What do you need to smoke fish. How to smoke fish in a smokehouse

Have you ever tasted a freshly smoked fish, just taken from the smoker, still warm, emanating fragrant amber-transparent fat? If yes, then you will agree that this is an unforgettable gastronomic delight!

For fishing enthusiasts and real pros, fishermen, hunters, everyone who loves active tourism, rides bicycles and goes in for sports, I recommend the cool Outlet-Market online store - a huge selection of goods, bike parts, equipment and equipment, as well as clothes and shoes from the world's largest brands at the best prices.

Discover the world of "Outlet-Market".

Smoked fish can be cooked at home, and it doesn’t matter if you have a smokehouse or not. Today I will introduce you to recipes on how to make amazing hot smoked fish in many ways, in nature and without leaving home.

How to choose, salt and prepare fish for smoking

For hot smoking, you can take any fish. Either this is your catch, or you just went to nature or to the dacha - just buy noble fish in the store: salmon, salmon, mackerel and smoke on it with the same success.
Be sure to buy only chilled fish, not frozen. Fresh fish will always have bright red gills, clear and transparent eyes, as well as a fresh scent and smooth scales. Pay attention to the quality: fresh fish has a dense, elastic flesh.

In the store, in the market, look for the color of the meat to be pink. Since a pale carcass is unlikely to be fresh, and too bright shows that the manufacturer used the dye, falsifying the product.

We leave the carcasses overnight in the refrigerator. In the morning, rinse them well under running cold water. Then we hang the fish in a dry, ventilated place. All moisture should evaporate.

How to smoke hot smoked fish at home 2019

1. Hot smoked mackerel at home in an express smokehouse

Cooking:

In the OBI store I came across a bag - an express smokehouse.

In Auchan, they bought chilled gutted mackerel. Mackerel was salted and allowed to lie down for 30 minutes.

The sawdust that comes with the kit was put in the smokehouse.

Cover them with foil from the kit.

And put the mackerel.
It is better to put the fish on birch skewers.
And in the oven for 50 minutes at a temperature of 300 degrees.

It turned out very tasty. There is no smoke in the apartment, when cooking there is a slight smell. It is important to carefully unfold the package, and after putting the fish in there, close it tightly. The package itself is made of thick foil, which is much thicker than usual.

Bon appetit!

How to cook smoked fish without a smoker at home on the stove

2. Hot smoked mackerel at home: in a baking bag using “Liquid Smoke” in the oven

Your guests who have tasted this fish will be shocked that a mini smokehouse is not required to prepare this yummy. And with open mouths in surprise, they will carefully remember every word of the recipe, since it is so simple, and therefore brilliant! The main thing is that it turns out an incomparable juicy yummy!

A recipe for those who don't have a smoker.
Compound:
Fish (herring, mackerel, etc.),
Salt in the amount necessary to rub the fish with it
"Liquid smoke classic".
Bag (sleeve) for baking - its use gives 2 positive effects:
1. more juiciness,
2. the absence of the smell of fish oil and fire smoke in the air during cooking, but the wonderful smell of the finished product is preserved.

Cooking time - 50 minutes for everything.
Time has gone.

Cooking:

Turn on the oven to warm up to a temperature of 205 degrees Celsius.
Wash the cleaned and gutted fish (mackerel).
Gut the fish without opening the belly. After removing the gills into the hole, stick your fingers in, grab the insides with your fingertips and pull them out.
Rub the carcasses with salt on all sides, let them lie down for twenty to twenty-five minutes to salt.

If, after salting, smear with fresh strong infusion of black tea. Let dry. And after that, coat it with “liquid smoke”, the fish will be in a brighter “robe”.

Coat with "Liquid Smoke".
If there are a lot of fish, it is advised to dip it in "Smoke".
Prepare a baking bag. Put the fish in there, tie it up. Make a couple of punctures on the top of the package and send to the already heated oven for 15 - 20 minutes.
You can put sticks (rice sticks) on the sides of the fish. Create such an emphasis so that the fish does not fall on its side, does not stick to the bag and is more beautiful.

Here she is in the oven. All is ready.
It's on the cut. The fish turned out with a golden soft skin. Delicious, juicy with the smell and taste of smoked meat and the aroma of fire smoke!

Bon appetit!

