Smoke Dried Fish


Fish Market in Benin Following ancient methods, this smoked fish is far different from that common in Europe, North America, and East Asia. Our smoked fish still needs refrigeration, but in West Africa and other less developed regions fish is still smoked very dry in primitive smoking ovens. Smoke dried fish has a very strong smoke flavor and is very dry and brittle, needing no refrigeration. Fish that's dried without smoking, as done in East Asia, is impractical because of African humidity. This fish needs extensive soaking before it can be used in a recipe.   Photo of smoked fish in Benin market, West Africa by PGskot distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike v4.0 International.

Regulations in California, New York, and probably elsewhere in the United States require fish smoked this way to be eviscerated before smoking to eliminate the possibility of botulism infection. That is often not done in Africa, causing some regulatory problems with imported smoked fish.   Caution: fish smoked by traditional methods have been shown to exceed EU limits for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) which are considered a cancer risk. Consumption should be kept moderate, just as with BBQ, which has the same problem.

More on Fish - Dried, Salted & Smoked


Boney Fish


Several Boney Fish in direpair [Bonny Fish (Nigeria); Herring]

These smoked Herring are quite common in Nigeria. They are very dry and extremely fragile. they have a lot of tiny bones, but the ribs and backbone are easily removed intact. Most of the remaining bone are too tiny to be a problem. The photo specimens, 3-1/2 inch random lengths, were "peeled" (scaled) and eviscerated before smoking. They were also headless, but I couldn't tell if the heads were removed before smoking or snapped off later. They were purchased on-line for 2018 US $15.98 / pound.

Bonga Shad


Smoked whole Bonga Shad [Ethmalose d'Afrique (French); Ethmalosa fimbriata]

This fish ins very important through most of West Africa. Traditionally nearly all were smoked, but as ice becomes more common in the region, demand for fresh Bonga Shad is increasing.   Details and Cooking.

Catfish


Whole Dry Smoked Catfish This is what has been called "Catfish" in Nigeria. Live Catfish or Catfish on ice have been called "Fresh Fish". Under influence of the Internet this terminology is fast changing. This is one of the most popular smoke dried fish in West Africa, the other being Mackerel. As is customary, this African Walking Catfish has had its tail pinned to its head, and then been staked up to smoke until it is totally dry and crumbly. Smoke dried catfish of this sort is available on-line in North America. The photo specimen was 8 ounces and cost 2018 US $21.99 / pound.

For recipes, this fish should placed in a heat proof bowl, then pour boiling water over it to cover well. Soak for about an hour, then drain and pick it apart, removing all the bones. Break the flesh into small pieces, as they will remain very firm through cooking. The head is not used.

Dagaa


Dried Dagaa for sale Dagaa are dried African fish, but are not smoked. For details see our Dagaa page.

Eja Kika


Smoked Hake, headless [Azu-ishi, Eja Kika, Panla (Nigeria); Hake; Merluccius merluccius]

This is dry smoked Hake / Whiting. How it gets to Nigeria I don't know, since it isn't found much south of Morocco, but it is very popular there. The photo specimens are large (largest 4.8 ounces) and headless. More commonly they are quite a bit smaller, heads on, with the tails stuck into the mouth to make the circle. These were quite meaty, and very easy to break apart and remove the skins and bones before soaking for use. These specimens were purchased on-line for 2022 US $14.56 / pound + $10 shipping.

Kapenta


Dried Kapenta Kapenta are dried African fish, but are not smoked. For details see our Kapenta page.

Kuta Fish


Smoked Segment of a Barracuda [Kuta (Nigeria); Barracuda]

Smoked Barracuda is quit popular in Nigeria. Large ones are smoked as pieces, but smaller ones are smoked whole, head on, and look very ferocious. Fortunately, the coast of West Africa is not a reef environment, so even large Barracuda should be safe to eat. Most of the catch will be Guinean Barracuda, but some European Barracuda is also present along the West African coast. The photo specimen was a chunk 7 inches long and weighing 14-3/4 ounces. It was purchased on-line for 2018 US $14.99 / pound.

Titus Fish


Western Smoked Mackerel [Titus Fish (Nigeria); Mackerel]

Mackerel is a very popular fish in West Africa, smoked, and, as ice and refrigeration become more common, fresh. I have not yet found African Smoke Dried Mackerel for sale in North America, so the photo is borrowed from 24 Hours Market in Nigeria, 2021 Nigerian Naira ₦1200.00 (US $2.88) per each. They were described as "Size 2", but no dimension was given. Smoke dried Titus Fish is also sold by other sources curled into a donut shape.

Mangala


Pieces of Mangala Smoked Fish [Mangala (Igbo, Yoruba); Gunten (Hausa)]

"Mangala" does not refer to a particular fish, but to a method. Large shallow water fish are cut into pieces before smoking rather than smoked whole. Fish under this name are smoked in northern Nigeria, and may include Aba Aba Knifefish and various Catfish. Much of this fish is sold in southern Nigeria where it is highly prized. The photo specimens were Aba Aba and ordered on-line at a cost of 2022 US $35.00 for 18 ounces (500 gms - $2.19 / ounce).

Instructions were "Soak it, pick it apart, enhance the flavor of the mangala fish with a little spice. Throw it into that pot of soup to unleash that incredible flavor it packs. Savor every bit of it". Wood smoke is very evident in the flavor.

Bronze Featherback


Batch of Dry Smoked Featherfish [Pla Salat (Thailand); Cá thát lát (Viet); ngaphe (Burma); Notopterus notopterus]

Smoke Drying isn't restricted to Africa. In Thailand, this small Featherback is smoke dried and ground for use in Nam Phrik Pla Salat, a dipping sauce used for raw vegetables and the like. It's not available here in Los Angeles, but probably one of the African fish above would work well enough.

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