On Tenter Hooks

Keeping the
Traditions Alive

Meet Paul Desmond, a fish monger for 33 years and the current owner of Moore's Traditional Curers. Moore's is located on the Isle of Man in the fishing port of Peel and has been traditionally curing Manx Kippers for over 100 years. When I say traditional, I mean curing them by hand. They split the herrings along the back from head to tail, gut them, and soak them in brine. Then they hang them up on tenters. (The tenter stick is a strip of wood, about 3 feet long and 2 inches wide, and fitted with a row of right-angled sharp hooks along each side. Each split fish is hung tail down on a pair of hooks so that it remains open when exposed to the smoke.) After the herrings are attached, they hang them on racks, and smoke them in big kilns employing the same smoking technique used in the 19^th century.

Feeling anxious?  Perhaps you
are "On Tenter Hooks"
Like the Kippers!

Smoked Kipper:  A Breakfast Delicacy

Smoking herring this way is not an easy task. Standing with the feet about 48 inches apart, each perched on opposite walls of the kiln and dangerously high above the floor, the curer constantly shifts the tenters to ensure the kippers are cured evenly. This means watching the weather, wind direction, fires, and the fish themselves. The smoke makes breathing and visibility difficult, and the curer rushes to complete the tasks inside the kiln as quickly as possible. It is an smelly, oily, smokey job. The result? Perfection.

Moore's Traditional Curers

 Paul no longer needs to work, but he chooses to do so because he loves it. He also wants to keep this Manx tradition alive. Paul has 1 son, and he has chosen a different career from his father. Moore's Traditional Curers will someday pass along to another owner, one, we hope, which will embrace the traditions of a century and keep the hand-curing process alive.