How to add value to your fish

It is common for fish farmers to produce much more than the market needs. Under the circumstances, they either have to reduce the prices in order to sell or let the fish stay much longer in the ponds.

However, adding value to the fish may help reduce losses that may be incurred due to overproduction.

There are many ways of adding value to fish. One of these is by making fillets out of fish, fish balls, fish fingers, and smoking them.

How to make fillets

A fillet is a strip of the flesh of a fish, which has been sliced away from bones.

• Hang the freshly harvested fish on a hook upwards with the neck up.
• Bleed the fish by making a sharp small incision at the back of its neck. Let it bleed, until no more blood is oozing.
• Clean the fish thoroughly with clean running water, then scale the fish to remove all the scales.
• Gut the fish to remove all the intestines and other internal organs. Then wash the fish in running water to remove all the blood.
• Place the fish on a clean chopping board. Using a sharp knife, make four slits below the neck, just above the tail and on either side of the abdomen.
• While holding the fish skin by the slit above the tail, pull off the skin towards the neck region. Then using a sharp knife, slice the flesh off the fish and be careful not to include the bones in the fillet.
• Now you have a nice skinless fillet ready to pack.

How to make fish fingers

Fish fingers are breaded strips of fish.

• Make fillets as described above, then make elongated slices, through the fillet to produce long strips.
• Dip each of the strips in a well-beaten egg containing a pinch of salt and the roll each of the strips in bread crumbs mixed with salt and royco.
• Deep-fry in hot cooking oil for 10 minutes, with moderate heat. Once the fingers are brown, they are ready to eat.

Making fish balls

Fish balls consist of bits of ground fish and spices rolled into small balls.

• Make fillets as described earlier and then cut them into small cubes.
• Mince the fish cubes in a manual or electric mincer and add spices, eggs, bread crumbs, salt, and wheat, to the minced fish and mix thoroughly.
• Roll the mixture into small round balls and fry in hot oil for 20 minutes on moderate heat. Once brown, the balls are ready to be served.

How to make smoked, spiced fish

• Bleed the fish by letting the blood to freely drain out of the fish.
• Gut the fish to remove all abdominal organs, then cut the fish in a single longitudinal slit along the anal opening (for cat fish)
• Wash the fish thoroughly in clean running water, then soak the fish in water containing salt, garlic, and cortmill for 30 minutes.
• Drain the fish on a rack for 15 minutes and then place fish on a greased rack and cover the fish with a metallic plate on the smoking kiln.
• Smoke the fish on the smoking kiln with firewood using moderate heat for 12 hours. When it turns golden brown, it is ready to be served.

Compiled by Joshua Kato (editor, Harvest Money) and National Fisheries Resources Research Institute