Hot smoked sturgeon: calorie content, benefits and harms, recipes with photos

The sturgeon has long been known under the nickname "royal fish", which it has earned due to its size and taste. Any dish made from it is a real delicacy, but even against this background, hot-smoked sturgeon stands out. It is quite possible to cook it yourself, even at home, in the absence of special equipment. But in order not to spoil the valuable fish, you need to know in advance about all the nuances of the procedure and technology of hot smoking.

Why is hot smoked sturgeon useful?

The sturgeon stands out not only for its original appearance (specific shape of the muzzle, “ridges” of bony tubercles), but also for its excellent taste. Its meat is very nutritious, juicy and tender. If not overused, it is also good for your health.

Despite the prolonged heat treatment with smoke, hot smoked sturgeon retains most of the substances the body needs:

• proteins and essential amino acids (absorbed practically "without loss", necessary for the regeneration of bone and muscle tissue, normal functioning of joints, providing the body with energy);
• all fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E), as well as group B (without them normal metabolism and functioning of the body as a whole, tissue renewal at the cellular level is impossible);
• polyunsaturated fatty acids (have a beneficial effect on the nervous and cardiovascular systems, the brain, normalize blood composition, provide effective prevention of atherosclerosis, hypertension);
• macro- (phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium) and microelements (zinc, copper, iron, cobalt, iodine, fluorine), involved in most metabolic processes and cell renewal, necessary to maintain immunity.

Hot smoked sturgeon can be served both as an independent dish and as an appetizer

Calorie content and BZHU of hot smoked sturgeon

During the heat treatment, the fish is impregnated with its own juices and fat, therefore, it cannot be attributed to dietary products. The calorie content of hot smoked sturgeon per 100 grams is 240 kcal. But at the same time, it is extremely rich in easily digestible proteins and fats. 100 g of hot smoked sturgeon contains 26.2 g and 16.5 g of them, respectively. There are no carbohydrates in it at all.

Rules and methods of smoking sturgeon

The technology of such smoking provides for the treatment of sturgeon with hot smoke. As a result, properly cooked meat turns out to be tender, juicy, crumbly, literally melts in your mouth.

Subject to hot smoking technology, the finished meat does not lose its shape

When starting to smoke fish, you need to consider the following important nuances:

• the smokehouse can be either purchased or homemade, but it is necessary to have a hermetically sealed lid, a compartment at the bottom for chips, hooks or grates for placing fish;
• the optimum temperature for hot smoking of sturgeon is 80-85 ° С. If it is less, the fish simply will not smoke, it will not be possible to get rid of the pathogenic microflora that is dangerous to health. When it rises above 100 ° C, the meat loses its juiciness and tenderness, dries up;
• you cannot try to speed up the smoking process by increasing the temperature. The only way, if you want the fish to be ready faster, is to cut it into smaller pieces - steaks, fillets.

To maximize the preservation of the natural taste, you should limit yourself to salting the sturgeon using a mixture of salt, ground black pepper and chopped bay leaves. Various marinades will give the fish original notes and smack, but here it is important not to overdo it, so as not to "lose" the natural taste.

What is the best way to smoke sturgeon

It is best to smoke hot smoked sturgeon on alder, linden, aspen or beech chips. To get an exquisite aroma, chips of apple, pear, cherry, currant, bird cherry are added to it in a ratio of about 7: 3.

It is chips that are used, not sawdust or small twigs. With its "participation", the process of smoke formation goes as it should for hot smoking.

Alder chips - a universal option for any smoking

How to choose and prepare a sturgeon for smoking

When buying sturgeon for hot smoking, pay attention to the following criteria:

• absence in the smell of even the slightest notes of mustiness, rottenness, only a slight "fishy" aroma;
• gills, in color, should not be much darker than the rest of the carcass;
• "Clear" eyes, not covered with a cloudy film;
• skin without damage, tears, blood clots, a layer of mucus on it;
• abdomen of uniform pinkish color, without spots and swellings;
• elastic meat (when you press your finger on this place after 2-3 seconds, no traces remain);
• the fish cut into pieces has skin tightly attached to the meat (a small fat layer is allowed), the color of the meat is a cross between cream, grayish and pale pink.

The taste of hot smoked fish directly depends on the quality of fresh sturgeon

Hot smoked sturgeon can even be cooked whole. Such fish looks very impressive on the table. But it is not always possible to find a smoker of a suitable size, therefore, most often the head and tail are removed from the carcass, and the insides are removed through a longitudinal incision on the abdomen. If desired, they also get rid of bone growths.