Disputes for and against the use of "liquid smoke" do not subside to this day.

Of course, if a person is allergic or has problems with the stomach and intestines, then it is better not to use “liquid smoke”.
You can cook "liquid smoke" at home with your own hands
http://okopchenii.ru/zhidkiy-dyim/zhidkiydyim-svoimi-rukami.html

3. How to smoke fish in an air grill

Compound:
Fish (2 pieces), salt, black pepper, liquid smoke.

Cooking:

We clean the fish from scales, gut, wash, salt, pepper. We apply “liquid smoke” seasoning with a brush and remove for 30-60 minutes so that the fish is salted and saturated with seasonings. As the fish is saturated with seasonings, we put chips on the bottom of the air grill. Sprinkle with water and put the middle grate. We put a fish on it, turn on the AG at 180 *, medium airflow, 30 -35 minutes. I do herring the same way. Delicious.

Bon appetit!

4. Smoked sterlet in air grill

Gut the fish, wash, salt and apply liquid smoke with a brush.
Leave for 30 minutes.
Arrange on the middle grill of the air grill and cook for 40 minutes at medium speed at a temperature of 180 degrees.
Roll up in foil and let cool.

Bon appetit!

5. How else to smoke fish at home? Smoking in a pan

Compound:
Fish (char, mackerel, whitefish, herring, sea bass, any fish will do) - 2 pcs.
Rice - 100 g
Black tea (leaf) - 30 g
Cinnamon - 1 tsp
Sugar - 2 tablespoons
Teriyaki soy marinade sauce - 4 tbsp.
Lemon - 1/2 piece
Rosemary, thyme - optional

Cooking:

Gut the fish, remove the gills, rinse well. Pat dry with paper towels and coat generously with soy sauce inside and out. Cover with cling film and refrigerate to marinate for at least an hour.
Pat the fish dry with paper towels to keep moisture from dripping onto the smoke mixture. Put lemon slices and your favorite herbs in the belly, these are rosemary and thyme.

Prepare the mixture for smoking - mix sugar, regular loose leaf black tea, rice and cinnamon. Rice here acts as an adsorbent and absorbs strong odors and soot.

Put a sheet of foil in a deep frying pan, pour the smoke mixture on it and place a grate on top. We will also substitute wine corks, since the grate has very low legs. We put the pan on the fire and heat it over high heat for 5 minutes. A pleasant aroma will appear.

Then we put our pickled stuffed fish on the grate, reduce the fire to medium. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 25-30 minutes. After about 15 minutes, the fish should be turned over to the other side.
When cooking, there is a smell, something even resembles the smell of spicy baking, apparently, this is the effect of cinnamon. There is no more soot than from frying pancakes over high heat, and maybe even less.

Bon appetit!

6. Hot smoked fish at home in a smokehouse

We smoke on the balcony at any time of the year.
To begin with, we need such a Raucher-Grilllofen smokehouse.

You can buy online https://www.asmc.de/Camping/Outdoorkueche/Kochen/Grills/Raeucher-Grilllofen-p.html
And those who have husbands who are fishermen certainly have such sawdust, they are sold in the department where everything is for fishing.
They are enough for several times.

Well, alcohol, do not drink inside!

And of course fish, lots of fish. Today we have dorado, a delicious fish.

Ready, cleaned fish is placed in a container with salt water. We take everything by eye, add garlic, you can pepper and marinate for several hours, about 8-10.
After draining the water, dry the fish well with paper towels.
Now we start the process.

Pour alcohol into a special forms are all included. Close a baking sheet with such a notch and put sawdust, a little of them is needed. Close with such a nozzle.

We put the grate and fish on it, you can take special. grill trays-Aluschalen, very convenient.

We close the lid and wait, and endure, not long 20 minutes. The fish is ready.

Bon appetit!

7. How to smoke fish in bix

Folk way.
So:

we will need a smokehouse, if it is not there, then we can get medical bixa for sterilizing instruments.

Find a grate of a suitable size, build legs from tight wire.
We build a fire (firewood) or a brazier. Pour shavings (two centimeters) into the biksu at the bottom, sprinkle with water.

Gutted fish (mackerel and bream), salt, pepper, parsley in the belly. We put the fish on the grill and lower it into the biksa. We close and fire. We record 30 minutes (we held 40 minutes), the time is 25-45 minutes, depending on the size of the fish, and remove, the fish is ready.

