Using salt is one of the world’s oldest methods of preserving food; and fish is perhaps the oldest known food preserved in this manner. Using dry salt or brine was the only widely known way to preserve fish until the 19th century.
In this part of the country, salting fish was an almost standard practice each fall. It’s not done so much these days but there are still some families who continue during winter months to enjoy a breakfast or dinner of saltfish just as their forefathers had done. A.J. and Thelma Hurst of Bavon are salting fish and then enjoying how Thelma prepares them. Working together as a team, this is how they proceed.
“When the spot come in you, first scale and gut them and then remove the heads. Some people do not, we do. Next you split the fish and sometimes we remove the bone and sometimes we leave it in. Wash fish good then cover fish with ice to which salt has been added. That draws all the blood out of the fish. Let them set for a while and then ...