You can continue cutting by removing the vizigu (the vein running along the ridge) and dividing the sturgeon into two fillets. Or it is cut across with steaks 5-7 cm thick. The skin should not be removed, it absorbs the harmful products of smoke decay. It is removed when the hot smoked sturgeon is ready.

It is imperative to remove only the insides when preparing the sturgeon for hot smoking.

Salting sturgeon for hot smoking

Before salting, the cut fish are thoroughly washed in cool running water. Next, the easiest way is to salt the sturgeon before hot smoking in a dry way, carefully rubbing the carcasses outside and inside with coarse salt. They are placed in a container, having previously poured salt in a thick layer and on the bottom, they are again covered with it from above. The fish is covered with cling film and sent to the refrigerator.Salting time depends on the size of the carcass and personal taste preferences, but in any case, the required minimum is 4-5 days. In addition to salt, you can add sugar (in a ratio of 10: 1), as well as ground black pepper and chopped bay leaves (to taste).

The wet method of salting can reduce its time to 3-4 days. For this, the sturgeon is poured with brine:

• water - 1 l;
• salt - 5-6 tbsp. l .;
• sugar - 1 tbsp. l .;
• bay leaf - 7-8 pcs.;
• black peppercorns - 10-15 pcs.

All ingredients are added to water, heated on the stove until sugar and salt crystals dissolve. After that, the liquid is allowed to cool under a tightly closed lid to 35-40 ° C. Sturgeon is poured with the prepared brine and put into the refrigerator.

How to pickle a sturgeon for smoking

An alternative to salting is marinating the sturgeon before hot smoking. There are many recipes for marinades, it is quite possible to compose your own using your favorite spices and spices.

With wine and soy sauce:

• soy sauce and dry white wine - 100 ml each;
• sugar and citric acid - 1/2 tsp each;
• bay leaf - 3-5 pcs.;
• black peppercorns - 8-10 pcs.;
• fresh thyme, rosemary, oregano, basil - one sprig.

All ingredients, except greens, are mixed, brought to a boil, cooled to room temperature. The herbs are finely chopped, shallow transverse cuts are made on the sturgeon skin and stuffed with greens. Then the fish is poured with brine and sent to the refrigerator. You can start hot smoking in 18-24 hours.

The main thing when pickling is to remember: the point is to emphasize, not "kill" the unique taste of the fish

With honey and butter:

• olive oil - 150 ml;
• liquid honey - 75 ml;
• freshly squeezed lemon juice - 100 ml;
• salt - 1 tsp;
• garlic - 3-4 cloves;
• any fresh herbs - 1 bunch (you can mix herbs);
• ground black pepper to taste.

The components of the marinade are whipped in a blender, after chopping the garlic and herbs. When the liquid becomes homogeneous, the sturgeon is poured with it. Marinate it before hot smoking for at least 10-12 hours.

With lime:

• lime - 2 pcs.;
• olive oil - 150 ml;
• salt - 2 tbsp. l .;
• ground black pepper - 2-3 tsp;
• garlic - 4-5 cloves;
• fresh mint and lemon balm - 5-6 branches each.

Limes, together with the peel, are cut into small pieces, the garlic and herbs are finely chopped. All ingredients are whipped with a blender, the resulting "gruel" is coated with sturgeon and left for 8-10 hours.

With cherries:

• soy sauce and olive oil - 100 ml each;
• liquid honey and white wine - 25-30 ml each;
• dry cherries - 100 g;
• garlic - 2-3 cloves;
• fresh ginger root - 2 tsp;
• sesame seeds - 1 tbsp. l .;
• salt and ground black pepper - 1 tsp each.

The components of the hot smoked sturgeon marinade are whipped in a blender. Before that, grind the ginger root on a grater, chop the garlic and cherries finely. The fish is kept in the marinade for 12-14 hours.

Hot smoked sturgeon recipes

In order to cook hot smoked sturgeon at home, it is not necessary to acquire a special smokehouse. It is quite possible to get by with kitchen utensils and household appliances. In any recipe, especially in the absence of experience, you must follow the instructions, otherwise the fish will not get smoked, but simply cooked.

