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3.1.5. Types of salting
Unit 3- Salting and Drying
3.1.5. Types of salting
What are all the methods / types of salting process?
This is the most widely used method of fish curing. All types of fishes except fatty fishes, big or small are cured by this method. Here, the fish is gutted, beheaded or ventrally split open and the viscera removed. The fish is then washed clean. Larger fishes are dorso ventrally split open and cleaned thoroughly. Scores are made also the thick flesh portion for better penetration of salt. Salt is then applied in the ratio 1:3 to 1:10 (salt to fish) depending upon the size of the fish. The fish is then stacked in clean cement tanks or other good containers. The bottom of the tank is covered with salt and a layer of fish is placed. Both fish and salt are alternately placed in the tank and wooden planks are put on the top and weighed down. The salt draws out the water in the fish and the weight placed keeps it under pressure. The fish is kept in this condition for 24-48 hours. After this the fish is taken out, washed in brine to remove adhering salt and trained. It is then hygienically dried in the sun preferably on clean racks. Yield of the product by this method is about 35-40%. This product has a shelf life of 6-10 weeks.
Wet salting
The initial stages of processing and salting are the same as for dry curing. Once the fish is put into the tank it is allowed to remain in the self-brine. The fish is not dried at all. The wet fish is then drained and packed in palmyrah leaf baskets or coconut leaf baskets and taken to the market. The fish is taken out only when there is demand. This method is particularly suitable for fatty fishes. This is mainly done for fishes like oil sardine, mackerel, ribbonfish etc. In such fishes the fat gets oxidized on exposure to air. These products have moisture content of 50-55% and the salt content around 25%. They are most susceptible to fungal attacks, bacterial degradation and general putrefaction. They have a very short shelf life.
Mona Curing
Mono curing is mainly done on medium to small size fishes. The curing is done without splitting the fish open. The intestine and entrails are removed by pulling out through the gill region. The fish is then salted and kept in tanks. The flesh is not exposed during salting thereby causing less contamination. The yield is about 70% and product has a shelf life of 50 days.
Pit Curing
The fish is mixed with salt in the ratio 4:1 and put in pits dug on the beaches. The pits may be lines with palmyrah / coconut leaves. After 2-3 days the fish is taken out and packed in bamboo baskets and transported to markets without drying. The quality is poor and the fish is highly contaminated with sand and has a shelf life of about 20 days. This is commonly called as ‘Kuzhi Karuvadu’.
Colombo Curing
Colombo curing is actually a pickling process for wet salt curing of pelagic fish. Colombo curing was practiced by the fishermen of South Canara and Malabar regions of the west coast of India. In the past, Colombo-cured mackerel and sardines were exported from India to Sri Lanka in large quantities. This method has now become obsolete after the advent of freezing and canning for fish processing and the widespread use of ice. Mackerel and sardines, available in huge quantities during the rainy season, were chiefly used for Colombo-cured fish is sour in taste and fibrous in texture. Several years ago, Sri Lanka stopped the import of Colombo-cured fish from India. All these factors have contributed to the disappearance of this once well known process.
Mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta). Sardine (Sardinella longiceps), and non-fatty pelagic fish are suitable for Colombo curing. The fish is headed and gutted and washed of all dirt and slime. It is mixed with salt in the ratio of 3:1 or 4:1 (w/w) in large cement tanks. Pieces of a sour fruit, locally called “gorukapuli” (Garcinia cambogia), are mixed with the fish salt mixture. This gives acidity to the pickle. Processing time is 3-4 months. After this it is filled in wooden barrels along with liquid pickle up to the top and exported.
Fruits of G.cambogia are yellow and contain tartaric acid. Smoke dried pulp, which is black, is used for pickling. The dried fruit is back, soft and acidic. It is extensively used for fish curry preparations in southern and western India. There are wide variations in the practice of the technique. In another well known processing practice, a dried pieces of gorukapuli is placed inside the belly flap of each fish. After this treatment, fish and salt are arranged in layers in large wooden vessels made of white cedar or mango wood. The vessels are filled up to the top, kept tightly closed upto 3 months, and thereafter sold in the open market. Colombo curing, although it became extinct in India, is still practiced in Sri Lanka where the process is known as ‘
“jadi”.
What are all the methods / types of salting process?
