Method and apparatus for processing fish

Abstract

A method and apparatus for processing fish prior to canning to increase yield. The method includes the steps of first preparing the fish body for further processing by: removing (12) the tail, pectoral, and thoracic fins from a frozen fish body, removing the scales (20) from the frozen fish body, dipping the fish body in a hot bath (24) to thaw the skin and subdermal layer of the fish, dipping the fish body in a cooling bath (28) to stop fixer thawing, skinning (32) the fish body, and finally removing the dorsal and ventral fins (36). The method also includes the steps of preparing separated loin portions of the fish body for canning by: immersing frozen loin pieces in a heated broth bath (84) to coat the pieces with broth and then cooking the pieces in a hot water bath (88) until the internal temperature of the pieces reaches a preferred temperature. A preferred scaling apparatus includes a scaler assembly (42), a holder (44) for the fish body, and means for moving the scaler assembly close to the holder. Circumferentially spaced fingers (48) pivotally attached to the rotating scaler assembly contact the outer surface of the fish body and chip scales away.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.