Content
With the right recipe, almost any fish can be turned into a real work of culinary art. Hot smoked pike perch has an excellent taste and unique aroma. A wide variety of cooking options allows everyone to enjoy the perfect dish.
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. Pike perch is used to make fish soup, make cutlets and full-fledged main courses, and also add 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 most delicious recipes is smoke treatment.You can smoke pike perch in a hot smoker or using a device with a smoke generator. At home, you can use a trick by using a slow cooker, frying pan or oven. During the heat treatment process, the meat becomes denser and juicier.
Benefits and calorie content of the product
Traditionally, river fish contains fewer useful substances compared to 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 greatest value for the body is easily broken down proteins and a large amount of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. If you smoke pike perch correctly, in moderate quantities it can work real miracles in the body. The product removes harmful cholesterol from the blood and improves the functioning of the cardiovascular system.
The active substances contained in pike perch can improve the condition of the nervous system. Consumers of hot smoked meat experience normalized memory and brain function. The delicacy also improves the condition 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 moderation, the dish has only a beneficial effect on the body.
Despite the low calorie content of hot smoked pike perch, people with gastrointestinal diseases should refrain from consuming the product.Carcinogenic substances that penetrate the fillet along with smoking can negatively affect the gastric mucosa.
Methods for smoking pike perch
Smoke cooking is a fairly common method of cooking fish. Depending on the availability of your own plot and a high-quality apparatus 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 with the help of liquid smoke.
How long does it take to smoke pike perch?
The cooking time for the delicacy can vary significantly 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 the fish in 30-40 minutes.
The cooking time for pike perch at home differs from similar methods in closed smokehouses. For an oven or slow cooker, the timing 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
Properly selected raw materials are the key to a perfect dish. A recipe for hot smoked pike perch at home requires high-quality fish. If it is not possible to use freshly caught fish, you can purchase chilled or frozen ones at the store. It is only important to pay attention to its freshness - clean eyes and the absence of foreign odor from the 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 this, the fish is salted and sent to the smokehouse.
How to marinate pike perch for smoking
There are 2 traditional ways of salting fish for further processing with smoke - the dry method and pickling. Long-term 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 glass of salt;
- 4 bay leaves;
- 20 peppercorns.
All ingredients are mixed and pike perch carcasses prepared for smoking are placed in the marinade. The fish is left for a day, after which it is carefully washed and dried with a paper towel. Before cooking, it is recommended to dry it slightly in the open air.
How to pickle pike perch for smoking
Dry salting involves keeping fish carcasses in a special mixture for a long time. To prepare it, salt is mixed with a small amount of sugar and bay leaf. To salt pike perch for hot smoking, it will take from 6 to 12 hours. The 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.
To improve the taste of the finished product, you can use various spices. For a more aromatic delicacy, add coriander or ground allspice to the salt mixture. For a refined taste, salt is mixed with citrus zest.
Hot smoked pike perch recipes
Quick processing of fish with hot smoke allows you to maximize the preservation of beneficial substances inside the meat.For the recipe, you can use a classic hot-type smokehouse, a specialized grill or grate along with a regular fire.
Regardless of the method chosen, all you need is wood chips soaked in water. For fish, it is best to use alder or fruit trees. Small wood chips are soaked for 1 hour, then squeezed out and poured into the bottom of the smokehouse or into a special container.
How to smoke pike perch in a hot smoker
Before placing the device on the grill or open fire, it is recommended to prepare the coals. Experienced chefs do not recommend placing the smokehouse on burning wood - there is a high probability that the wood chips will quickly burn and the fish will char. As soon as the coals are covered with ash, you can begin hot smoking.
The smokehouse is the most common way to prepare the delicacy
Place 2-3 handfuls of wood chips soaked in water at the bottom of the smokehouse. Then special grilles are installed or hooks are hung. The fish is placed on them and then covered with a lid. A recipe for hot smoked pike perch in a smokehouse requires 30-40 minutes of heat treatment. Every 10 minutes you need to open the lid to let out excess smoke.
How to smoke pike perch on a fire
To cook fish using the hot smoking method without using a special unit, you can use an ordinary barbecue grill. Once the coals are ready, moistened wooden blocks wrapped in foil are placed on them. They are pierced in several places for better passage of smoke. Hot smoked pike perch is placed on the grill. It is placed over the coals. Cooking takes about an hour. The grid is turned over every 10 minutes.
Recipe for hot smoked pike perch on the grill
Unlike a classic smokehouse, the coals are poured directly into the grill bowl.They are set on fire and brought to the desired condition. A bowl with moistened wood chips is placed in a special recess. Then a grate is installed on which the previously salted fish is placed. The bowl of the device is covered with a lid and hot smoked pike perch is smoked for 30 to 40 minutes. A huge advantage of the grill is the ability to adjust the temperature by opening the damper.
Cold smoked pike perch recipe
Long-term treatment with cold smoke will produce an incredibly tasty finished product. At low temperatures, complete preservation of all vitamins and organic compounds is possible. To prepare this delicacy you will need a special smokehouse with a smoke generator. It is connected and left for 18-24 hours. Periodically it is necessary to add new coals and wood chips. The readiness of the fish is determined by making a cut across the back. If the meat has a uniform white color, you can take it out and serve it after curing for a short time.
Smoking pike perch at home
The average city resident most often envies those who have a dacha or a personal plot at their disposal. Without the ability to install a smokehouse, it is quite difficult to delight yourself with delicacies every day. However, even in small apartments it is possible to pamper your family with excellent dishes. Hot smoked pike perch can be prepared using:
- ovens;
- multicookers;
- frying pans
The taste of hot smoking can be preserved when cooking at home
As with regular hot smoking, pike perch must be salted. You can use both dry processing and long-term marinating. Dry the finished fish with a paper towel and begin actual cooking.
Whatever the 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 that same hot smoked taste you will need 1-2 tbsp. l. liquid smoke per 1 kg of feedstock.
In the oven
Cooking smoked fish in the oven is a fairly simple way to get an excellent delicacy at minimal cost. It is imperative to remove the head of pike perch - during heat treatment, the gills can significantly spoil the taste of the finished dish. The salted fish is washed, removing excess spices, and dried with a paper towel.
Place a deep baking tray on the lower level of the oven to drain excess fat. The grate is placed on the middle level. The carcasses are coated with liquid smoke and laid out on it. The oven is turned on at 120 degrees, with only the lower heating element turned on.
Heat treatment lasts for no more than 50 minutes. This time is enough for the meat to be completely 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 a snack or main dish.
In foil
Hot smoked pike perch in foil is another way to prepare the delicacy at home. Previously salted carcasses are smeared with liquid smoke, then wrapped in several layers of foil. To make the heat pass through more actively, make a few small holes using a pin or toothpick.
Liquid smoke gives an incredible aroma and significantly improves the taste of the finished product
The prepared bundles are placed 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 to 150 degrees. Cooking lasts for an hour. The finished hot smoked delicacy is cooled and served.
In a slow cooker
The use of modern kitchen appliances greatly simplifies the process of creating delicacies. A special 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 placed in a multicooker bowl, making small distances between the carcasses.
Pour a couple more tablespoons of liquid smoke into the bowl. Close the lid of the device and set the extinguishing mode for 1 hour. The finished 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 moment of preparation. Optimal conditions are kept on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, where the temperature is kept around 3-5 degrees.
Given the special method of preparation, pike perch must be stored in airtight packaging. The smell of smoke will easily transfer to the neighboring product. To preserve the delicacy, it is wrapped in wax paper, then placed in a separate box 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. If the correct storage conditions are observed, the product will delight you for a long time.
