Fish Drying and Maldive Fish Chips — Kerala and Lakshadweep

Maldive fish (dry-cured, smoked tuna) is a culinary staple in Kerala and Lakshadweep. Skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) is boiled, smoked over coconut shells, and sun-dried to produce dense, hard chips. The process takes 3 weeks. Maldive fish provides intense umami flavour in minimal quantity — 2 tablespoons season a curry for 6 people. Fishing families in Lakshadweep (Agatti, Minicoy) produce it for export to Maldives and Sri Lanka, and domestic use in Kerala. NFDB supports value-added processing in island cooperatives. One kilo of dried Maldive fish requires 5–6 kg of fresh tuna.