Mini Dried Catfish

We offer oven-dried catfish which is a highly nutritious protein source for human consumption. Fresh fish deteriorates easily, hence there have to be some ways to preserve it while ensuring adequate retention of all nutritional value. Drying is a method of food preservation that works by removing water/moisture from the food, which inhibits the growth of microorganisms.

 

Nutritional Value of Dried Catfish

• Pure dried catfish is a completely natural product that retains the antioxidants and omega-3 benefits of fresh fish, while significantly contributing to the health of the consumer.
• The well-dried fish helps to mitigate the occurrence of heart attacks and keeps the body’s circulation functioning well.
• Dried fish provides an excellent source of protein with fewer calories than other foods such as beef. One hundred grams of dried fish contains about 80 percent protein with 300 calories
• Dried catfish contain little salt or cholesterol while being high in essential vitamins and minerals.
• It also is low in saturated fat, which is known to aggravate or cause heart and blood pressure problems.

You should include dried fish in your diet and on a regular basis. It is good for your health!

 

Some Advantages of Drying Your Catfish

• Longer shelf life.
• Ease of transportation and distribution.
• More earnings.

 

Processing Fish for Drying

The very first step is to purchase fresh catfish which are sold at fish markets nationwide and are generally sold by weight (in kilograms). You can click here to acquire fresh and wholesome catfish from highly reputable fish vendors all over the country.

• Always ensure that you only buy and use fresh catfish for the drying process. They must always look, smell, and feel fresh.
• After you’ve purchased the fresh fish, the next step is to ensure they are all dead in order to prepare them for smoking.
• Methods of killing the catfish must be humane.
• After successfully killing the catfish, bring them out for cleaning. The cleaning will involve the removal of the gills, intestines, and the use of clean water to rinse thoroughly when done.
• After cleaning the fish, you can curl the fish into the popular circular shape that most smoked catfish are sold as or you can leave them straight. This is really up to you.
• The next step is drying the thoroughly cleaned catfish. Two ways have been employed for this and they are the traditional open fire method using firewood or charcoal as fuel and the use of the oven (kiln). The method you will use solely depends on the available resources.

Note that the use of the oven (kiln) in drying catfish is the future of fish drying in Nigeria. It is faster, healthier, neater, more environmentally friendly, and more efficient.