Smoking is one way of cooking fish. This method of cooking not only contributes to the longer preservation of fish products, but also, due to the saturation of smoke, attracts the acquisition of new qualities: golden brown, exceptional flavor and unusual taste. To improve the quality of the prepared product to a greater extent, you need to know how to properly smoke fish.
There are two options for smoking: cold and hot. Some varieties of fish can be smoked in both ways: sea bass, sturgeon, cod, herring. Only cold smoking can be subjected to omul, white fish, mullet, ketu, chinook salmon, sockeye salmon. Hot smoking is preferable for mackerel , stellate sturgeon, Baltic herring, whitefish, and catfish.
To answer the question of how to smoke fish at the cottage, we offer you the recommendations of experienced fishermen.
Preparing fish for smoking
First we remove the insides and cut the gills. Fish washed, rubbed with salt and pepper (or a special mixture bought in the store). Carcasses of fish are placed in a container and put into the refrigerator for 2 hours. Immediately before smoked fish lay on a clean structural paper, for example, a paper towel to remove excess moisture.
How to smoke a carp?
To smoke the carp, you need sawdust of alder or any fruit tree, for example, apple.
We put 2 handfuls of sawdust in the smokehouse. We fasten the grate from above, lay out fish carcasses (they should not touch each other). Covering the lid, put the smokehouse on medium strength fire. After about 10 minutes, open the lid and let the smoke come out. This is very important, otherwise the bitterness will remain in the fish. Again we cover the smokehouse with a lid. Another 10 minutes - and the hot smoked carp is ready.
How to smoke a carp?
Experts say that it is better to smoke carp on the bird cherry branches, but you can use the branches of cherry and other fruit trees. Downward smokehouses lay out twigs (they should be a little), on top place the spacing for the flow of fish oil, above it - the lattice. We put out salted dumplings, you can add perch to them - in fact the fishes are the same in size. We put the smokehack on fire for 20 minutes. After removing the smokehouse from the flame, we let it cool down a bit, and only then we open it.
True fishermen believe that smoked perch is even tastier than carp, since the latter has too many small bones. Important: it is always good to clean the grate after each smoking, as the remaining fat decomposes and the smoked fish on the dirty grill acquires a rancid taste.
How to smoke a hot smoked fish at home?
Not everyone has cottages, so we offer an option how to smoke fish at home.
For those who have house aerogrill (often the device is built into the home cooker), there will be no problem with smoking fish. Of course, the process of cooking in aerogril, differs from smoking in a special smokehouse (the fish seems to be roasting). Nevertheless, the dish has wonderful taste!
Preparing fish for smoking
Cut off the tails and heads of several carcasses of mackerel and remove the insides. Fish salt, peppers outside and inside the cavity. From the container with "liquid smoke" pour a little liquid into the dishes. With a silicone brush, carefully pat the fish completely. We leave in the cold for half a day,
Preparation of chips
Olhovuyu shavings soak for 15 minutes.
Smoking fish in aerogril
In the aerogrill put a little chips, put the fish on a grate, fixed in the middle position. We select the parameters of the device: temperature 200 ° C, convection - maximum. The mackerel is about 40 minutes. Similarly, you can easily smoke other types of fish, for example, a noble sturgeon or a tender eel.