Mackerel is enough for her and 25 minutes, we are a little dry, bream, sea bass (30 minutes).
You can also cook chicken and meat (pre-marinate with salt and pepper) for a couple of hours.

Bon appetit!

8. How to cook smoked trout quickly and tasty at home

The amount depends on the size of the pan.

Fresh (not frozen) fish, better than fatty species,

coarse salt,

vegetable oil,

alder sawdust,

lemon, parsley, pepper,

paper napkins, foil,

deep frying pan with a lid.

Cooking:

Clean the fish, gut it, if you do it with the head, remove the gills. Rinse with cold water, dry. Sprinkle generously with coarse salt, including in the bellies. Fold in a plastic bag, remove excess air from it and tie. Put in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. Then, rinse off the salt with cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Put thin slices of lemon and parsley sprigs into the abdomen, pepper. Grease one side of the carcasses with oil.

Sprinkle alder shavings with water. Wrap in foil, giving a flat shape according to the size of the bottom of the pan. Pierce the top layer of foil often with a fork. Place in the pan with the holes facing up and place over high heat. When smoke appears (namely, smoke - first steam from wet chips will go), lay the fish on the foil in one layer, greased side down. Cover the pan with a lid, sealing the cracks with damp paper towels, and turn the heat to a little over medium.

After 15 minutes, remove the pan from the stove, wait until it stops “sizzling” + another 5 minutes, then remove the lid, remove the lemon and parsley. In principle, it’s ready, the fish is smoky, but its skin will not be golden. To restore beauty, grease it on top with vegetable oil. And put it under a preheated grill for 3-5 minutes right in the same pan where it was smoked.
There was no particular smoke in the kitchen, all the children remained under the lid. Lubricate the underside of the fish with oil - be sure, otherwise it will stick to the foil tightly. Laying the fish in one layer evenly, without bends - it can break.

Allow to cool slightly - it tastes better when the fish is warm rather than piping hot, carefully remove from the foil and enjoy!

Bon appetit!

9. Hot-smoked pink salmon and mackerel in a smoking oven

Recently, a new device appeared in the kitchen, which made it possible to push aside the “liquid smoke” and take on sawdust, wood chips, etc.! This is an oven for smoking food. Only hot smoked products are prepared in it. She's still covered in grease, so...
We prepare the oven.
First, remove the grease from the inner and outer parts, then warm it up over moderate heat for 30 minutes (at this time, the remaining grease burns out). Then we wash and dry. The work is very dirty, but it is quite manageable.
Now we unscrew the screw and remove the casing, suspension, both pallets. We lay the asbestos cord in the recess of the base of the oven, it should lie tightly and not go beyond the sides. The cord in the photo is visible as such a white ring.

We pour sawdust. First, add the recommended amount (100 gram cup), but later it turned out that it was not enough and add the same amount. The sawdust was apple. Recommend alder, birch, fruit stone fruit trees. You can not take conifers because of the resin. They say there will be bitterness and the product will be tarred, not smoked.

We put on a tray to collect the flowing melted fat. Grease will not get on the sawdust. This pallet has legs and such handles. The legs rest on the base and a good gap is obtained for the passage of smoke into the smoking chamber.
And on the handles you can put a perforated pallet. We don't put it on this time. Otherwise, the suspended fish would not fit. And so on a perforated tray, you can put a small fish (capelin, for example), chicken, or something else.
We use a pendant, this one with 6 rays.

If you smoke brisket, meat, lard, then you can simply put them on the rays (pierce through). We hang the fish on cotton twine, tying it to the rays. Chicken thighs can be hung. And sausage too...

Salt the prepared fish, leave for 4-6 hours in the refrigerator. You can use a mixture of salt and sugar 2:1.
Then rinse the fish with water from excess salt. She already took hers.

Tie with twine, hang on the beams. It is necessary to arrange so that the pieces do not come into contact with each other and with the walls of the oven - it is necessary for uniform smoking. Let it stand - excess water will drain and the fish will dry out a little. Products before smoking should be slightly dried.

We wipe the swollen puddle and ... Everything is ready.

You can wear a cover. The central rod has a screw thread in the upper part, so a casing is placed on it.