- Dry salting
- Wet salting
- Mono curing
- Pit curing
- Colombo
- Curing
This is the most widely used method of fish curing. All types of fishes except fatty fishes, big or small are cured by this method. Here, the fish is gutted, beheaded or ventrally split open and the viscera removed. The fish is then washed clean. Larger fishes are dorso ventrally split open and cleaned thoroughly. Scores are made also the thick flesh portion for better penetration of salt. Salt is then applied in the ratio 1:3 to 1:10 (salt to fish) depending upon the size of the fish. The fish is then stacked in clean cement tanks or other good containers. The bottom of the tank is covered with salt and a layer of fish is placed. Both fish and salt are alternately placed in the tank and wooden planks are put on the top and weighed down. The salt draws out the water in the fish and the weight placed keeps it under pressure. The fish is kept in this condition for 24-48 hours. After this the fish is taken out, washed in brine to remove adhering salt and trained. It is then hygienically dried in the sun preferably on clean racks. Yield of the product by this method is about 35-40%. This product has a shelf life of 6-10 weeks.
Wet salting
The initial stages of processing and salting are the same as for dry curing. Once the fish is put into the tank it is allowed to remain in the self-brine. The fish is not dried at all. The wet fish is then drained and packed in palmyrah leaf baskets or coconut leaf baskets and taken to the market. The fish is taken out only when there is demand. This method is particularly suitable for fatty fishes. This is mainly done for fishes like oil sardine, mackerel, ribbonfish etc. In such fishes the fat gets oxidized on exposure to air. These products have moisture content of 50-55% and the salt content around 25%. They are most susceptible to fungal attacks, bacterial degradation and general putrefaction. They have a very short shelf life.
Mona Curing
Mono curing is mainly done on medium to small size fishes. The curing is done without splitting the fish open. The intestine and entrails are removed by pulling out through the gill region. The fish is then salted and kept in tanks. The flesh is not exposed during salting thereby causing less contamination. The yield is about 70% and product has a shelf life of 50 days.
Pit Curing
The fish is mixed with salt in the ratio 4:1 and put in pits dug on the beaches. The pits may be lines with palmyrah / coconut leaves. After 2-3 days the fish is taken out and packed in bamboo baskets and transported to markets without drying. The quality is poor and the fish is highly contaminated with sand and has a shelf life of about 20 days. This is commonly called as ‘Kuzhi Karuvadu’.
Colombo Curing
Colombo curing is actually a pickling process for wet salt curing of pelagic fish. Colombo curing was practiced by the fishermen of South Canara and Malabar regions of the west coast of India. In the past, Colombo-cured mackerel and sardines were exported from India to Sri Lanka in large quantities. This method has now become obsolete after the advent of freezing and canning for fish processing and the widespread use of ice. Mackerel and sardines, available in huge quantities during the rainy season, were chiefly used for Colombo-cured fish is sour in taste and fibrous in texture. Several years ago, Sri Lanka stopped the import of Colombo-cured fish from India. All these factors have contributed to the disappearance of this once well known process.
Mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta). Sardine (Sardinella longiceps), and non-fatty pelagic fish are suitable for Colombo curing. The fish is headed and gutted and washed of all dirt and slime. It is mixed with salt in the ratio of 3:1 or 4:1 (w/w) in large cement tanks. Pieces of a sour fruit, locally called “gorukapuli” (Garcinia cambogia), are mixed with the fish salt mixture. This gives acidity to the pickle. Processing time is 3-4 months. After this it is filled in wooden barrels along with liquid pickle up to the top and exported.
Fruits of G.cambogia are yellow and contain tartaric acid. Smoke dried pulp, which is black, is used for pickling. The dried fruit is back, soft and acidic. It is extensively used for fish curry preparations in southern and western India. There are wide variations in the practice of the technique. In another well known processing practice, a dried pieces of gorukapuli is placed inside the belly flap of each fish. After this treatment, fish and salt are arranged in layers in large wooden vessels made of white cedar or mango wood. The vessels are filled up to the top, kept tightly closed upto 3 months, and thereafter sold in the open market. Colombo curing, although it became extinct in India, is still practiced in Sri Lanka where the process is known as ‘
“jadi”.
Last modified: Thursday, 12 July 2012, 6:25 AM