If we talk about the benefits of smoked fish, then thanks to the treatment with smoke, which is a powerful antiseptic, the meat is freed from bacteria and parasitic organisms. In addition, such heat treatment allows you to preserve all the beneficial substances of the product. Smoking is one of the preservation methods, which, in combination with pre-salting, significantly extends the shelf life of meat.
Preparing the fish
Preparing fish for the smoking process involves cleaning and salting it. If the carcass is too large, then you can cut off the head and tail from it. Otherwise, if the size of the smokehouse allows, then the whole fish is placed in the container. All you need to do with the carcass is to free it from the insides. Fins and scales should be left in place.After cleaning, the fish must be rinsed with cold water and dried with a paper towel.
The next step will be salting. To do this, the carcasses need to be rubbed with coarse salt and placed in a pan for a couple of hours. You can add a little black pepper to the brine. An interesting feature of fish is that it practically cannot be over-salted. Therefore, there are no exact proportions of brine.
Before placing it for smoking, you need to make sure that excess brine drains from the fish. To do this, you can hang it by its tail for 20 minutes. It is best if this is done in the fresh air, since the delicacy should be well aired. There is no need to wash or soak the carcass.
Preparing the smokehouse
In order to get moderate smoke, smoke chips need to be soaked in water for 20-30 minutes. While the sawdust is swelling, you need to prepare the smokehouse. To do this, a sheet of foil is placed at the bottom of the main tank. This is done to prevent the wood from burning to the bottom. This will also make cleaning the smoker easier.
Now we throw the sawdust into a colander to remove excess water. We place the pressed wood chips on foil in a layer of 1.5 cm. Then a tray is installed on the wood to collect fat, if it is provided for in the design of the smokehouse.
We install the grate on the first floor and place the fish on it, then place the carcasses on the second tier. The smokehouse is closed with a sealed lid and placed on fire. Some smokehouses have a water seal. This device allows you to cook fish in apartment conditions. Due to a special groove with water, the smoke is targeted into a special hole equipped with a flexible hose.
For the first 10 minutes, the heat can be quite strong, as soon as the first smoke appears, the coals under the bottom need to be moved apart a little.An indicator of the correct temperature regime will be moderate smoke intensity. The entire smoking process usually takes 40 minutes. There is no point in keeping the fish on the fire longer.
The finished product needs to be removed from the smokehouse and allowed to breathe a little. It is believed that smoked fish becomes more delicious after it has completely cooled. Therefore, no matter what the temptation, try to be patient for at least 30 minutes. The finished product should be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Please listen to these tips
1. If you keep fish in a smokehouse, you can get a bitter product instead of a flavorful dish. After the smokehouse is removed from the fire, it must be opened for ventilation.
2. To reduce the acridity of smoke, river sand can be poured into the bottom of the smokehouse. This material will also be a good absorber of dripping grease.
3. For smoking you need to take only fresh fish. A frozen product has too loose pulp, which will not look aesthetically pleasing on the table.
4. The fish must be the same type and the same size, otherwise the cooking time may vary. In addition, the product will not be salted evenly.
5. The carcass must be freed from the entrails, as the giblets can give off bitterness. The gills should also be removed.
6. The fish will be more flavorful if you use wood chips from fruit trees (apple trees, pears) for smoking.
