BACKGROUND: Fish smoking is a traditional fish preservation method that is affordable, and hence employed by most artisanal fish processors in Ghana. Traditional kilns are used but are less fuel efficient and the end-product has lower quality. This study therefore sought to test and compare the efficiency and quality of smoked fish for two improved kilns, the Cabin and Abuesi gas fish smoker (AGFS), against the traditional Chorkor smoker. RESULTS: The results showed that the AGFS and Cabin had specific fuel consumption of 0.31 ± 0.02 and 0.67 ± 0.01 g kg CONCLUSION: The AGFS and Cabin were more efficient than the Chorkor. There were no significant differences in the nutritional and microbial quality between the AGFS and the Cabin. Cabin-smoked products, however, had the more traditional qualities of smoked fish (appearance and flavor) that the gas-smoked products lacked. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.