Boneless ham substitutes made from whole fish fillets

A ham substitute having the flavor, texture, aroma and consistency of a ham product consisting essentially of:

• a mixture of whole muscled salmon fish fillets;
• minced fish in an amount less than about 20%;
• and
• a ham curing mixture, said ham curing mixture comprising at least nitrite, salt and water;
• wherein said mixture has been smoked and cooked and wrapped within a casing or formed into a finished product.

A ham substitute having the flavor, texture, aroma and consistency of a ham product, consisting of:

• a mixture of whole muscled salmon fish fillets which have been prepared by physically separating the muscles of the fish by breaking the interconnecting interstitial tissue between the principal muscle parts;
• less than about 20% minced fish;
• a ham curing mixture consisting of NaCl, nitrite, sodium phosphates, sodium erythorbate, dextrose, brown sugar, starch, and water;
• wherein said mixture has been smoked and cooked and wrapped within a casing or formed into a finished product.

A boneless ham substitute having the flavor, texture, aroma and consistency of a ham product, comprising a mixture of whole muscled fish fillets and a ham curing mixture comprised of individually predetermined quantities of:

• i. salt and a premixed cure including salt and nitrite;
• ii. water;
• iii. sodium phosphates;
• iv. an antioxidant preservative;
• v. broken sugar;
• dextrose;
• honey;
• and
• vi. a modified food starch;
• wherein the whole muscled fish fillets and ham curing mixture together have been smoked and cooked.