Fish Bones

Always greatly troubled me, especially after a fish bone lodged beneath my gum, and I wound up with a horrible abscess and the most terrifying experience of my life, at age 19. The experience can be told later. Here, I seek to find an answer as to why I have as long as I can remember, even as a small kid, enjoyed eating the bones found in canned Salmon. Softened to the point of harmlessness, good calcium source, ugly to look at, though, I've always wondered why the bones of fish prepared from the fresh state on our stove present danger from bones left in.

I can recall expectantly awaiting a fried Blue-gill dinner my father in law was preparing. He was a life-long fisherman, adroit at "filleting" as my wife called it, removing each and every bone......

My first mouthful filled my teeth and gums with a myriad of tiny, sharp and pointed bones, feeling like steel-wool! I spat it out, and gave up. Much to everyone's consternation. Hell, I'd always pictured swallowed fish bones piercing the guts......then what?

So,.....why are canned Salmon bones so easily chewed and eaten?
Frank

 

I think it is the pressure canning temperature that softens the bones in salmon. I know they are not soft when the fish is grilled, smoked or baked. When we lived in rural Alaska, we would catch a bushel or more of small fish that they called smelt (but they were much larger than the ones caught in the Great Lakes) and we would pickle them in a big crock. When the pickles were ready, our sons and all their friends would come over and feed themselves until they were stuffed with the pickled fish. The vinegar in the pickle brine softened the fish bones until they were chewy. The bodies of the fish would stay intact. We tried the same thing here when we moved in, as they have a similar fish that is called locally "Hooligan". The bodies of the fish in this area would fall to shreds when pickled. I am told they are a different species of fish here, as they are smaller and not as firm.

 

Yes according to the articles I read this morning it is the pressure cooking that softens the salmons bones. I have a few cans of Wild Salmon in my pantry that a relative gave me. So far I used one can to make some salmon patties which turned out okay. But I remember when I opened that can I was trying to pick the bones and pieces of skin out before forming the patties...it was a lot of trouble to do so I guess that's why I haven't used any of the other cans so far. After what I read today in those articles I will probably try some again soon. Most of the articles said you just mash the bones into the salmon and then you won't even notice them. But I think I would still try to pull any pieces of skin out that I see.

I know wild salmon is really good for us and I like the fillets I buy but now that I know the bones are supposed to be in the canned maybe I will enjoy it that way more too.

 

I remember when we first moved to Alaska, a native man took me out fishing and we caught 208 fish. He took what he could handle, and I took about 60, then we went around to the elderly and the neighbors who couldn't get out to get their own, and gave the remainder away. We filleted some and decided to scale the rest in order to bake whole salmon at a later date. We had scales everywhere, and discovered that nobody here scales salmon. They just eat it off the skin and leave that on the plate. After several years of eating salmon 3 or 4 times a week, I seldom have it anymore. Now we have it 5 to 10 times a year.

 

My horror is to eat fish with bones. All fish has to be filleted before I can eat it. For that reason I can't eat sardines, pilchards, whitebait, kippers canned salmon , etc *ugh*

 

I remember I used to love the little tins of sardines in a mustard sauce...don't they have bones?

 

I think sardines include the bones, but they are very small, and, like the canned salmon, they have been pressure canned which softens the bones.

 

Sardines??? Y'all eat sardines? You know they still have the guts in them, don't you?

@Babs Hunt , you should mash the bones and skin up to make fish cakes. The bones are an excellent source of calcium and the skin is an excellent source of Omega 3.

@Don Alaska , when we visited Washington, we bought fresh smoked salmon from the Native Americans. They were still hot when we ate them. Delicious! Do y'all ever smoke them?

 

We still smoke them once in a while. My sons now do most of that, as I am getting old. Half-smoked and canned is especially good, as it makes smoked salmon salad easily.

 

yes they have bones, loads of them, that's why I can't eat them..

 

I like salmon,fresh and canned. However do not eat much fresh-expensive,and eat canned couple times a year. @Babs Hunt ,there is a way to remove all bones, first time. Split down the middle, remove bones, lightly scrap off the skin. I do not like the bone taste. Canned salmon made up like tuna fish is very tasty.I like lightly fries salmon patties, with garlic,and onion. All this salmon talk, making me want to buy a can when I go to the store.
My kids like salmon patties. Once a neighbor had me use mackerel instead of salmon. She said tasted the same and cheaper. The look on my kids face after one bite- nooo, not true.

 

I like to put mustard on my salmon fillets too.