Fish is delicious and useful product, which is eaten by almost all people on the planet. There are many ways to prepare it. Smoking adds piquancy to the taste and extends shelf life. This method of processing has been known to man since ancient times, but does not lose popularity in the modern world.
Smoked products are enjoyed in Everyday life and used for decoration festive table. However, their effect on the body is quite contradictory.
Some people are of the opinion that smoked meats have only negative qualities. Others love them for great taste and aroma. Knowing the cooking methods and properties of each type of product will help you figure it out.
To get tasty and aromatic product, only the freshest fish should be used for smoking. If it has been frozen, it is absolutely not suitable for cooking in this way. Quick frozen fresh fish proper preparation can be turned into tasty and aromatic smoked meat.
Almost all fish of the cod family (track, haddock, hake), as well as herring, halibut, mackerel, flounder, bluefish and some other varieties are on sale. You can also find river fish, but they are less popular because they contain quite a lot of bones.
You can smoke almost any fish. The choice depends on the person’s taste preferences.
Types and methods of smoking
Smoking is a popular and long-known method of increasing shelf life. food products. In addition, it gives familiar food an original taste.
Many people prefer fish homemade, so they build small smokehouses on their own. Assembling such a structure is quite simple. And it allows you to enjoy the delicacy at any convenient time.
Main smoking methods:
Those people who care about their health should eat fish prepared using the first method.
If smoked meats are stored under appropriate conditions, they will remain fresh long term. A dry and well-ventilated room, in which the temperature is maintained at about 5-8 o C, is best suited for this.
The nutritional value
Smoked fish has both benefits and harms. It has a fairly low calorie content. Low-fat and medium-fat varieties contain from 80 to 150 kcal. The exact figure depends on the specific breed.
When smoking, fish is not enriched with additional fats, for example, as when cooking in vegetable oil.
The lowest percentage of fat is found in cod, pollock, flounder and blue whiting. Such products can be consumed by overweight people or those on a diet.
The harm from smoked fish mainly depends on the chosen smoking method. The amount it contains useful substances much lower than in fresh product. But this smoked meat is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, proteins and some other valuable elements.
Why is it harmful?
The harm caused by consuming smoked fish largely depends on the method of its processing. However, the use of any method leads to a decrease in the amount of useful substances in the final product.
Hot smoked fish is the most harmful. It contains a large number of carcinogens that are not in the best possible way affect the state of the body. The most dangerous of them is benzopyrene. According to experts, its use can cause the appearance of malignant tumors.
Largest quantity harmful substances found in thin-skinned fish (mackerel, capelin, herring). Such a skin practically does not prevent the penetration of carcinogens from smoke into the carcass. Therefore, if you have a great desire to try hot smoked fish, you should give preference to thick-skinned breeds.
Before being placed in the smokehouse, carcasses are soaked in concentrated saline solution. Excess salt remains in finished product. It should not be used by people with heart disease, urinary system, gastrointestinal disorders, as well as pregnant and lactating women. It will bring little benefit to small children, so it is better not to include this delicacy in their diet.
Fish that has been processed is especially harmful. liquid smoke. She is often passed off as natural product. And it is almost impossible to distinguish a fake from a real delicacy.
Why is it useful?
Despite the abundance of negative qualities, smoked fish It also has beneficial properties.
Compared to frying or stewing, this is the gentlest cooking method. It reduces the amount useful components by about 20-25%. This is enough to saturate the body with the necessary minerals and trace elements. But such indicators apply to cold smoked fish.
- vitamins A, D, B, E;
- phosphorus;
- potassium;
- calcium;
- magnesium;
- Omega-3 fatty acids.
Most useful sea fish. It has a beneficial effect on the digestive organs, improves the functioning of the nervous and of cardio-vascular system, helps strengthen bones and muscles. Reasonable consumption of smoked meats will not cause significant harm to the body.
To remove from use smoked fish maximum benefit, you should follow these simple rules:
- Never eat the skin because harmful substances are concentrated in it;
- You need to choose cold smoked fish;
- Eat varieties with thick skin (trout, halibut, cod);
- Enjoy this delicacy no more than once a week.
