Processing Methods and Technical Key Points for Smoked and Roasted Fish Products

I. Smoked Fish The raw materials for smoked fish are mostly medium-sized fish such as black carp and grass carp, but carp, silver carp, pomfret and others can also be used. Through processing, they are made into tasty convenience foods. The production method is as follows:

1. Splitting and cutting After selecting the fish, wash them clean with fresh water, scrape off the scales, trim off the fins, slit open the belly and remove the internal organs, but do not puncture the gallbladder, as this would give the flesh a bitter taste. Then use a cloth rinsed in hot water to wipe away the blood and dark membrane inside the abdominal cavity, then cut open the fish head so that the fish body becomes a flat piece. For larger black carp, after removing the head, the dressed body can be split along the backbone into two fillets. It can also be cut into fish chunks of suitable length.

2. Soaking The raw materials are refined salt and soy sauce. For 100 kg of fish chunks, add 3 kg of soy sauce and 1.5 kg of refined salt. Soaking time: 1.5 hours to 2 hours in summer, 2 hours to 3 hours in winter. To reduce the fishy smell of freshwater fish, an appropriate amount of ginger slices can first be placed in the soy sauce, boiled and filtered, then salt added and the mixture cooled; after soaking, drain off the water and set aside for frying.

3. Deep-frying The fish chunks, with the water drained off, are deep-fried. The amount of oil in the pan should be 10 times the amount of fish to be fried. For example, if 4 kg of fish chunks are fried per batch, then 40 kg of oil is needed. Fry over high heat, with the oil temperature required to be around 200°C. When the fish chunks float to the surface, they can be turned and loosened to avoid sticking together. Fry until the fish chunks are firm and dark brown. Generally, after about 3 minutes they can be lifted out and drained of oil.

4. Seasoning The seasoning liquid ingredients are, per 100 kg of fish, 6 kg of white sugar, 3 kg of yellow rice wine, 2 kg of ginger, and 20 g of monosodium glutamate. Preparation method: wash and mash the ginger, and squeeze out the ginger juice; put the white sugar in a small amount of water and boil until dissolved, then add the yellow rice wine, ginger juice and monosodium glutamate and stir well. Then put the fried fish chunks into the seasoning liquid; after they have absorbed the flavor, lift them out and drain them, and they are ready for market. Alternatively, the flavor-absorbed and drained fish chunks can be arranged on a steaming rack. Spread a layer of sawdust, rice or white sugar on the bottom of an iron pan, cover with the lid, and heat over an open fire so that it carbonizes and produces smoke to color the fish chunks; the operation method is similar to that for smoking meat.

II. Fragrant Roasted Fish Fragrant roasted fish mostly uses small hairtail or small miscellaneous fish as raw materials, and through processing is made into a convenient side food that is lightly salty, aromatic and tasty. Its processing method is as follows:

1. Raw material handling Select fresh, well-formed small marine or freshwater miscellaneous fish, and remove the heads, tails and internal organs. If using small hairtail, cut into strips of about 6 cm; for small miscellaneous fish, it is best to remove the heads and keep them whole. After washing with fresh water, soak in salt water at a concentration of 8%-10% for 5 minutes, then drain off the water.

2. Seasoning preparation The aroma of fragrant roasted fish mainly comes from the preparation of various spices. The preparation method is: 100 kg of cleaned fish, 400 g of fennel, 5 kg of white sugar, 300 g of cinnamon bark, 6 kg of soy sauce, 400 g of Sichuan pepper, 3 kg of refined salt, 300 g of ginger slices, 3 kg of yellow rice wine, and 24 kg of fresh water.

Preparation method: first wash and crush the fennel and other raw materials, add them to fresh water and boil for 1 hour to 1.5 hours, then filter; take out the solution, add an appropriate amount of fresh water to the filter residue and boil again, filter out a second solution, and combine the two solutions. Finally, add the white sugar, soy sauce, refined salt, yellow rice wine, etc. and stir to dissolve.

3. Steaming and roasting Spread the prepared fish chunks flat on a wire rack or bamboo sieve and steam them cooked in a steamer. Then move them into an 80°C drying room and bake for 7 hours to 8 hours. When the fish pieces are 60%-70% dry, take them out, put them into the spice solution and soak for 30 minutes to 40 minutes, stirring constantly so that they absorb the seasoning evenly. Then send them into the drying room again and bake for about 4 hours. When they are 90% dry, they are delicious fragrant roasted fish. For consumer convenience, the finished product can be packaged in small plastic food bags at 250 g each and is then ready for market.