# How do they get the guts out of sardines?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-get-the-guts-out-of-sardines/531563>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 6, 2010, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-get-the-guts-out-of-sardines/531563 "2010-03-06T23:28:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-get-the-guts-out-of-sardines/531563/1 "2010-03-06T23:28:12Z")

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I’m having some King Oscar sardines in the 2-layer tin. While picking one up, it came in half. No guts on either half. I can’t detect a belly slice. Am I just missing it, because, well, they’re packed like sardines? How do they get the guts out?

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**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-get-the-guts-out-of-sardines/531563/2 "2010-03-06T23:39:35Z")

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I’m pretty sure the same way they get the bones out.

i.e., they don’t.

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-get-the-guts-out-of-sardines/531563/3 "2010-03-06T23:41:49Z")

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That’s what I’ve always assumed. But I didn’t see any.

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**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-get-the-guts-out-of-sardines/531563/4 "2010-03-06T23:47:26Z")

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Slice em and goosh around on em until the guts come out, at least according to patent #3407435 (1966):

[SHRIMP AND SARDINE PROCESSING MACHINE](http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=VT50AAAAEBAJ&dq=3407435)

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-get-the-guts-out-of-sardines/531563/5 "2010-03-07T00:03:28Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> While picking one up, it came in half. No guts on either half. I can’t detect a belly slice.

Wouldn’t the belly slice be where it came apart in halves?

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**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-get-the-guts-out-of-sardines/531563/6 "2010-03-07T00:26:28Z")

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> [@Chronos](#):
>
> Wouldn’t the belly slice be where it came apart in halves

Likely. A slit belly could easily anneal as protein coagulates during the cooking process.