I still remember those old time when i choose fish farming and processing as a full-time business. It was fun and lucrative. I stop because I needed enough time for myself. Then i wish there could be 48hrs in a day.
The farming aspect of catfish requires time. A little mistake or negligent can lead to over 60% death of the fishes and this implies total loss.
Smoking of catfish requires just a little time. Though i still process catfish on request. You can venture into smoked catfish business without having a farm. Always ensure to get a fresh catfish, not the dead ones or those that are not looking fresh because a dead or unfresh fish will affect the taste after processing.There are lots of catfish farm, so you can just register with one of them as a buyer.
The procedure involves in catfish processing after sourcing for the catfish are:
I. You put the catfish in a basket to drain water. Then you pour it in a big bowl or bucket with cover on it. Open one side of the bucket/bowl and then pour salt into it and cover immediately. 350g of salt is to be added o 50kg of catfish. Adding salt to it will kill the catfish, kills some bacteria in the fish and also add taste to it.
II. Leave for about 20minute. Shake the bucket or bowl with the cover to ensure that the salt gets to all the fishes.
III. After another 15minutes, you can then open it. You will use a knife to cut the side where the gut is located and remove the guts. This is to reduce the growth of the microorganism and prevent spoilage.
IV. Then wash with a sponge in a 20% salt solution and rinse in another 20% salt solution.
V. Then put in the oven.
The higher the dehydration of the catfish the longer it will stay before spoilage. Then your process catfish is ready.
Then you can pack different sizes as you want to sell.
Thanks for reading.
Contributions and Questions will be highly appreciated