Useful and harmful properties smoked fish cause a lot of controversy and controversy. Frequent use This product can negatively affect the body’s condition, especially if low-quality raw materials are used in its preparation. However, if you eat cold smoked fish within reasonable limits, it will bring maximum benefits, and the harm to the body will be minimal.
Despite the excellent taste characteristics, you shouldn’t get carried away with eating smoked meats. It is better to treat them as a delicacy that periodically adds variety to your daily diet.
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Technology such as smoking fish is absolutely accessible at home. You can find out how to do this in this article. Do small smokehouse Any man can do it. This approach can expand the diet of any family.
And if you build a permanent structure, you can provide smoked fish not only for yourself, but also for your neighbors. The main thing here is that there be useful space, and the presence of desire will also not be superfluous.
How long difficult process smoking, can be found out during the smoking process. Although many argue that this is not a simple process, you should not expect much complexity. First of all, you need to decide what kind of fish is best to smoke. Usually, special requirements is not applied to fish. In other words, you can smoke almost any fish.
Most people involved in this business claim that even pike, catfish, and burbot are suitable for smoking. Those who have not tried smoked fish can practice, for example, on pike perch, herring, sterlet, cod or flounder. According to some professionals, you can smoke crucian carp or perch.
In general, fatty fish species can be smoked, as this helps to obtain a more tasty final product. The only thing is that you cannot smoke eel if you have never done this before, since the wrong approach can make this product dangerous for humans.
Manufacturing options home smokehouse for fish there is a huge variety. In addition, the designs can be intended for both cold and hot smoking. These processes are similar to each other, although they have certain differences. In this regard, the design is also different, although not significantly. Despite this, it is easier to make a smokehouse for hot smoking. Moreover, you can make such a small structure that you can take it with you fishing and smoke fish directly next to the reservoir. Of course, you can’t accumulate a lot of fish, but in nature, with a beer, there will be enough.
The simplest and affordable option- This is an ordinary stainless bucket. The lid should be adjusted to the size of the bucket so that oxygen does not penetrate inside. A camera height of 0.5-0.6 meters is quite enough.
After each process, the grates must be cleaned. For such a design it is necessary to provide stands with a height of 0.3-0.4 meters. In nature, it is not always possible to find stones of a suitable size, and the wood will burn.
Firewood for smoking or wood chips are very important for the finished product, since it depends on them how tasty it turns out smoked product. Chips from juniper or alder are perfect. If this is not possible, then these materials can be replaced with oak, maple, apple, pear or even birch. Branches left over from spring pruning of trees are also suitable. Each type of wood gives the fish its own special aroma. Therefore, everyone can choose exactly the wood chips that family members will most like.
Before use, it is better to remove the bark from the wood, especially if birch is used. Birch bark contains a high concentration of resins. The tree is crushed to the size of cubes, 2x2 cm in size. It will not be bad if the blanks are chopped into chips or wet thin branches up to 1 cm thick are broken. Moreover, you can use almost any tree, including chestnut, poplar and any fruit trees. But pine is not at all suitable for smoking fish, including other conifers. They have a very high concentration of unpleasant-tasting resins, which can simply spoil the product and make it unsuitable for food. Although, in some countries, bones are smoked exclusively on the needles of coniferous trees. Moreover, the product is considered a delicacy. If you wrap the fish in two layers of gauze, the bitterness from the smoke can be minimized.
Not only the taste of smoked meats, but also the resulting shade of the product depends on the material used. Mahogany, such as alder, will color the fish in golden color, oak - dark yellow or even brown, and linden, maple and other species - golden yellow. The presentation of the product largely depends on the color. But this can play a key role if the smoked product is an object of trade. But for myself, the main thing is that it is tasty and the product does not turn out to be raw.
Some experts advise using dry wood chips, although most people use wet wood chips because they produce more smoke. In addition, it is very difficult to maintain the temperature at the optimal level, which can lead to dry wood chips burning inside the smoking chamber, especially when it is opened.