The bright spot in the center is the propeller's gripping funnel. This funnel should fit on the rod.
Now tighten the screw until it stops.

The casing will be well pressed against the base, it will be just on the asbestos cord at the base. The smoke will not enter the room.
You can put on fire. The flame should first be intense for 2-3 minutes, and then a little less than average, the temperature inside is needed no higher than 70-85 degrees. If smoke appears, then tighten the screw at the top harder.

The fish is smoked for 30 to 50 minutes (depending on size). It is better to leave the oven to cool without opening for several hours. But you can, if there is another batch of products, keep it closed for about 30 minutes. And then open the oven with a screw. It remains to arrange on plates and invite guests and family to the table!

Bon appetit!

I hope someone will come in handy for their favorite way of cooking hot-smoked fish. And you will delight your loved ones and friends in the coming May holidays with this fragrant, tasty and healthy dish. Share your favorite recipe in the comments. Good mood and warm May days.

Dear readers, another important and useful news from my blogging mentor Denis Povag. I recommend to those who want to earn:

Smoked fish has always been considered a special delicacy. Mackerel and herring are especially valued for their taste. But even at home, you can cook a similar yummy. Use for this and unpretentious devices. How to spend at home in the smokehouse? Follow the instructions and tips offered in this article, and your table will be rich in amazing dishes not only on holidays, but also on weekdays.

With special care, carry out the preparatory stage: cleaning the fish, gutting it and salting it. Before laying the products, rinse well and dry a little.

The size of the fish also depends on the size of the smokehouse. If you have a homemade device the size of a box, cook only a trifle in it, the volume is equal to a barrel - use the middle one. In a special cabinet, you can smoke whole large fish.

In one bookmark, a catch of approximately the same size is always selected.

When smoking fish in a smokehouse, secure it well, especially when placed vertically. Attention should be paid to this, first of all, with the hot method, since the products are exposed to very high temperatures and scalding steam.

Cut the flesh along the ridge to the bone.

The bottom is best lined with dry alder, which, unlike shavings, does not burn.

To increase the shelf life, you can use juniper. Drop a few small twigs into the bottom of the smoker. Fish processed in this hot way can be stored for up to ten days.

Smoking fish in a smokehouse should be carried out in compliance with fire safety measures: always have a container of water and anti-burn drugs on hand in case of sudden injuries.

Children should not participate in this rather risky work, so take care in advance that access to the smokehouse is closed to them.

in the smokehouse

The main distinguishing feature of cooking by this method is the speed of obtaining a dish - only two to three hours. But, unfortunately, the shelf life is also reduced. Hot-smoked fish can begin to spoil after five or six days. During operation, the temperature can reach up to 80-100 degrees, so there is a kind of "cooking" in the smoke. The product is soft, tender, with a bright taste.

General recipe for smoking fish in a hot smokehouse

The general process of work is divided into three stages: drying, baking and direct smoking. At the first stage, the door can not be closed. Half an hour after the start of work, the temperature is gradually increased to seventy degrees. The fish dries up, its surface becomes harsh, and the fins turn white. Then, gradually adding heat, the fish is baked for another thirty to forty minutes. She begins to separate the flesh from the bones. In the last stage, you need to slightly increase the smoke generation. To do this, add sawdust and sprinkle almost burnt wood with ash. Smoked fish will turn golden in thirty to forty minutes. The whole job takes about two hours. It is worth considering the size of the fish. Large specimens should be smoked a little longer with constant monitoring. Experiment and surprise your loved ones with homemade delicacies!

The best fish is sausage. This is probably the most unfair and far from the truth folk wisdom. Better than a fish - alive, silvering in the sunlight, plowing the expanses of a quiet stream - can only be a fish that has fallen into the bait of a fisherman. Her further fate is sad for herself. For the person who caught it, this is a creative task, because you can cook fish in a variety of ways.

Someone loves fish soup, others prefer deep-frying, others prefer the freshest rolls. The fish is boiled, baked in foil, salted and dried. Another popular cooking technology is smoking, which can be cold or hot. Further conversation will be about one of the varieties of this technology, about how to smoke fish in a hot smoked smokehouse.

