﻿ix, d, i Seale: Fish and Fishery Products 5 



preferred — with 3 parts of salt. This is placed in stone jars, 

 covered to exclude flies and dirt, and allowed to ferment for one 

 month. It is then ready for use, the liquid portion being used 

 as a sauce and the solid fried or mixed with rice. Care should 

 be taken to prevent flies from depositing their eggs in this 

 mixture as otherwise it becomes filled with larvae and is most 

 unappetizing. However, it is sometimes eaten in this condition. 



PRESERVING BY SMOKING 



In its simplest form, the preservation 'of fish by smoking is 

 as follows: The fish are first dressed. If large, they are split 

 down the belly from head to tail so that they lie flat. The head 

 and most of the backbone are removed. Usually the flesh is 

 gashed in several places to allow the salt to penetrate." The 

 fish are next placed in vats or barrels with 22.66 kilograms 

 (50 pounds) of No. 2 salt and from 2.27 to 4.54 kilograms 

 (5 to 10 pounds) of granulated sugar to 91 kilograms (200 

 pounds) of fish. On the second day, brine made by dissolving 

 13.61 kilograms (30 pounds) of salt in 18.9 liters (5 gallons) 

 of water is added. After the fifth or sixth day, the fish are 

 removed and soaked in fresh water for three hours. They are 

 trussed out flat, hung on sticks or bamboos, and permitted to 

 dry for from two to three hours in the open air. They are then 

 hung in the upper part of the smokehouse away from tha^ heat, 

 but not so high as to be in the hot air which accumulates at the 

 top. The smoking is continued for from eighteen to thirty-six 

 hours, twenty-four of which are usually required to complete the 

 process. When low smokehouses are used, in which the fish are 

 hung within from 2.5 to 3 meters (8 to 10 feet) of the fire, the 

 smoking is usually completed in less time than this. The smoke 

 must be even throughout and with little fire. When sufficiently 

 smoked, the fish are permitted to cool and are then packed with 

 paper wrapped about them. The price in the United States for 

 fish prepared in this way is usually from 36 to 40 centavos per 

 pound. 



The smokehouse may be of almost any shape or size, from an 

 inverted barrel to the elaborate brick house with outside fur- 

 naces. A common form is one with three or four chambers, 

 ranged side by side, from 1.83 to 4.27 meters (6 to 14 feet) 

 high, 1.22 to 1.52 meters (4 to 5 feet) wide, and 1.83 to 3.66 

 meters (6 to 12 feet) deep. Hardwood or hardwood sawdust 

 is used for producing the smoke. 