To obtain exquisite aromas, materials such as juniper branches, rosemary, almond shells and so on should be added to the wood chips. At the same time, you should not overdo it, so as not to completely kill the flavor of the fish itself. You can get good results if you add a little grape branches.
The quality of the chips is also important. In any case, it is better to use healthy wood and in no case rotten or fungus-affected wood.
Fish smoking technology
Particular attention must be paid to the cleanliness of the smokehouse, otherwise the fish will not have the pleasant aroma. As a rule, chips of the same size are placed on the bottom of the smokehouse. Smaller wood chips can catch fire and burn quickly, ruining the smoking process.
The process can be simplified if you use special coals instead of wood chips. Before smoking, the smokehouse is heated to a certain temperature, after which a grill with fish is installed and covered with a lid. As soon as the first smoke appears, the smoking time begins to count down.
Smoking oily fish has its own characteristics. During the smoking process, fat begins to drain from the fish, which needs to be removed. If action is not taken in time, the fat will dry out and then it will be difficult to get rid of it. To prevent this from happening, foil is placed on a special stand. The fat flows onto this foil, and at the end of smoking, it is simply removed along with the fat. Otherwise, the fish may not be cooked.
The lid of the smokehouse must close the chamber as tightly as possible, otherwise the wood chips may ignite due to access to oxygen, which is unacceptable.
The smoking process is divided into two stages:
- One fourth of the time is devoted to drying the fish. At this time, the temperature is maintained at +80ºС-+90ºС.
- The rest of the time is devoted directly to the smoking process itself. During this period, the temperature rises to +100ºС-+120ºС.
Exist simple ways determination of smoking temperature. To do this, drop a little water on the lid of the smokehouse. If you hear a characteristic hissing sound, then the temperature is appropriate. If the water starts to boil, then the temperature needs to be reduced, otherwise the fish will simply cook. The smoking temperature is regulated by the amount of fuel. If the temperature needs to be increased, fuel is added and the fire begins to burn more intensely. If the fire burns strongly, it can be extinguished with water. For this purpose in plastic bottle water is poured in and a hole is made in the lid. This makes it possible to control the burning of the fire quite accurately and quickly.
As a rule, the smoking process takes no more than half an hour. Here, a lot depends on the volume of smoking and the size of the fish carcasses.
The final smoked product acquires a golden-bronze hue, without any traces of soot or soot. As a result correct process, the fish meat is easily separated from the skin and bones. This indicates that the fish is cooked correctly. If technological flaws were observed, the fish meat will be viscous or bitter. In case the fish falls apart without special effort, this means that the fish was kept in the smokehouse.
To prepare the fish you need to do the following:
- The fish is cut and the entrails are removed.
- Then the fish is salted.
- After this, the fish is washed to remove any remaining salt and dried, and only then can it be sent to the smokehouse.
The easiest option is to purchase a ready-made, already cut carcass in the store. Firstly, dressed carcasses are more expensive, and secondly, there is no confidence in high-quality cutting. Therefore, it is better to do this yourself and cut the carcass according to all the rules.
Some fishermen refuse to cut up carcasses before smoking. This is especially true when the fish is fatty. If you cut it, the fish will lose most of its fat during the smoking process. As a rule, if the carcass is not large, up to 0.5-0.7 kg, the fish is not cut up. For large sizes, cutting is mandatory, as this allows the fish to be cooked more efficiently. At the same time, the head and scales are preserved, and the carcass can be sewn together. Firstly, this will allow some of the fat to remain in the fish, and secondly, it will allow dirt or debris to get inside the fish.
Trophy-sized specimens are cut along the ridge, leaving part of the head and part of the tail. If these two halves do not fit into the chamber, then they can be divided into two more parts.
Before smoking, the fish is salted and this serves two purposes. The first is to give the fish meat a certain taste. The second goal is to kill all harmful microorganisms. When smoking in pieces, they are simply rubbed with salt and spices and left for a certain time. When salting whole fish carcasses, this process is carried out completely differently. First you need to prepare a saline solution by taking 80 g of salt per 1 liter of water. At the same time, for each kilogram of product you will need up to 1.5 liters of such saline solution. In this case, the fish is salted for 12 hours.