Ways and rules of smoking

Smoking is understood as the effect on the surface of the product of a variety of substances that are part of the smoking smoke. There are more than a hundred of them, most of them have a bactericidal and antioxidant effect. These substances systematically penetrate into the product, preventing their spoilage. The effectiveness of this treatment depends entirely on the permeability of the available products. It can be increased by pre-salting the feedstock. Therefore, in practice, smoking is used exclusively for salted fish.

Thanks to smoking, the fish becomes more tender, it acquires an easily recognizable spicy aroma and excellent taste.

The surface of the smoked fish is golden brown. In addition, treating fish with smoke increases its shelf life.

The main methods of smoking are considered hot and cold options. Much less resort to semi-hot smoking and baking in the smoke. The differences between all these technologies lie in the features of temperature regimes and duration over time. The simplest dependence is this - the smoking time lasts the longer, the lower the smoke temperature. But the shelf life will be correspondingly large.

ABC smoker

For hot smoking fish, you will need a special device that will be hermetically sealed. It can be either an industrial smokehouse for hot-smoked fish, or a home-made container based on a large pot, barrel, bucket or metal box. For the "author's" smokehouse from improvised means, you will need a reliable grate for products. The smokehouse itself must have a protective inner coating that will not emit anything harmful to the fish.

The second important part of preparing the whole process is the right fuel for smoking. And finally the recipe. The end result of the whole affair - the most delicious hot smoked fish - is impossible without the right smoke, which will make it fragrant and appetizing.

About fuel

The ideal fuel for hot smoking is hardwood, including branches, shavings and, especially, sawdust. Deciduous trees (oak, beech, maple, alder, aspen, mountain ash, etc.) emit a small amount of resin, unlike coniferous counterparts. Professional smokers also add dried branches of fruit trees, berry bushes (cherry, plum, pear). The smoke after burning them gives the fish interesting flavors.

The best wood is alder and juniper. It has the most pronounced bactericidal properties. The shelf life of hot smoked fish cooked in the smoke of this wood is the longest.
Softwood is rarely used for hot smoking fish. Fish cooked on such smoke turns out to be not very appetizing looking due to excess soot. Its smell also leaves much to be desired.

The wood of the birch - the tree symbol of Russia - contains a lot of tar, so it is not used for smoking.

As natural flavors and flavor enhancers, grapevine, juniper berries are well suited, in microscopic quantities - cones, herbs, spices.

In this case, it is better to use small dry twigs, peeled from the bark. Large branches, logs should be cut into chips of small (5 cm) length.

For the effective formation of smoke, the use of sawdust, shavings is mandatory. They need to be heavily stocked.

What is absolutely not suitable for hot smoking fish is plywood, fiberboard or chipboard sheets, painted or glued boards, laminate and other wood products treated with polymer resins and other "chemistry".

About smokehouses

The main requirement for any smokehouse is tightness. Air should not get inside, as this can ignite firewood, which means it will reduce the quality of the future fish delicacy. The smokehouse should also have considerable depth. Otherwise, the fish hung in it will touch the firewood and the bottom. This will either cause them to burn or boil rather than smoke.

As for the smokehouses themselves, it is difficult to find a device for cooking that is more democratic and diverse in terms of the number of items used.

You can smoke fish in a smokehouse at home and in the country or on the banks of the river. As a container, both a barrel or a bucket, and, for example, an old beehive, are suitable. More "advanced" options are smoking in a metal box on the grill or using charcoal or gas grills. Owners of private houses can equip a smokehouse in the chimney in the attic or adapt the stove.

The most correct option is to purchase a reliable portable industrial smokehouse, which will already have all the necessary devices for efficient, high-quality smoking.

How to smoke hot?

Now let's look at step by step how to smoke hot smoked fish.

What is the best fish to smoke?

A novice smoker is primarily interested in which fish is suitable. It can be any, both sea and river. The main thing is to be fresh. Smoked, of course, and thawed fish, if they were frozen fresh. Most often, in practice, fish of carp species (asp, bream, sabrefish), sturgeon (sterlet, sturgeon), as well as catfish, eels, smelt and cod are smoked.

The size of the carcass is not particularly important. Preference can be given to fatter individuals. It is better if in one batch there are fish of the same species, approximately the same size. Then all this fish will be salted, and then smoked evenly.

Small fish weighing up to 400 g, as a rule, are not gutted: they are salted and smoked in whole carcasses. Medium-sized fish up to 3 kg are most often gutted, leaving the scales and head.

