresprodukte," by Heinrich Viktorin 

 (35) with a few modifications, as follows: 



Add to 1 kilogram (1,000 grams or 2.2 pounds) of ground fish meat, free from bones: 



3.5 grams (0.123 ounce) white pepper 



2.0 grams (0.07 ounce) ginger 



2.0 grams (0.07 ounce) cloves 



1.0 gram (0.035 ounce) mace 



1.0 gram (0.035 ounce) cinnamon 



1.0 gram (0.035 ounce) allspice 



100.0 grams (3.51 ounces) butter 



10.5 grams (0.37 ounce) salt 



215.0 grams (7.56 ounces) olive oil 

 The flesh from the large middle part of the fish, cut away in packing the large sizes, 

 was taken from the flakes as they came from the packing tables, so that it was steam 

 cooked and dried to the same degree as sardines. After the meat had been separated 

 from the bones, an easy matter, as the sections readily divide into two portions along 

 the "bine of cleavage" between the bones, it was passed through a meat chopper two 

 or three times until thoroughly ground. The spices were then added and thoroughly 

 mixed with the meat by again being passed through a meat grinder several times. 

 The butter, in a semimolten condition, was added, then the oil, and the whole mass 

 again passed through the meat chopper two or three times, until it was thoroughly 

 mixed and finely ground. This made a quantity sufficient to pack 12 of the small 

 round No. \ sanitary cans, having a net weight of ?>\ ounces. 



It is believed that by increasing the quantity of oil it would be 

 possible to eliminate the butter in this formula without seriously 

 affecting the quality of the product. Any of the ingredients, par- 

 ticularly the amount of oil, can, of course, be changed. Sardine 

 paste, as the term implies, should be soft in texture. The product 

 made according to the formula given was not as soft as might be 

 desired. It did not flow, and could not be spread as readily after 

 being processed as before. Consequently, when a softer paste is 

 desired, it would be advisable to increase the quantity of oil for this 

 quantity of meat. 



A second lot of sardine paste was prepared according to the given 

 formula, substituting corn oil for olive oil. Here again corn oil 

 proved to be excellent. In the opinion of several who tasted the 

 preparation, the corn oil was as satisfactory as olive oil in sardine 

 paste. 



