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With the right recipe, almost any fish can be turned into a real work of culinary art. Hot smoked pike perch has excellent taste and unique aroma. A wide variety of cooking options will allow everyone to enjoy the perfect meal.
Is it possible to smoke pike perch
Not every representative of the fish world can boast of such a huge number of recipes using it. Fish soup is boiled from pike perch, cutlets and full-fledged main courses are made, and also added to salads. Its fillet is very meaty as it contains significantly less water.
Hot smoked pike perch is not only tasty, but also a very healthy delicacy
One of the more delicious recipes is smoke treatment. You can smoke pike perch in a hot smoked smokehouse or using a device with a smoke generator. At home, you can go for the trick by using a slow cooker, frying pan, or oven. During the heat treatment, the meat becomes denser and more juicy.
The benefits and calorie content of the product
Traditionally, river fish contains fewer nutrients than sea fish. However, in the case of smoked pike-perch, the situation is diametrically opposite. This product is a source of vitamins A, B1, B2, D, E, F and PP. Among the most important substances for the body are:
- chromium;
- iodine;
- phosphorus;
- cobalt;
- sulfur;
- fluorine.
The most valuable for the body are easily degradable proteins and a large amount of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. If pike perch is smoked correctly, in moderation it can work miracles in the body. The product removes harmful cholesterol from the blood and improves the functioning of the cardiovascular system.
Active substances contained in pike perch improve the state of the nervous system. Consumers of hot smoked meat normalize memory and brain function. Also, the delicacy improves the state of the endocrine system, reducing weight due to its low calorie content. 100 g of the finished product contains:
- proteins - 19.2 g;
- fats - 1.02 g;
- carbohydrates - 0 g;
- calories - 87.2 g.
In moderate quantities, the dish has only a beneficial effect on the body.
Despite the low calorie content of hot smoked pike perch, it is worth refraining from using the product for people with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Carcinogenic substances that penetrate into fillets along with smoking can adversely affect the gastric mucosa.
Ways to smoke pike perch
Smoke is a fairly common method of cooking fish. Depending on the availability of your own site and a high-quality device for creating delicacies, you can choose the most suitable method for yourself. Even in a small apartment, it is possible to make fish incredibly tasty using liquid smoke.
How long does it take to smoke pike perch
The cooking time for a delicacy can vary greatly depending on the recipe chosen. Cold-processed pike perch has the longest smoking period. The process in such cases can take up to 18-24 hours. Hot smoking pike perch will allow you to cook fish in 30-40 minutes.
The cooking time for pike perch at home differs from similar methods in closed smokehouses. For an oven or multicooker, the times will be from 40 minutes to 1 hour. In this case, cooking in broth and further coating with liquid smoke will take no more than 10-20 minutes.
How to prepare pike perch for smoking
Correctly selected raw materials are the key to the perfect dish. For a hot smoked pike perch recipe at home, quality fish is required. If it is not possible to use freshly caught, you can buy chilled or frozen in the store. It is only important to pay attention to its freshness - clean eyes and the absence of foreign smell from carcasses.
The head is most often left for decorative purposes.
The purchased product is thoroughly washed and gutted from the insides. The head is most often left for decorative purposes. Sharp fins on the back and belly must be removed. After that, the fish is salted and sent to the smokehouse.
How to pickle pike perch for smoking
There are 2 traditional methods of salting fish for further processing with smoke - dry method and pickling. Prolonged soaking in a saline solution will completely remove all harmful substances from the tissues. To prepare the marinade you will need:
- 2 liters of water;
- 1 cup salt
- 4 bay leaves;
- 20 peppercorns.
All ingredients are mixed and placed in the marinade prepared for smoking pike perch carcasses. The fish is left for a day, after which it is gently washed and wiped off with a paper towel. It is recommended to dry it slightly in the open air before cooking.
How to salt pike perch for smoking
Dry salting implies a long-term presence of fish carcasses in a special mixture. To prepare it, salt is mixed with a small amount of sugar and bay leaves. It will take 6 to 12 hours to salt a hot-smoked pike perch. Salt must be coarsely ground. It is distributed so that it completely covers the fish. It is also poured into the abdominal cavity and into the gill slits.
You can use various spices to improve the taste of the finished product. For a more aromatic delicacy, add coriander or ground allspice to the salt mixture. For a sophisticated taste, salt is mixed with citrus zest.
Hot smoked pike perch recipes
Fast processing of fish with hot smoke allows you to maximize the preservation of nutrients inside the meat. For the recipe, you can use a classic hot-type smokehouse, a specialized grill or grate, coupled with a regular fire.
Regardless of the method chosen, you only need wood chips soaked in water. For fish, it is best to use alder or fruit trees. Small chips are soaked for 1 hour, then squeezed out and poured onto the bottom of the smokehouse or into a special container.
How to smoke pike perch in a hot smoked smokehouse
It is recommended to prepare the coals before placing the device on a brazier or open fire. Experienced cooks do not advise placing the smokehouse on burning wood - there is a high probability of rapid burning of wood chips and charring of fish. As soon as the coals are covered with ash, you can start hot smoking.
