On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 462

moisture and become denser without being
cooked, which would denature connectivetissuecollagenandcausethefishtofallapart.
Finally,thefishissmokedforseveralhoursin
one of two temperature ranges. In cold
smoking, the temperature remains below
90ºF/32ºC,andthefishretainsitsdelicateraw
texture.Inhotsmoking,thefishisessentially
cooked in air at temperatures that gradually
riseandapproachtheboilingpoint;itreaches
aninternaltemperatureof150–170ºF/65–75ºC
fairly quickly, and has a cohesive yet dry,
flaky texture. Fish smoked cold and long can
keepforaslongasacoupleofmonthsinthe
refrigerator, while a light smoking, hot or
cold,willonlykeepthefishforafewdaysor
weeks.
LightlySalted,Strong-SmellingFish:
Surstrømming
Fish pastes and sauces are cured with
enoughsalttolimitthegrowthandactivity


of microbes. There are also fish
fermentations that involve far less salt, so
that bacteria thrive and have a far more
powerful influence on flavor. One
notorious
example
is
Swedish
Surstrømming. Herring are fermented in

barrelsforonetotwomonths,thensealed
in cans and allowed to continue for as
much as another year. The cans swell,
which is normally a warning sign for the
growth of botulism bacteria, but for
surstrømming a sign of promising flavor
development. The unusual bacteria
responsible for ripening in the can are
speciesofHaloanaerobium,whichproduce
hydrogen and carbon dioxide gases,
hydrogen sulfide, and butyric, propionic,
andaceticacids:ineffectacombinationof
rotten eggs, rancid Swiss cheese, and
vinegar,overlaidontothebasicfishflavor!
Finesmokedsalmonmaybetreatedwith
saltandsometimessugarforafewhourstoa