Patented Jan. 29, 1935 1989,383 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1989,383 METHOD OF TREATING SEAFOOD AND THE PRODUCT RESULT ING THEREFRORM Charles H. Schuh, Glendale, Long Island, N. Y., assignor to Sturmack Company, Inc., Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Applicatin August 2, 1931, Serial No. 559,775. Renewed June 16, 1934 9 Claims. (C. 99-11) The present invention relates to a method of like product. The jelly-like product is packed treating seafood and to the product resulting into a Suitable mold Without the loss of any drip threfrom and more particularly to a method of page. The fish in the mold is baked and a baked treating seafood to produce a baked and Smoked fish steak is produced without the loss of juices. 5 Steak and to a baked and smoked seafood steak The baked steak of seafood is Smoked under the produced by said method. - . influence of heat. The Smoked steak can be han It is well known that when fish is boned and dled and sold as a unit, can be cut or sliced, and converted to the fillet condition, a product is ob can be eaten directly as a foodstuff. For a better tained which has a watery consistency and which understanding of the invention, by those skilled in 10 tends to lose a portion of its juices as soon as it is the art, and for illustrative purposes, the following: COmpressed Or processed in some manner. The art specific examples are given. 10 has been in want of a steak or shaped unit of sea food which is edible and ready for consumption Eacample No. 1 and which can be sliced and handled, and mer Seafood or fish such as mackerel is boned in 5 chandised like delicatessen products such as bacon order to put the same into a fillet condition. or sturgeon. Various proposals have been made By fillet condition is meant, fish in a skinned 5 to produce an edible and sliceable steak of seafood. and boned condition together with any shreds Thus, attempts to make such steaks by shredding which are produced. To the fillet fish or watery and compressing a seafood or by shredding, com fish mass, I add sufficient material containing a :20 pressing and processing under heator filleting, high protein content to cause the jellying there compressing, heating and cooling under pressure, of. In practice, I have found that the addition : 20 etc., have resulted in the loss of juices, in the pro of shrimp which contains about 25.4% of protein duction of units having unsatisfactory consistency is suitable as the protein-containing material. I for slicing and have resulted in the production of have found that about 50 parts of fillet mackerel - 25 finished units having an unpalatable taste. As far and 50 parts of shredded shrimp when thoroughly as I am aware, the art has not been provided with mixed together will form a jelly-like product. 25 merchantable and consumable units or steaks of This product contains practically all of the liquid fish or Seafood, and has not been provided with a or drippage which was produced in the foregoing satisfactory and practical method of treating sea operation. If desired, seasoning can be added to 30 food or fish to form units or steaks; . the mixture while undergoing the mixing opera I I have discovered that steaks of seafood or fish tion. For instance, salt, spice, and the like, maybe 30 which are merchantable, consumable, sliceable, added to season the seafood to the desired taste. and handleable can be produced, and that the ob The jelly-like mass of seafood or fish is packed jections and difficulties noted hereinabove With into an aluminum mold having a suitable shape. 35 respect to prior methods can be avoided. The fish is baked at suitable temperatures, such It is an object of the invention to provide a as about 100° C. to about 150° C. for a period 35 method of producing steaks of seafood or fish of time sufficient to bake the fish. In practice, which are baked and are ready for consumption about one-quarter of an hour to about one hour and which are capable of being cut or sliced like is sufficient time. The exact duration of time, ; : 40 cooked and prepared sturgeon. of course, will vary depending upon the size and It is another object of the invention to provide shape of the steak of fish. 40 a steak of Seafood which is nutritious, palatable The baked steak is placed in a cheese-cloth bag and which contains a relatively high percentage of and is hung up in a smoke house. During the protein. smoking operation, heat gradually applied until 45: ... It is still another object of the invention to pro a maximum temperature of say about 110° C. to vide a method of producing steaks of seafood or about 130° C. is attained at about the middle of 45 fish in relatively simple, economical and thor the operation and the temperature is again re oughly practical manner. duced. Other objects and advantages of the invention After the steak has been Smoked, it can be :50 will become apparent from the following descrip handled and wrapped as a unit in any Suitable tion of a preferred embodiment of the present manner. For instance, it can be wrapped in cel 50 invention. lophane and can be shipped and sold in stores Generally Speaking, I first fillet the fish in the such as butcher shops, delicatessen Stores, gro usual manner. To the fillet fish or watery fish cery stores, and the like. The Smoked steak of i. 55 mass, I add sufficient material having a high pro seafood is palatable and is capable of being tein content to cause the formation of a jelly sliced. Thus a consumer can cut the finished 55 1989,888 tion provides a simple, practical and thoroughly Smoked steak into slices and can directly con Satisfactory method for treating Seafood and con Sume the sliced seafood steak without any fur verting the same into a merchantable and con ther treatment. Sumable article of commerce which contains the Eacample No. 2 drippage which is ordinarily lost. It will also be noted that, the present invention Mackerel and cod are boned to put them in a provides a seafogd steak which gay be gut and fillet EE, Iprefer to take about 60 parts sliced like sturgeon, which is palatable, and of fillet mackerel and mix it thoroughly with which may have any suitable shape. about 40 parts of fillet cod. By adding protein 0 O containing material with a high protein content, Although I have mentioned certain specific Such as the white of an egg, to the mixture of fish, and gertainspecific protein-containing Sub mackerel and cod, a jelly-like product can be pro stances, it will be understood that other fish or duced. In practice, I have found.that,the-white seafoodpriate protein-gontaining can be employed materialand that orother material appro of of one egg is sufficient to cause the jellying of marine origin having a relatively high content 5 5 about one pound to about two pounds of fillet can be employed. In this connection, it is to be and shredded fish mixture. The white of the noted that the average protein content of fresh egg, of course, is thoroughly mixed in the fish fish and Seafood is only about 10%, whereas the mixture. The jelly-like product takes up prac protein gontent of the fish or seafood employed tically all of the liquid or drippage produced in as the protein-containing material has a relative 20 20. the foregoing operation. ly high protein GQntent as: for example shrimp ... The jelly-like mass is packed into an alumi haying a protein content of about 25%. num mold of suitable shape and is then baked I claim: w as described- in - Example:No.L - , 1. For instance, the 1. The method of treating seafood which com steak can be baked at a temperature of about prises converting fresh Seafood in to a fillet,Con .25 25. il.00 C. to about 150.C. for about one-quarter of dition, while preventing a substantial loss of an hour to about one hour. Following this baking drippage, incorporating Stifficient material hav operation, the baked fish is Smoked in the same ing a relatively.high protein content in said fillet manner as described in Example No. 1. fish as to cause the latter to form a jelly-like ii. When the fish has been thoroughly smoked, it 80 : 30. can be wrapped in cellophane, or the like, and is mass, the aforesaid operations being conducted ready for shipment and consumption. In the without water soaking, cooking, curing, salting, Smoked condition the fish can be cut and sliced compressing or canning, then baking said jelly in a manner quite similar to the cutting and slic like mass, and finally smoking the baked fish 4 were - under the influence of heat to a stable, consum ing of Sturgeon. able and handleable seafood steak. 35 35. Eagmple No. 3 2. The process of treating seafood which com prises filleting fresh seafood, incorporating drip About 50 parts of shredded crab and about 50 page or liquid produced in the foregoing opera parts of shredded shrimp are mixed together. tion with the fillet fish, seasoning said fish mix To this mixture, and any drippage associated ture to give a desired taste, adding sufficient ma-. 40 40 therewith, the white of egg is added in sufficient terial having a relatively high protein content amount to effect jellying of the fish mixture.