Large specimens are gutted and then plastified, always cutting off the head. They can be split in half along the back or smoked in pieces cut across.

salting

This is an extremely important stage, because their final taste depends on the degree of salting of fish.

Fish or fillets prepared for smoking are salted in brine (brine of high concentration) or dry.

Small individuals are “put on” through the eye sockets on the twine. Large ones are tied in pairs by the tails. Large pieces of fillet are simply tied with twine.

With dry salting, the fish is placed in layers in some kind of container, sprinkling salt on each layer. Particularly large fish are simply rubbed with salt, then wrapped in parchment.

When wet salting, the fish are immersed in brine. With this method, the salting time is greatly reduced (up to two hours).

The salting stage for hot-smoked fish lasts from three hours for small fish, up to 12 hours for large ones.

Drying

After salting, the fish must be dried for uniform salinity. Fish need to be tied with twine, hung up so that the brine drains. To protect against insects, you can make a gauze canopy by folding the fabric several times, then moisten with vinegar.

You need to dry the fish for about an hour, then wipe the fish with a rag

Before smoking, all prepared carcasses must be carefully tied with twine for convenient suspension in the smokehouse. This will also keep the fish from falling apart while cooking.

Cooking in a smokehouse from a barrel

At the bottom of the barrel, you need to lay out pre-prepared chips with sawdust of suitable wood species. Layer thickness - 2 cm. Be sure to prepare a few branches of juniper for flavoring.

One or two grates and a lid must be pre-sized to the barrel. Install the grilles at a suitable height, one above the other. It is better to lay the fish in one layer, the carcasses should not touch each other. It is better to place large fish on the lower grate, closer to the bottom, small fish on top. There is no need to remove the twine from the fish: the smoked fish will simply fall apart.

Then it's time to build a fire. Let it be small, but give a uniform long heat. After that, the smokehouse must be closed with a lid.
The first stage of cooking fish in a smokehouse is about a quarter of the time, this is the drying stage. The temperature of the smoke is about 80 degrees Celsius. Smoking itself will begin when the temperature of the smoke in the barrel reaches 100 degrees.

Splashing water on the lid of the barrel, you can determine in general terms the "environment" inside the smokehouse. Evaporating rather than boiling water is a sure sign that smoking is going well.

It is better not to open the lid itself during the process so that the air that has entered does not ignite the chips.

How much to smoke fish in a smokehouse

The desired dry smoke with a recognizable classic aroma will appear within half an hour or an hour, based on the size, number of fish, and volume of the smokehouse. In fact, this is a sign of the successful completion of the process.

How long does it take to smoke fish? For a small one, 20-30 minutes is enough, for a large one, it may take from one to three hours.

A properly cooked fish will have golden scales, a dry surface and a great, instantly recognizable smell.

Well-smoked fish is baked through. Its meat freely moves away from the ridge. Density - the same as that of fried fish. Immediately after smoking, it can be safely served at the table.

How long does hot smoked fish last?

It is important to remember that fish cooked in this way is a typical perishable product, so it will not work for a long time. Store hot smoked fish in a cool place for two to three days, no more. In the summer, it is better to eat it right away.

About the benefits and harm

The benefits and harms of hot-smoked fish are a debatable issue. Due to the high temperature of the smoke, it cooks quickly. The price for speed and excellent taste is the amount of carcinogens felt by our body. It is even more dangerous if the fish was bought from the hands - it could well have been smoked with the help of "liquid smoke", and this is a solid "chemistry". At the same time, the main part of substances hazardous to health is contained in its skin.

As for the benefits, it should be recognized that hot smoking of fish leads to the destruction of most of its beneficial properties.

Alas, such a fish is an indisputable delicacy that has an amazing taste, but contains almost nothing useful for human health.

However, when it comes to hot smoked fish, such trifles as usefulness or vitamin content definitely fade into the background. Real fish gourmets are not stopped even by poisonous puffer, not to mention benzapyrene and other carcinogens.

Lucky on a fishing trip with a catch? This is a great excuse to smoke fish. Smoked fish is insanely delicious and deliciously fragrant, besides, smoking fish is quite simple. You just need to have a smokehouse and make a fire. Remember, smoke is a natural antiseptic that allows you to increase the shelf life of fish and gives it a special aroma and taste. And now we will learn how to smoke fish at home or in the field.