If you really want to smoke fish while fishing, it is better to take 300 g of salt for each liter of water. The fish is infused for 4 hours. Before moving the fish to the smokehouse, rub it with any spices. For example, you can grate it with pepper or some herbs.
- do not allow a large flame to burn;
- smoke fish of various sizes;
- open the smokehouse until smoke appears;
- open the camera until full readiness product;
- pour water onto the smokehouse.
If you follow useful tips, then the process will follow all the rules.
Cold smoking
Cold smoking has its advantages. Cold smoked products last much longer and contain fewer harmful substances. Unfortunately, this process is somewhat more complicated and takes more time. In addition, such a smokehouse requires more space. The technology is almost the same, but the fish is not placed on the grill, but is suspended by the tail.
Depending on the size of the fish, the cold smoking process can last from 2 to 7 days. At the end of the smoking process, the fish still remains in the smokehouse for several days. Smoking occurs at a temperature of +40°C.
Hot smoking
This method is very popular because it takes much less time to cook fish. As a rule, the hot smoking process takes no more than half an hour or a little more, depending on the size of the carcass. If the fish has a golden brown hue, it means it can be eaten. Fish prepared in this way can be stored for no more than 3 days if it is outside the refrigerator.
Method of smoking fish without a smokehouse
This method involves the use of various available means for smoking, such as a bucket. There are a lot of similar options, and it all depends on the level of your imagination. The main thing is to carefully delve into the technology to understand what is needed for this. What is needed is the following. The smokehouse chamber must be hermetically sealed. The chamber should have a grate on which fish carcasses are placed, and under it, at a distance of 10-20 mm, a tray where fat will collect. Wooden chips are placed on the bottom of the chamber, in a layer of up to 2 cm. It all depends on the volume of the chamber. In short, there are no difficulties and anyone can handle smoking fish. The most important thing is to approach this process seriously and follow useful advice.
We are used to mainly frying, boiling and baking fish. Some people salt good red fish at home. But fish is smoked much less often, although everyone loves to eat smoked fish. Smoking fish, of course, requires certain skills, time and equipment. However, the result is always amazing. The easiest way to smoke fish is using the hot method. Those who seriously engage in hot smoking have special smokehouses. For those who are not so often overcome by the desire to taste their own smoked fish, a simple iron bucket with a lid will be enough. But first things first.
Preparation
You can smoke fish directly while fishing, on a hike, or at the dacha. The main thing is to have branches of fruit trees, juniper or alder on hand. For smoking, you should choose fish of approximately the same size. Gutting and cleaning the fish or not is a personal matter for the smoker. If you don't really like to be distracted during your meal, it is better to clean and gut the fish before smoking. Then the fish is covered coarse salt and leave until brine appears - brine. Salting will take a maximum of 3 hours. Afterwards, the salted fish is washed and hung to dry a little. Dried fish carcasses are generously lubricated vegetable oil and placed on the smokehouse grates. The fish should not touch each other.
A few words about smokehouses
Smokehouse in general view It is a hermetically sealed stainless steel container, at the bottom of which branches or sawdust are laid out that will produce smoke. One or more fish racks are placed higher in the smokehouse. There is no need to make the smokehouse very high, otherwise the fish on the lower grill will be “over-smoked”, and on the upper grill it will be raw. Handles are required, with the help of which the smokehouse can be placed on the fire (into the fire) and removed from the fire. As for the branches, each smoker has his own opinion on this matter. Some like alder, others like willow, others only recognize apple and plum branches, and still others smoke juniper shavings.