The classic recipe for smoking sturgeon in a smokehouse

The classic recipe for hot smoked sturgeon is smoke treatment in a smokehouse (purchased or homemade). You need to act according to the following algorithm:

1. From salted or pickled fish, wipe off the remaining liquid, salt crystals with a dry napkin or soak for 2-3 hours in clean water, changing it several times.
2. Hang the sturgeon for ventilation in a cool, well-ventilated room or just outdoors. This will take 2-3 hours.
   
3. Prepare the smokehouse: grease the grates with vegetable oil, if any, install a tray for draining excess fat, put in a special compartment a few handfuls of wood chips, previously moderately moistened with water, make a fire or light a fire in the grill.
   
4. After waiting for the appearance of translucent white smoke, put the grill with the fish laid on them inside the smoking cabinet or hang it on hooks. In the first case, the sturgeon can be covered with foil. Carcasses or pieces must not touch.
   
5. Smoke until tender, opening the cabinet lid every 40-50 minutes and releasing excess smoke.
   

How to smoke whole sturgeon in a hot smoked smokehouse

A whole hot smoked sturgeon is prepared in the same way as fillets and steaks. The only problem is finding a smoking cabinet large enough to hang your carcass in. After all, the larger the fish, the tastier it is.

Before you start smoking sturgeon hot, you need to cut the fish. For greater entertainment of the finished dish, the head, tail and bone growths on the back must be retained, only the insides are removed.

When smoking the whole fish, the heat treatment time also increases.

How to smoke sturgeon with lemon in a smokehouse

Lemon makes the meat more tender, gives it an original flavor. To cook hot smoked sturgeon in a smokehouse with lemon, the carcass is preliminarily kept for 8-10 hours in the marinade:

• water - 1 l;
• medium-sized lemon - 1 pc.;
• fresh dill, parsley, other herbs - 3-4 sprigs.

Cut lemon and greens, put in water, bring to a boil, let it brew for 3-4 hours under a tightly closed lid. The sturgeon extracted from the marinade is washed with water and hot smoked as described above.

Lemon goes very well with any fish, sturgeon is no exception

Another option is to make transverse cuts on the carcass just before placing it in the smokehouse, putting thin slices of lemon and finely chopped greens inside and into the abdomen.

With this option, the sturgeon must first be salted in the usual way.

How to smoke grilled sturgeon

For grilled smoking, sturgeon is cut into fillets or steaks. Next, you need to act like this:

1. Light 20-25 charcoal cubes on an open barbecue. While the fire flares up, pour water over a couple of handfuls of wood chips for 15-20 minutes.
2. Shake the coals, slightly tinted with gray ash, approximately equally at the corners and perimeter of the barbecue. If there is a fan, adjust it to maintain the required temperature.
   
3. Lubricate the grill and fish with any vegetable oil. Pour the chips removed from the water into the corners of the barbecue - about 1/3 cup for each pile of coal. Place the grill with fish over the coals, adjust its position by raising it by about 15 cm above them. It is advisable that the sturgeon is closer to the center of the grill.
   
4. Cover with a lid and smoke until tender. An oven thermometer is used to control the temperature, if necessary, add coal to the barbecue or rake it out of it. If there is practically no smoke, chips are added.
   
   Important! The degree of readiness of hot-smoked sturgeon in the grill should be checked about every half hour. Opening the lid, the fish is gently blotted with a paper towel to remove excess fat.

Hot smoked sturgeon recipe in a barrel with spices

To prepare according to this recipe, sturgeon is cut in portions - steaks. Then the pieces are kept in the marinade:

• medium-sized lemons - 2 pcs.;
• olive oil - 150 ml;
• fresh herbs (parsley, mint, rosemary, coriander) - about a bunch;
• salt - 3 tbsp. l .;
• ground black pepper to taste.

Beat all the ingredients for the marinade with a blender, cut the lemons into small pieces and finely chop the herbs.

In the marinade, the sturgeon is kept for 5-6 hours before hot smoking

The role of the smoking cabinet in this case is played by the barrel. Otherwise, the algorithm of actions is the same as when smoking in a classic smokehouse.Chips are thrown at the bottom of the barrel, a fire is made under it, the fish is hung on hooks, covered with a lid and smoked until tender.

A homemade smokehouse from a barrel turns out to be quite functional

How to make hot smoked sturgeon in the oven

This hot smoked sturgeon, cooked at home, is rather a baked fish. But it turns out very tasty too. The carcass is pre-cut into steaks or fillets. Required ingredients (for 2 kg of prepared fish):

• salt - 2-3 tbsp. l .;
• sugar -1 tsp;
• cognac - 125 ml.

