Preservation of Fish by Curing

Fish curing generally comprises all methods of preservation except refrigeration and canning. It includes (i) drying, salting, smoking, pickling and marinating of fish, (ii) various combinations of these methods and (iii) preservation of fish by fermentation. Cured fish is a highly appreciated and traditional product in many countries, mainly due to its excellent storage stability, special organoleptic characteristics and nutritional value. Traditionally, groundfish species (cod, saithe, haddock, ling, blue ling and tusk) are used for salting processes, including light salting and heavy salting, mainly because fish muscle has a low lipid content. Pelagic species (herring, sardine, capelin, blue whiting and mackerel) and salmonids (salmon, trout and arctic char) with a higher lipid content are more suited to other curing processes (smoking, marinating).