Let's start smoking
The smokehouse is loaded and placed on the hearth (in the fire, on the tile). This action must take place in the open air, otherwise the apartment can become ugly. As soon as white smoke appeared from under the lid of the smokehouse, you know that the process has begun, the fish has begun to smoke. Therefore, reduce the heat a little so that the smoke comes out in a very small stream. During smoking, it is better not to remove the lid from the smokehouse, otherwise there is a possibility that all the twigs and shavings inside the smokehouse will burst into flames, and you will end up with burnt fish rather than smoked fish. Once smoking is complete, remove the smoker from the heat and leave to cool. As soon as the smoke stops coming from under the lid, open the smokehouse and take out the dark golden, fragrant fish. Large fish smokes for about 50 minutes, small - half an hour, or even less.
Cold smoking: a lesson for the pros
Cold smoked fish is even tastier than hot smoked fish, but there is a lot more fuss with it. Firstly, the fish should not only be salted, but also soaked and then dried. Secondly, for cold smoking you need not a mobile smokehouse, but a stationary one. And it will take much more time.
Before cold smoking, the fish is salted in a more saturated salt solution and kept in it longer - from three days for small fish and up to two weeks for large fish. Then the fish is soaked in cold water and hang to dry. The fish should dry for about 3-5 days. To prevent it from being contaminated by insects, the fish is loosely wrapped in gauze. The dried fish is placed in a special cold smoking chamber. There it remains for 2-6 days, smoking with cold smoke, the temperature of which should not exceed 25 ° C. The source of the smoke is the same sawdust and shavings, only they smoke at a great distance from the fish, and the smoke enters the smoking chamber through a pipe.
Smoked fish is always a decoration for the table, but remember: if cold smoked fish can be stored on a shelf in the refrigerator for ten days without any problems, then it is better to eat hot smoked fish within three days, or put it in freezer. Frozen, such fish is edible for two to three months.
Before smoking, the fish is salted or added salt and treated with substances of incomplete combustion of wood (smoke), smoking preparations (wet, smokeless). The smoking process can be artificial (electric smoking, using high frequency currents and infrared irradiation). Sometimes mixed smoking (smoke and smokeless) is used - first the fish is treated with smoking liquid and then with smoke. After smoking, the fish acquires a specific taste, smell and color. Fish treated with smoking substances is stored longer, and the fat becomes more resistant to oxidation. Depending on the temperature at which smoking is carried out, there are cold (not higher than 40°C), hot (80-180°C) and semi-hot (60-80°C).
Fresh, chilled and frozen fish are smoked. Before smoking, the fish is tied with twine, hung on frames or placed on nets; smoked at temperatures up to 40-170°C for several hours. The surface of the fish is first dried, baked, boiled and smoked. Under the influence high temperature The proteins of the fish coagulate, it acquires a juicy consistency and a smoky aroma. Hot smoked fish is obtained from carp, cod, sturgeon and other sea and ocean fish.
According to the cutting method, hot smoked fish is released cut up, gutted with the head, headless, gilled, in a piece, or in a roll. At the end of smoking, the fish is quickly cooled to 8-12°C. Hot smoked fish is not divided into varieties other than sturgeon. The fish must be well smoked, the surface clean and unmoistened. The surface color ranges from light golden to dark brown. Small protein and fat deposits, burns, damage, burst belly, and there may be mesh prints are allowed on the surface, but without contamination. The meat should be easily separated from the bones; there should be no signs of dampness or uncoagulated blood in the milk or caviar. Hot smoked fish should contain 1.5-3% salt. Hot smoked fish long-term storage can't stand it. Hot smoked fish is stored at a temperature of 2 to -2 ° C and a relative air humidity of 75-80% for no more than 3 days.
Our company is ready to offer you a different assortment of smoked fish, which you can find in our price list.
Smoked fish and red caviar are festive foods; most of us do not have them on the table every day. Therefore, if you are already buying such a delicacy, you want to choose the best one. And of course, do not spoil the holiday by poisoning. And in the case of fish products it is quite possible. Perhaps even meat is not as dangerous as fish and caviar. All this spoils quickly, and there are no ways to disguise it defective goods- a bunch of. So caution comes first.
Varieties of red caviar
Pink salmon. Bright orange or light red caviar, medium size (diameter of eggs about 5 mm). It is considered the most useful, although it is not quoted among the mass consumer as the most best caviar, perhaps due to its cheapness. After all, pink salmon produces the most caviar, which is why it costs less.
