410 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
it keeps weil iu hot climates, and is preferred to the hard-cured fish, because it is not so apt to get 
lu-ittle and break. Fish cured in the early spring or in the fall of the year when the climate is chilly, 
are, if sufficiently pressed and salted, superior to the hard-cured fish in summer time, even if it is a 
little pliable, and will keep well in hot climates. Complaints of the hard-cured fish being brittle and 
difficult to handle are often made in the Mediterranean markets. 
When the fish is stored in Iceland it is kept well covered with mats or canvas in order to prevent 
the moist air from afl'ecting the fish. The principal market for Iceland fish is the southern part of 
Spain, while a part is also exported to Copenhagen and Great Britain. 
STOCKFISH. 
In preparing stockfisli in Norway each fish is bled as soon as taken from the 
water, care being taken that it be not bruised or mutilated. In dressing, the fish is 
split from the pectoral fin to the vent, thus leaving the sides connected about the 
napes and near the tail. The head and entrails are removed, after which each fish 
is well cleansed outside and inside with sea water. They are next tied together by 
the tails in pairs and sus])ended from thick strips about 2 feet apart, on top of stands 
about 8 feet high. The fish are hung on each side of the strips, care being taken that 
they are not so close as to prevent the air currents from acting njion them. A two- 
pronged stick is generally used in hanging them up and taking them down. The 
grounds about the fiakes should be clean, airy, and devoid of all putrefying refuse. 
During summer the fish are generally split quite through, leaving only enough meat 
and skin at the tail to support its own weight. The backbone is cut out from about 
three joints below the vent, and the fish hung up individually by the tail in such a 
way that one half of the fish hangs on each side of the pole. Large fish, over 2S inches 
in length, are also split during the winter and spring. By far the greater portion of 
the stockfish, however, are cured round. 
The fish receive no further attention, being left out in all sorts of weather, and 
are not taken down from the time they are hung up until perfectly dry; that is, hard 
enough to withstand the strongest pressure of the tip of the thumb in the thick of 
the tlesh along the back without giving away. In taking the fish down from the 
flakes, dry and fair weather should be selected in order not to leave any moisture 
about the fish when it is stored. In preparing for export, the stockfish, is usually 
pressed and tied by wire into rectangular bundles, 20 by 21 by 29 inches, containing 
100 kilograms or about 220 ])ounds. Bundles of 50 kilograms are also prepared. 
Norway is the only country in which stockfish is extensively prepared, about 400,000 
quintals being cured annually, the species used being cod principally, but also cask, 
pollock, haddock, and ling in smaller quantities. The chief markets are in Italy, 
Spain, Germany, Holland, and the tropical sections of the continents of America. 
The Kussians prepare stockfish in a somewhat different manner from that of the 
Norwegians. The fish is split through the back and left solid iu the abdomen. A cut 
about an inch long is made through the uppermost part of the fish, and through this 
the fish is tied up on the flakes. They also prepare them in a manner similar to the 
Norwegian si)lit fish, except that they do not usually take out the backbone. 
Before cooking, the stockfish should be softened or disintegrated by beating with 
a wooden club and all bones removed. The flesh is then soaked for several hours, 
washed and drained. In Italy thin fish are preferred to thick ones and the disinte- 
grated flesh is placed in cold water over a fire and removed before the water reaches 
the boiling point, since boiling makes it tough. Steaming is even a better method of 
cooking, making the flesh white and soft. 
