Quality Control in Our Processing Plants

The fish are unloaded from trawlers and placed in cold storage areas until they are processed. Processing begins immediately with de-icing, sorting by size and washing of the fish. The fish is then de-headed, filleted and the skin removed. Fish being processed with skin are carefully scaled before filleting.

The fillets are then carried along a trimming flow line, where specially lit candling tables are used to illuminate each fillet. Bones, blood spots, bruises and other imperfections and defects are quickly removed, as are the napes and tail ends. At the same time, ragged edges are deftly trimmed.

At this point some of the fillets are packed into, 1lb., 5 lb., 10 lb., 12 lb. or 15 lb. cartons and then placed into freezing pans ready for quick freezing. Other fillets or fillet portions continue along a conveyer belt to the Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) tunnel. In either instance, the fillets emerge solidly frozen to a minimum core temperature of -11° F (-24° C).

Throughout the trimming, de-boning and freezing process, the fish are quality graded using, A-B-C grades, for color, odor, texture and bruises. Fillets or pieces not acceptable for fillet packs are packed into 16.5 lb. block cartons as fillet blocks or piece blocks. Pieces cut from the fillets containing bones are minced and packed as 16.5 lb. minced blocks. Block cartons are then placed into the plate freezers where they are quick frozen the same way as the fillets mentioned above.