What fish to smoke

Novice anglers will ask what kind of fish to smoke? We answer - you can smoke almost any fish. The main thing is that you meet two conditions:

• the fish you are going to smoke must be fresh!
• choose fish for smoking of the same size and the same type, then it will be salted and smoked more evenly!

If the question of which fish to smoke refers to its type, then take note that oily fish is more tasty. For example, smoked mackerel or greenling is delicious, excellent - whitefish, herring, stellate sturgeon, sterlet, catfish, pike perch, pollock, flounder, pollock, cod, haddock. And, of course, eel. If you caught perch and crucian carp, you can also safely smoke. Caught a pike - smoke! Thus, we consider the question of what kind of fish to smoke open.

Smokehouse for fish

You will need a smoker to smoke fish. As a rule, a smokehouse is a large metal box with a lid and a grate. It is better if this box is not too high, 50 cm in height is enough, otherwise all the fish will not be able to be smoked with high quality. The lid should fit very tightly on the tray.

How to smoke fish - gutting

Someone likes to smoke fish not gutted. But sometimes smoked raw fish can be bitter. Therefore, it is recommended to remove gills, entrails and always a dark film from the ribs. There are the following recommendations for gutting fish for smoking, depending on the size:

• Small fish weighing 300-400 g are not gutted before smoking - they are salted and then smoked whole. Carp and bream, which weigh no more than 750 g, are also smoked whole.
• An average fish weighing from 1 to 3 kg, if desired, can also not be gutted in order to be smoked. But if the fish is intended for hot smoking, it is better to gut it without removing the scales and leaving the head.
• Very large fish are always gutted and flattened. It is advisable to divide large fish in half lengthwise so that each half of the carcass has half a head and half a tail. To do this, the fish is divided in half along the back so that both halves are connected on the ventral side. The spine and tail fin are not removed.
• Quite suitable for smoking are pieces of fish of the same size, cut across - vertically with respect to the spine.
• If the whole fish is smoked, then it is not necessary and even undesirable to clean it from scales, especially if the scales are strong enough and beautiful in appearance, since it protects the fish meat from dirt and soot during smoking.
• The exception is whitefish - they must be cleaned. In some cases - for example, if the scales are damaged when fishing with a net - it can be cleaned.

How to smoke fish - salting

Fish should be smoked after the salting procedure. Usually fish is recommended to be salted 2-3 hours before smoking. But if you are going to eat it immediately after cooking, and this happens in most cases, since the fish spreads such an aroma ... Then you can simply rub the fish with coarse salt before putting it in the smokehouse. And do not stand it in salt for several hours. If you still intend to eat fish some time after smoking, then it is better to salt it, and rinse it from salt before laying. Before laying the fish, you can pepper and add spices and herbs suitable for fish. But just not much.

How to smoke fish - wood for smoking

Most often, fish is smoked on alder, chips and shavings are suitable, you can wet it, it’s good to add raw twigs and leaves to the shavings. You can use willow. However, classically it is believed that for wood chips it is best to use alder or juniper wood. They also use hazel, oak, apple, ash, pear (it is better if these are branches that were obtained during spring pruning), as well as birch. Each of the trees will give the product its own special flavor. You can also use chips from different types of wood. Before splitting from wood, it is first necessary to remove the bark, since the bark contains a lot of resin. It is for this reason that wood from coniferous trees cannot be used. The tree must be crushed to cubes of 2-3 cm in size, but no more. Before pouring wood chips into the smoker, it should be slightly moistened, and then poured in an even layer along the bottom of the smoker. If you are using a bucket-sized smoker, then 200-300 ml wood chips by volume will suffice.

How to smoke fish - bookmark fish

Chips are placed at the bottom, on top - a grate, fish prepared for smoking on it. The food should be placed on the grate in a single layer so that it can come into contact with the smoke from all sides. The lid closes tightly and the smokehouse is put on fire. If it is not very large, then it is most convenient to put it on the grill. Coals should be evenly distributed under the smokehouse, it is good to leave a few unburned poles, but the fire should not be strong.

How much to smoke fish

The smokehouse heats up on the fire, white smoke begins to pour out of it. It warmed up and began to smoke the fish with alder chips. When the smokehouse warms up, you can remove the burning logs and bring the fish only on coals. For an average fish, the process takes about half an hour - forty minutes. In general, the smoking time depends on the strength of the fire, the size of the smokehouse and the amount of products.

