Storage of salted fish

Fish has been salted for centuries as a way to preserved it. In the days of the Atlantic slave trade, the slave price was paid in Spanish coins, or salted fish.

Salted fish was also used to feed the slaves on the Middle Passage. Salted fish are obtained by salting fresh, deep frozen or frozen fish. Salted products include: herring, anchovies, saithe, cod salmon, tuna and roe or caviar.

Storage of salted products depends on salt concentration, moisture content and temperature. Storage life may be up to 1-2 years under certain conditions.

Salt cod, which has moisture content of 40% or higher should be held at temperatures of 40 °F (4.4 °C) or slightly below since it is subject to spoilage through bacterial growth.

On the other hand, well-dried salt cod and certain types of salted and smoke herring (which have dried during smoking) may be held at room temperatures without spoilage.
Storage of salted fish