Diane Young

Seal Innards

As Told by Linda Malchoff to Ephim Anahonak

My name is Linda Malchoff, I live in Port Graham. I will talk about the innards of a seal and what can be done with them!

We will start out with the seal lungs away from the rest of the lugs away from the rest of the innards and wash them off. Then you blow them up by putting you mouth on the hole that leads to the inside. When they are blown up they look pinker fluffy (they won’t deflate, or flatten). Then you cut strips of seal fat and take the lung, cut and slide the fat through that hole, then add salt and pepper and pop in the oven till it’s done (about 20 to 30 minutes). Then you take it out slice it and eat it. Ti really tastes good. I didn’t think I’d like it till I tried it! Now, I will tell you what I know about seal intestines. You take the intestines out of the seal and cut slits about every 6 inches along the whole thing. Then you squeeze the stuff that’s inside them out and after you do that a few times, you take and rinse them off in cold water to get the out side part clean. Now that the worst part in over, you can start the fun part, braiding them around seal fat! You cut the seal fat into strips (about ½ an inch to ¾ inch strips). Then you take a Popsicle stick and poke it in the intestine and in the fat to hook them together, and you start braiding them around the fat. First you make loops in the intestines and each loop goes around each finger (you can use either 4 or 5 fingers, which ever is more comfortable for you!). Then you keep on looping them, (intestines), together each loop and back on the finger; it is almost like crocheting!

After you are done you take your braided guts and fat and let them hang in your smokehouse to age for a little while and then you smoke them for one day and let some of the fat drip off. Then after it’s aged and smoked you take it out, (it will be much smaller than it was before), boil it, slice it, and eat it. They look like mushrooms around the fat after you slice it. They eat it like some people would cheese and crackers! These are just a few things that people do with the insides of the seal!