Chum salmon. Quite large eggs with a dense shell of a bright orange color, the fatty spot-embryo is clearly visible. Often used to decorate dishes.
Chinook salmon. Listed in the Red Book, fishing is prohibited. If you see it for sale, you can safely report it to the police, these are poachers.
Coho salmon. Original caviar with bitterness, quite small, dark red.
Trout. Small light orange caviar, sometimes even yellow.
Red salmon. One of the most expensive varieties caviar is very prized in Europe. Sockeye salmon is a rare fish, hence its high cost.
In a jar or by weight
Caviar not packaged in jars can be stored for no more than 4 months. Salmon spawning and fishing takes place in July-August. Means, loose caviar must be purchased before November. After that it is no longer of good quality. Often, unscrupulous sellers (who most likely purchased caviar from poachers) freeze it. And such caviar may taste quite decent and smell good, but after freezing it loses most of its beneficial properties.
So after November it is better to purchase caviar in factory jars. It lasts in them for a year.
What to look for when choosing caviar in a jar
- The jar must have the date of manufacture on it. Caviar should be rolled into jars within a month after catching, no later. That is, July or August must be indicated on the jars.
- Mandatory mark on the bank - GOST or TU ( technical condition) according to which caviar is made. It is better to choose jars made in accordance with GOST: this is the caviar that is packaged in jars after a month, is not frozen before that, antiseptics and glycerin are added to it so that the caviar does not dry out - only three E-additives.
- The jar should not be swollen - this is a sign of spoiled caviar.
- the numbers on the lid of the tin must be pressed from the inside
- The jar should be shaken, the caviar inside should not rattle, but it should be felt that it is moving, this means that the product has not dried out and its quantity is optimal.
When buying caviar by weight
- Smell it. The caviar should smell faintly of fish. A strong fishy smell is a sign artificial caviar, for the production of which fragrances were used.
- Look at her. The eggs should be unbruised, smooth, shiny, and free of blood clots.
- Too dark and too light a color are signs of a low-quality, damaged or overripe game.
- Give it a try. Strong bitterness and unpleasant aftertaste are unacceptable. A very hard shell indicates that the caviar is overripe.
After the purchase
When buying a jar of high-quality caviar, be careful, remember that it perishable product, immediately after purchase, put the jar in the refrigerator, preferably under the freezer, but not in it. Caviar is not stored longer than one year. That is, in the summer you need to inspect the refrigerator and throw out the caviar if you forgot it there.An open jar can last in the refrigerator for no more than 5 days. And make sure that no water gets into it. Always take caviar with a clean spoon so as not to introduce bacteria.
Rules for choosing smoked fish
The main danger of smoked fish: it is passed off as spoiled fish, simply treated with “liquid smoke”. This is the most quick way"smoking". And the most dangerous. Such fish can cause severe poisoning. So you need to be very careful.
The nose will help us. Sniffing is a must. Any chemical smell, any foreign tone - all these are signals that it is better to refrain from purchasing. Real smoked fish smells of light smoke and charcoal.
To the touch, the fish should be dense, elastic, and its skin should be quite bright. Smoking brings out the colors on it, increasing the contrast of the natural color of the fish.
Smoked fish Photo: Shutterstock.com
If hot smoked fish is cut into pieces, then you need to make sure that this piece is whole, it should be clear from it that it was suspended, that it was smoked, and not just doused with liquid smoke. The same goes for whole fish. There should be marks from the ropes or the ropes themselves, and they should be pressed into the skin.
Expensive white fish should have yellow streaks of fat near the spine. And there should be no dark spots on it - this is a sign that it was hit.
The skin of the fish should not be rough, there should be no spots on it, the ideal coloring is uniform.
Fish is a dangerous product. Therefore, it is better to buy any fish, as well as caviar, in stores that monitor the quality of their products and are responsible for it. And it’s best not to rush from seller to seller, but to buy from one trusted one. Typically, sellers deal with the same suppliers, so you too will be insured against surprises.
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