Hot smoked fish is prepared as follows:

1. Grate sturgeon with a mixture of sugar and salt, leave in the refrigerator for 15 hours. Then pour cognac into the container, salt for another 5-6 hours, turning over every 40-45 minutes.
   
2. Remove fish from marinade, wipe with napkins, dry, tie with twine or thread.
3. Preheat the oven to 75-80 ° C. If there is a convection mode, turn it on. Bake the sturgeon on a baking sheet for 1.5 hours, then turn over and leave in the oven for another 40 minutes.
   
   Important! The finished fish should be left in the turned off oven for half an hour, and only then cut off the threads from it. Otherwise, hot smoked sturgeon will simply fall apart.
   

   You can smoke sturgeon even in the absence of a smokehouse

How to properly smoke sturgeon with liquid smoke

"Liquid smoke" is essentially a chemical that gives fish an odor that resembles the aroma of regular smoking. Many believe that it only spoils fish, especially such a "noble" as sturgeon, but you can try to cook it like that.

To do this, for 1 kg of fish you will need:

• "Liquid smoke" - 1 tbsp. l .;
• salt - 1.5 tbsp. l .;
• sugar - 1 tsp;
• dry red wine - 70 ml.

Prepare sturgeon with "liquid smoke" in the oven as described above. But first, the cut carcasses are rubbed with a mixture of salt and sugar, sent to the refrigerator for a day. Then pour in wine and "liquid smoke", salt for another 6 hours.

Sturgeon carcasses when using the chemical are noticeably darker than usual

How to smoke sturgeon in a cauldron at home

Before smoking in a cauldron, the sturgeon cut into steaks is kept in any marinade for at least 12 hours. Next, hot smoked fish is prepared as follows:

1. Line the bottom of the cauldron with 2-3 layers of foil, pour a couple of handfuls of wood chips on top of it for smoking.
   
2. Install a grate for grilling, cooking manti, or another device that fits in diameter.
   
3. Put pieces of sturgeon on a greased wire rack, cover with a lid.
4. Turn on the hotplate at medium power. As soon as light white smoke comes out from under the lid, reduce the heat to a minimum.
   
5. Smoke for at least an hour without opening the lid.
   
   Important! The cooked hot smoked sturgeon is taken out of the cauldron together with the grill and cooled on it.

How long does it take to smoke a sturgeon

Hot smoking time for sturgeon varies depending on how it is cut. Steaks are prepared most quickly (in 1-1.5 hours). Fillet takes 2-3 hours. Whole carcasses can be smoked for up to 5-6 hours.

The readiness of the fish is determined by the beautiful golden brown hue of the skin (it can be compared to a photo of a hot smoked sturgeon). If you pierce it with a wooden stick, the puncture site will remain dry, no juice will appear there.

How to store hot smoked sturgeon

The finished delicacy spoils very quickly. Even in the refrigerator, hot smoked sturgeon is stored for a maximum of 2-3 days. In this case, the fish must be wrapped in foil or waxed parchment paper to "isolate" from other foods.

The shelf life of hot smoked sturgeon in the freezer is increased to 20-25 days. Fish are placed in small portions in sealed plastic bags with fasteners or containers. If the freezer has a "shock" freeze mode, it is better to use it.

Do not defrost sturgeon in a microwave oven or hot water.The texture of the meat is severely spoiled, the taste almost disappears. First, the bag or container must be placed in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours, then the process must be completed at room temperature.

Conclusion

Hot smoked sturgeon is a delicacy even for the most demanding gourmets. And if there is such an opportunity, it is better to cook the fish yourself to be sure of the quality and naturalness of the product. It is possible to smoke sturgeon in a hot way even without special equipment - household kitchen utensils and household appliances are quite suitable. The main thing is to strictly follow the recipe and follow the instructions, otherwise the result may be far from what was expected.

Recommended entries

Hot smoked carp: recipes at home, calorie content, photos, videos

How to smoke hot smoked crucian carp in a smokehouse, at home

How and how much to smoke a rasp in a hot, cold smoked smokehouse

Hot smoking catfish: calorie content, recipes with photos, videos

How to smoke sterlet in a hot, cold smoked smokehouse

Hot smoked pink salmon in a home smokehouse: delicious recipes with photos, videos

Hot, cold smoked squid: calorie content and benefits, recipes with photos

Cold and hot smoked silver carp recipes

Cold smoked sturgeon: calorie content, recipes with photos