Originally Posted By: Kyle_A
So what's in the smoked fish that they sell at the airport, kitchen stores etc, which stays at room temperature for months? Is it full of preservatives? How did the natives keep it for months?
I believe that it is a wet smoke that has been pasturized (i.e. processed above 185 degrees), it's the same deal used for envelopes of cooked tuna, chicken, etc.The tribes have a couple of ways, air drying as discussed, hard smoked to the point where you can just about hammer nails with it, it looks like it has been varnished or something, when shown to me (years ago) it had a smudge of green mold on the surface,, he wiped it right off, it couldn't get into the fish. It will tear your mouth up to just chew it, really salty and hard. It can be boiled with potatoes or added to other soups, that is the method of long term preservation that I have seen.Not sure about preservatives in commercally available envelopes, look at the label the next time you are in cosco or the airport store, it will say. Once you open that fish it must be used pretty quickly and refrigerated. Bob R


Edited by bob r (10/02/13 05:34 PM)