Smokehouse is the most common way to prepare a delicacy
2-3 handfuls of wood chips soaked in water are poured into the bottom of the smokehouse. Then they install special gratings or hang hooks. Fish is spread on them, and then covered with a lid.The recipe for hot smoked pike perch in a smokehouse requires 30-40 minutes of heat treatment. Open the lid every 10 minutes to release excess smoke.
How to smoke pike perch over a fire
To cook fish by hot smoking without using a special unit, you can take an ordinary barbecue grill. Once the coals are ready, soaked wooden blocks wrapped in foil are placed on top of them. They are pierced in several places for better smoke passage. Hot smoked pike perch is placed on the wire rack. It is placed over the coals. Cooking takes about an hour. The net is turned over every 10 minutes.
Grilled pike perch hot smoked recipe
Unlike a classic smokehouse, the coals are poured directly into the grill bowl. They are set on fire and brought to the required condition. A bowl with moistened chips is placed in a special recess. Then a lattice is installed, on which the previously salted fish is spread. The bowl of the appliance is closed with a lid and hot smoked pike perch is smoked for 30 to 40 minutes. A huge plus of the grill is the ability to adjust the temperature by opening the shutter.
Cold smoked pike perch recipe
Long-term treatment with cold smoke will allow you to get an incredibly tasty finished product. At low temperatures, it is possible to completely preserve all vitamins and organic compounds. To prepare the delicacy, you will need a special smokehouse with a smoke generator. It is connected and left for 18-24 hours. New charcoal and wood chips need to be added periodically. The readiness of the fish is determined by making an incision across the back. If the meat has a uniform white color, you can take it out and serve it after a short period of weathering.
Smoking pike perch at home
An ordinary resident of the city most often envies those who have a summer cottage or a personal plot at their disposal. Unable to install a smokehouse, it is quite difficult to delight yourself with delicacies every day. However, even in the conditions of small-sized apartments, it is really possible to pamper a family with excellent dishes. Hot smoked pike perch can be prepared using:
- ovens;
- multicooker;
- frying pans.
Hot smoked flavor can be preserved when cooked at home
As with conventional hot smoking, pike perch must be salted. You can use both dry processing and long-term pickling. The finished fish is dried with a paper towel and proceeded to direct preparation.
Whichever recipe is chosen, liquid smoke will be a mandatory ingredient. In small quantities, it is harmless to the human body. They either rub the finished product with it, or add it during heat treatment. It is believed that to achieve the very taste of hot smoking, it will take 1-2 tbsp. l. liquid smoke per 1 kg of feedstock.
In the oven
Cooking smoked fish in the oven is a pretty easy way to get a great delicacy at the lowest cost. It is imperative to remove the head of a pike perch - during heat treatment, the gills can significantly spoil the taste of the finished dish. The salted fish is washed to remove excess spices and dried with a paper towel.
A deep baking sheet is placed on the lower level of the oven to drain excess fat. The grate is placed on the middle level. Carcasses are coated with liquid smoke and spread on it. The oven is turned on at 120 degrees, setting only the lower heating element.
Heat treatment lasts no more than 50 minutes. This time is enough for the meat to be fully cooked, even when using large carcasses. Small pike perch are cooked for no more than half an hour. The finished product is cooled and served as an appetizer or main course.
In foil
Hot smoked pike perch in foil is another way to prepare a delicacy at home. Previously salted carcasses are smeared with liquid smoke, then wrapped in several layers of foil.To make the heat pass more actively, make a few small holes with a pin or a toothpick.
Liquid smoke gives incredible aroma and significantly improves the taste of the finished product
The prepared packages are laid out on a baking sheet, which is placed on the middle shelf. The oven is turned on on both heating elements and the nominal temperature is set at 150 degrees. Cooking takes about an hour. The hot-smoked ready-made delicacy is cooled and served.
In a multicooker
The use of modern kitchen technology greatly simplifies the process of creating delicacies. A feature of cooking in a multicooker is the limited volume of the bowl. It is better to select small carcasses. The head is removed to save space. Salted pike perch are smeared with liquid smoke and put in a multicooker bowl, making small distances between the carcasses.
A couple more tablespoons of liquid smoke are poured into the bowl. The lid of the device is closed, the extinguishing mode is set for 1 hour. The ready-made delicacy is served as a main course or as a cold appetizer. It is best to use potatoes or baked vegetables as a side dish.
Storage rules
Since salt is a fairly strong preservative, the shelf life of hot smoked products is relatively long. The finished dish easily retains its consumer properties for two weeks from the date of preparation. Optimal conditions are kept on the lower shelf of the refrigerator, where the temperature is kept around 3-5 degrees.
Given the special method of preparation, it is necessary to store pike perch in an airtight package. The smoke smell will easily transfer to the neighboring product. To preserve the delicacy, it is wrapped in waxed paper, then placed in a separate drawer for vegetables and fruits.
Conclusion
Hot smoked pike perch is an incredibly tasty and very healthy delicacy for the human body. Even without special smoking equipment, fish can be cooked at home. Subject to the correct storage conditions, the product will delight for a long time.
