Preparation of Smoked Fish

Smoking is an age-old method of fish preservation in Northeastern states of India. Smoking involves removal of moisture content by drying and reduction of microorganisms by deposition of smoke constituents over the fish. This process imparts a characteristics golden yellow color and smoky flavor to the fishes. Smoking prolongs the shelf life of the fish, enhances flavor, increases utilization of the fish, reduces waste and increases protein availability to the people. Various small indigenous fish species along with carp species available in the region are smoked by traditional means and available in the markets. The products quality mainly depends on the fish species used, its freshness and the preparation of fish prior to smoking.

In traditional smoking process, fresh fish species are washed thoroughly and spread on a wire mesh tray. Then the fishes are exposed to flame briefly to burn the skin. This process is repeated by turning the fishes upside down. The fishes are smoked by exposing it to smoke from burning paddy husk and saw dust from a distance of about 30 cm below for 2 to 3 hours at 70 to 800C. Then, the smoked fishes are spread on bamboo mats and dried under sunlight so as to reduce the moisture content before storage or marketing. The prepared smoked fish products are packed in split bamboo baskets and these baskets are generally hung above the chimney of the traditional kitchen of the house to keep them dry.

Adoption of mechanical smoking kiln for smoke curing of fish will help in improving the quality and shelf life of the smoked fish products. The process of smoking using mechanical smoke chamber is a better option than the traditional smoking process. Smoke is generated from wood burning or saw dust. Temperature is maintained at 80-1000C depending upon size and species of fish, throughout the process of smoking by thermostatically controlled electrical or steam heaters. The warm smoke is circulated by fan evenly over the fish. The smoked fish products produced by this method have good shelf life and nutritive value. After smoking, fishes are cooled and packed in good packaging materials and marketed. The approximate nutritional composition and energy value of 100 gm of the product is protein 56.0 gm, fat 14.0 gm, minerals13.0 gm and energy 445 kcal.