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Cooking delicious delicacies from freshly caught fish allows you to significantly diversify your daily menu. Cold smoked smelt retains all the beneficial properties of the original product, improving the taste characteristics. A large number of cooking methods gives a wide selection of recipes, based on the capabilities of the hostesses.
The benefits and calorie content of the product
Smelt is widespread in the waters of the northern part of the European region. Consumers appreciate the tenderness and delicate taste of meat. In addition, cold smoked smelt has a rather low calorie content. 100 g of the finished product contains no more than 150 kcal. The nutritional table looks like this:
- proteins - 18.45 g;
- fats - 8.45 g;
- carbohydrates - 0 g.
When smoked hot, the calorie content of the fish will be even less. The high temperature promotes rapid melting of the fat. When consumed in moderation, such a product can be used by people who monitor their health and weight. Zero glycemic index makes the delicacy acceptable even for diabetics.
Cold smoking allows you to preserve most of the nutrients
Cold and hot smoked smelt is appreciated for its rich vitamin and mineral composition. It contains large amounts of fluorine, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and calcium. Vitamins B, PP and D play a special role in strengthening the human body.
The protein-rich fish is highly digestible, ensuring the body has enough building material for muscles and bones. Moderate consumption of a smoked product has a beneficial effect on the work of the cardiovascular system. The greatest effect from the use of smoked smelt in food is achieved in early spring - during the period of off-season vitamin deficiency.
Preparing smelt for smoking
Before proceeding with direct processing with hot or cold smoke, the product must be prepared. Smelt is not a commercial fish, so only residents of the northern regions of the country can enjoy a homemade delicacy. Eating a fresh product guarantees the preservation of all useful components that can be destroyed during the freezing process.
The very first step in preparing smelt for smoking is to remove the scales. Although many housewives ignore this point, when cooking at home, small scales will ruin the finished dish. Then the stomach is ripped open to the smelt, the insides are removed from it and the abdominal cavity is thoroughly washed. The head is most often kept for aesthetic reasons. The prepared fish is sent to a salt mixture or a fragrant marinade.
How to salt smelt for smoking
To remove possible parasites from the product and improve the taste of the finished delicacy, it is recommended to keep the carcasses in a special mixture. To prepare it, you need to take salt, ground black pepper and chopped bay leaf. Smelt is rolled in this mixture, then put under oppression for half an hour.
An alternative to this method is the long soaking of the carcasses in the marinade. Aromatic spices are most often added to it to enhance the taste of the finished product. For brine use:
- 2 liters of water;
- 200 g of salt;
- 4 bay leaves;
- 5 carnation buds;
- 10 allspice peas.
All ingredients are mixed in a small container and put on fire. As soon as the liquid boils, it is removed from the heat and cooled. The fish is put in a plastic bag and filled with the prepared brine. Marinating takes 6 to 12 hours.
For hot smoking, it is best to use alder chips.
Rinse the salted smelt again. Then the carcasses are slightly dried so that the moisture is completely removed from its surface. Drying is carried out in the open air. The average drying time is 2 to 4 hours.
Hot smoked smelt recipes
The fish is smoked. The most popular way to prepare smelt at home is the hot smoking method. This delicacy has a bright taste and unique aroma. If it is not possible to install a smokehouse in your suburban area, several proven methods will come to the rescue. These include the preparation of smelt in a cauldron, in an electric grill, in an oven or in a specialized device equipped with a water seal and a pipe for removing smoke.
Smelt in a hot smoked smokehouse
Making the perfect delicacy requires a few simple ingredients. First, a smokehouse is needed. It can be any metal box that can be installed inside the grill and with a tight-fitting lid. The next component is wood chips. Alder is best suited for smoking smelt in a smokehouse. Compared to fruit wood chips, it emits less burning when exposed to hot fish oil.
A distinctive feature of hot smoking is a bright golden hue.
The next step in preparing smelt is assembling the smokehouse. A layer of wood chips soaked in advance is poured onto the bottom of the box. A container for dripping fat is placed on it. On top, one or more gratings are installed, which are lightly greased with vegetable oil. Salted smelt is spread on them. The smoker is covered with a lid and put on fire.
To prevent the fish from burning in the first minutes of cooking, it is recommended to install the device at some distance from the embers. The ideal option for installing a smokehouse would be a grill half full. Since the smelt is quite small in size, smoking is quick. Count down 10 minutes as soon as the first trickles of white smoke emerge from the smokehouse. The finished product is slightly ventilated in the open air, cooled and served.
How to smoke smelt at home
There are a large number of smokehouses with a water seal, specially designed for the preparation of delicious delicacies in an apartment building. They are equipped with a smoke conduit to ensure that there is no excess odor. For smoking smelt, it is best to choose devices with the possibility of installing a horizontal grate.
You can cook hot smoked smelt even in a small apartment.