The smoking process begins with the smoking of wood chips. The smoke will still seep through the smoker a little. It is very important not to overheat the smoker. The temperature inside should not be quite high, especially at the beginning of the process. The process can basically be divided into two steps. The first is drying, it takes ¼ of the time. The second is directly smoking itself - the rest of the time. The temperature inside the smokehouse during drying should not be more than 80-90 degrees, and during smoking itself - 120 degrees. The temperature inside the smokehouse can be determined by a simple method - if you drop water on the lid, it should evaporate without hissing, and not boil. At this temperature, the products will smoke properly and will not cook. It is necessary to regulate the temperature - by decreasing or increasing the fire in the fire under the smokehouse.

Before opening the smokehouse, you must wait for it to cool down and the smoke stops pouring out of it. The fish is ready when it has acquired a dark golden, sometimes reddish hue. If the fish is light, it is still raw.

Hot smoking is a method of processing fresh fish or other meat using smoke that appears as a result of the slow smoldering of sawdust. Cooking a carcass at home has many advantages. The main and, perhaps, the main thing is that the fish does not oxidize, as happens when it is processed in factories.

In order for hot smoked fish to be not only beautiful, but also fragrant, you need to know which firewood is best to use. The best option is alder and. Only with the help of such wood it is possible to achieve maximum taste. If the necessary firewood is not available, then it is recommended to use other trees, but only from the fruit group.

It is forbidden to use coniferous branches. This is due to the fact that they contain a large amount of resin, which is able to settle on the fish.

In order to diversify the aroma of smoked meat, you can add such spices to the carcass as:

• cloves;
• allspice;
• bay leaf.

Many gourmets, in order to make their dish unusual, put a mixture of green garlic, onion, and parsley in the head and abdomen.

How to smoke fish in a hot smoked smokehouse in a fast way

A carcass prepared in this way is a real delicacy for many. But not everyone knows which fish is better to choose for smoking in a smokehouse so that it is not dry. To achieve the desired result, you should buy fatty types of marine and river individuals. A good option would be salmon, salmon, mackerel, tench, carp.

Ingredients:

• fish - three pieces;
• salt to taste;
• salting container.

Stages of cooking river fish:

When salting fish, you do not need to use any weights.

The time of smoking fish in a hot-smoked smokehouse depends on the size of the carcass. For a medium fish, 40 minutes will be enough, a large one needs to be kept for about 50 minutes. In this case, the air temperature in the smokehouse should be within 70 C.

Delicious hot smoked mackerel recipe

This method is the most popular among amateurs. Carcass meat prepared according to this recipe will simply melt in your mouth. If everything is done according to the instructions, then you can be sure that even those who do not like the smell and taste of fish will like the dish.

Products for cooking:

• 3 medium mackerels;
• salt (fine);
• ground pepper.

For smoking, you can use both fresh and frozen mackerel. Put the purchased fish in the refrigerator so that it melts naturally. Then rinse the meat with water and dry a little.

Put the carcasses in a deep bowl, salt and season with ground pepper. This should be done just before sending the fish to the smokehouse.

Put three small handfuls of wet sawdust into the machine. It is best to take from deciduous trees. Put the fish on the grill and close the container with a lid. Place the device on a medium fire. Keep in this state for about 10 minutes.

The structure and taste of the meat depends on how much hot-smoked fish will be smoked in the smokehouse.

To avoid the appearance of bitterness, after the specified time, you will need to raise the shutter. After the first smoke is released, return the lid to its original position and continue to smoke for another 20 minutes.

The readiness of the fish can be determined by the color of the smoke. If light tubers come out of the device, then this is a sign of evaporation of the liquid, yellowish indicates the burning of the fish, and dry with a rich aroma indicates the finished product.

You should start tasting mackerel after it has cooled down a bit. It will take about 10 minutes for the meat to become denser. Before serving, it is recommended to decorate the dish with thin slices of fresh lemon and green leaves.

As can be seen from the described recipes, it is not difficult to cook hot smoked fish in a smokehouse at home. If you follow all the rules of this procedure, then all family members will like this activity, and carcass meat will win the hearts of those present.