Croaker 

 delights 



FISKEBOLLER SOUP 



2 lbs. deboned fish meat 

 2 medium onions 

 6 cups chicken broth or 



3 cups fish broth/3 cups chicken broth 

 3 4 cup bread crumbs 

 l'/2 tsp. salt 

 '/s tsp. pepper 

 2 eggs 



1 carrot, slivered 

 1 bay leaf 



Add carrot slivers and bay leaf to broth and 

 bring to boil. Mix deboned fish meat, eggs, 

 salt, pepper, and bread crumbs together. 

 Form fish mixture into small balls (l'/2 tsp. 

 each). Place in boiling broth and simmer 10- 

 15 minutes. Sprinkle with dried parsley 

 before serving. 



FISH LUNCHEON LOAF 



2.2 lbs. frozen deboned fish meat 



4 Tbs. nonfat dry milk 



1 Tbs. salt 



2 Tbs. seafood seasoning 



1 tsp. liquid artificial smoke 

 V2 tsp. lemon concentrate 

 IV2 tsp. sage 

 ! /2 tsp. red pepper 



3 drops red food coloring (red #3) 



Place frozen deboned fish meat and salt into 

 electric chopper. Chop for four minutes. Add 

 remaining ingredients and continue chopping 

 until mixture reaches a temperature of 35°F. 

 Spread mixture into two-inch deep baking 

 pans and cook in a hot oven (400°F) for 45 to 

 50 minutes or until loaf reaches an internal 

 temperature of 185°F. 



Product consistency 

 is a key ingredient 



(Continued from p. i) 



The successful marketing of such seafood products 

 as luncheon loaf may represent an important 

 breakthrough for the budget-conscious consumer. 

 With croaker selling at dockside for approximately 

 10c per pound, products made with croaker could 

 provide a highly nutritious addition to the con- 

 sumer's diet. And at a price Thomas believes "will 

 compare very favorably with red meat or a similar 

 low fat product." Successful marketing could 



Hamann and his texture machine 



stimulate interest in and demand for seafood among 

 consumers of all income levels. Hamann warns, 

 however, that no product will sell without product 

 consistency. "We have to assure the buyer that each 

 time he purchases a product he will be getting the 

 same quality time after time. That's what we're 

 working on now." 



Studies of minced croaker tissue and other seafood 

 extenders such as fish flakes, jerkies, soups and 

 spreads will continue as researchers continue to ex- 

 plore the myriad ways in which fishery resources can 

 be more effectively and efficiently utilized. 



The University of North Carolina Sea Grant College 

 Newsletter is published monthly by the University of 

 North Carolina Sea Grant College Program, 1235 

 Burlington Laboratories. Yarborough Drive, North 

 Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C. 27607. Vol. 4, 

 No. 9, September, 1977. Dr. B. J. Copeland, director. 

 Written and edited by Mary Day Mordecai and Virginia 

 Worthington. Second-class postage paid at Raleigh, N.C, 



And why not skates and rays? 



To the oysterman it is a threat. To the crabber it is 

 a competitor. To the finfisherman it is a nuisance. 

 But to Sea Grant marine advisory agent Skipper 

 Crow and NCSU graduate student Steve Otwell, it is 

 a potentially marketable food item. It is . . . the skate. 



While the skate may not be so popular on this side 

 of the Atlantic, in Europe there is no ambivalence 

 when it comes to the skate or his relative, the ray; 

 they are delicacies. Like many underutilized fish 

 species that have never found a market in the U.S., 

 these boneless, "winged" creatures are an accepted 

 and valued item on the European seafood market. In 

 the U.S., however, tremendous quantities of these 

 fish are incidentally caught, discarded, and literally 

 lost at sea. 



The skate and ray have never had a particularly 

 favorable reputation among coastal fishermen here. 

 Feeding primarily on crabs, mollusks and small fish, 

 these unique fish can also disturb shellfish beds and 

 tear eel grass (a prime habitat area for many fish 

 species) as they propel themselves through the water 

 with a flap of their fleshy, wing-like pectoral fins. 

 Just what impact these activities have on shellfish 

 production is not really known. But Sea Grant ad- 

 visory agent Crow and researcher Otwell hope to find 

 the answer to some of these questions as they explore 

 export marketing potential for skates and rays. 



Crow is doubtful that a domestic market will ever 

 evolve for skates and rays. However, he expresses op- 

 timism over the potential for marketing these species 

 in Europe and Japan. Under the funds of a UNC Sea 

 Grant mini-grant, he and Otwell will attempt to 

 assess just how North Carolina fishermen can tie into 

 this export market. Much of the research will center 



on the quality criteria which must be met before ex- 

 port is possible. "We have to know how the quality of 

 the domestic skate and ray compares with foreign 

 species," Crow explains. 



Other criteria such as size requirements, packaging 

 and processing techniques will be thoroughly ex- 

 plored before any test samples are shipped abroad. In 

 addition, by documenting the destruction of oyster 

 and scallop beds by skates and rays, they will at- 

 tempt to evaluate just how effective marketing could 

 be as a management tool. 



Crow stresses that the findings of their research 

 will be "purely preliminary," and that far more in- 

 depth studies will be required before actual export 

 can be possible. But if their efforts pan out, the 

 domestically unpopular skate and ray may gain a lit- 

 tle more respect in these parts. 



University of North Carolina 

 Sea Grant College Program 

 1235 Burlington Laboratories 

 North Carolina State University 

 Raleigh, N.C. 27607 