As in the case of an ordinary smokehouse, several handfuls of alder chips are poured onto the bottom of the appliance, soaked half an hour before cooking. Grids are installed on top, on which smelt is laid out. The lid is hermetically closed, the tube is taken out into the window. The smokehouse is placed on minimum heat. After a few moments, smoke will come out of the pipe. Smoking lasts 10-15 minutes at a temperature inside the device of 120-140 degrees. Finished fish is cooled and served.
Smoking smelt in a cauldron at home
Experienced housewives have long ago adapted kitchen utensils to create real culinary masterpieces. Many people use the kazan as an improvised smokehouse for cooking almost any fish - from smelt to pink salmon. The smoking recipe requires a very tight lid for the least amount of smoke in the kitchen.
Using simple kitchen utensils creates a real delicacy
Soaked wood chips are poured into the bottom of the cauldron. A saucer for fat is put on top. A lattice is placed on it, cut or matched to the diameter of the cauldron's circumference. The smelt is placed at small intervals for smoke to enter. The cauldron is tightly covered with a lid and put on high heat for 15 minutes. The gas is turned off, and the impromptu smokehouse is left for 5-6 hours to soak the contents with smoke. It is recommended to open it on the balcony to avoid a strong smell in the apartment.
How to smoke smelt in an electric smokehouse
Modern technology for grilling and other delicacies has made great strides in the past few years. Electric smokehouses have appeared on the market, which allow you to regulate the temperature and duration of cooking. Modern equipment guarantees strict adherence to all the subtleties of the recipes.
Electric appliance guarantees the same temperature during cooking
As with an ordinary smokehouse, several handfuls of wet chips are poured into the recess of the device. Smelt is laid out on special grates. The lid of the device is closed, the temperature is set to 140 degrees and the timer is started for 15 minutes. The finished delicacy is served chilled.
Smoking smelt with liquid smoke
There are several recipes that allow you to prepare a delicious delicacy without using a smokehouse at all. Liquid smoke comes to the rescue. Its aroma, combined with smelt, gives a bright hot smoked taste. For cooking you will need:
- 300 g of fish;
- 2 tbsp. l. liquid smoke;
- 2 tbsp. l. salt;
- a pinch of black pepper.
Liquid smoke greatly improves the taste of fish
Smelt is covered with a mixture of spices and put under oppression for half an hour. Then it is washed and dried with a paper towel. The fish is laid out in a frying pan and poured with liquid smoke so that it completely envelops the carcasses. Smoking lasts no more than 15 minutes over medium heat. In the middle of cooking, the smelt is turned over and, if necessary, smeared with additional liquid smoke. The finished dish is dried with a napkin and served as a snack.
How to smoke smelt with pickled garlic
For connoisseurs of gourmet cuisine, there are several ways to turn fish into a true work of culinary art. The smoke-treated product is further marinated in the aroma mixture. For 500 g of finished hot smoked smelt you will need:
- 700 ml of vegetable oil;
- 2 large heads of garlic;
- 10 black peppercorns;
- 1 tsp cardamom.
Additional marinating with garlic makes the fish taste unique
The oil is boiled to a temperature of 90 degrees. In a small saucepan, mix the fish with halved garlic cloves and seasonings. They are poured with hot oil and removed to marinate for 12 hours. The taste of the finished delicacy can be changed by modifying the complex of used spices.
Cold smoked smelt recipe
The process is longer than the hot method, however, it guarantees tender meat, completely saturated with aromatic smoke. Cold smoked smelt not only looks beautiful in the photo, but also has a unique taste that delights numerous gourmets. The cooking process consists of the following points:
- preliminary salting or pickling of fish;
- laying out carcasses on special grates inside the smokehouse;
- pouring chips into the smoke generator;
- closing the smokehouse and starting cooking.
Cold smoked fish retains the fat content and delicate flavor of the meat
Since the carcasses are quite small, the smoking process will take less time compared to larger fish. At a temperature of 28-30 degrees, the delicacy will be ready after 12-18 hours. It is recommended to ventilate the smelt for a couple of hours outdoors before use.
Storage rules
Prolonged salting and smoking can significantly increase the shelf life of the finished product. The delicacy retains its consumer characteristics for up to 2 weeks if kept in the refrigerator. Storage air temperature should be between 3 and 5 degrees.
To increase the shelf life, you can use a vacuum or freezer. In the first case, tightness guarantees the exclusion of contact with the environment. Vacuum packed smelt can be stored for up to 1 month Freezing the product spoils the structure of the meat, but extends its shelf life up to 50-60 days.
Conclusion
Cold smoked smelt is a chic delicacy that's pretty easy to make. Strict adherence to the instructions guarantees excellent consumer properties of the product. Even in the absence of a quality smokehouse, you can treat yourself to a great dish.
