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
[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.
[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.
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 are dried African fish, but are not smoked. For details see
our Dagaa page.
[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 are dried African fish, but are not smoked. For details see
our Kapenta page.
[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 (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 (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.
[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.