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Preparing 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 choice of recipes, based on the capabilities of housewives.
Benefits and calorie content of the product
Smelt is widespread in water bodies of the northern part of the European region. Consumers highly value the softness and delicate taste of meat. In addition, cold smoked smelt has a fairly low calorie content. 100 g of the finished product contains no more than 150 kcal. The nutritional value table is as follows:
- proteins - 18.45 g;
- fats - 8.45 g;
- carbohydrates - 0 g.
When hot smoking, the calorie content of the fish will be even lower. High temperature promotes rapid rendering of fat.This product, when consumed in moderation, is suitable for people who monitor their health and weight. The 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 valued 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.
Protein-rich fish is well digestible, guaranteeing the body a sufficient amount of building material for muscles and bones. Moderate consumption of smoked products has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the cardiovascular system. The greatest effect from using smoked smelt for food is achieved in early spring - during the period of off-season vitamin deficiency.
Preparing smelt for smoking
Before proceeding with direct treatment with hot or cold smoke, the product must be prepared. Smelt is not a commercial fish species, so only residents of the northern regions of the country can enjoy this homemade delicacy. Eating a fresh product ensures the preservation of all useful components that can be destroyed during the freezing process.
The very first step in preparing smelt for smoking is removing the scales. Although many housewives ignore this point, when cooking at home, small scales will ruin the finished dish. Then the belly of the smelt is cut open, the entrails are removed and the abdominal cavity is thoroughly washed.The head is most often preserved for aesthetic reasons. The prepared fish is sent to a salt mixture or aromatic 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. The smelt is rolled in this mixture, then placed under pressure for half an hour.
An alternative to this method is to soak the carcasses in the marinade for a long time. 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 salt;
- 4 bay leaves;
- 5 buds of cloves;
- 10 peas of allspice.
All ingredients are mixed in a small container and placed on fire. As soon as the liquid boils, remove it from the heat and cool. The fish is placed in a plastic bag and filled with prepared brine. Marinating takes from 6 to 12 hours.
For hot smoking, it is best to use alder chips
The salted smelt must be washed again. Then the carcasses are slightly dried so that the moisture is completely removed from its surface. Drying is done in the open air. The average drying time takes from 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 on your country property, several proven methods will come to the rescue.These include cooking smelt in a cauldron, in an electric grill, in an oven, or in a specialized device equipped with a water seal and a tube for removing smoke.
Smelt in a hot smoked smokehouse
To prepare the perfect delicacy you will need a few simple ingredients. First, you need a smokehouse. It can be any metal box that can be installed inside a grill and has a tightly closing lid. The next component is wood chips. The best choice for smoking smelt in a smokehouse is an alder one. Compared to fruit tree chips, it emits less smoke when exposed to hot fish oil.
A distinctive feature of hot smoking is its bright golden hue.
The next step in preparing smelt is assembling the smokehouse. A layer of pre-moistened wood chips is poured onto the bottom of the box. A container for draining fat is placed on it. One or more grates are installed on top, which are lightly greased with vegetable oil. Salted smelt is placed on them. The smokehouse 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 smoldering coals. The ideal option for installing a smokehouse would be a grill filled to half full. Since the size of smelt is quite miniature, smoking takes place quickly. As soon as the first streams of white smoke appear from the smokehouse, you need to count 10 minutes. The finished product is lightly 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 preparing delicious delicacies in apartment buildings. They are equipped with a smoke exhaust pipe, which ensures that there is no excess odor. For smoking smelt, it is best to choose devices with the ability to install a horizontal grill.
You can cook hot smoked smelt even in a small apartment
As in the case of an ordinary smokehouse, several handfuls of alder chips, moistened half an hour before the start of cooking, are poured onto the bottom of the device. Grates are installed on top, on which smelt are laid out. The lid is hermetically sealed, 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 tube. Smoking lasts 10-15 minutes at a temperature inside the device of 120-140 degrees. The finished fish is cooled and served.
Smoking smelt in a cauldron at home
Experienced housewives have long adapted kitchen utensils to create real culinary masterpieces. Many people use a cauldron as an improvised smokehouse for cooking almost any fish - from smelt to pink salmon. The smoking recipe calls for a very tight lid to minimize smoke in the kitchen.
Using simple kitchen utensils allows you to get a real delicacy
Soaked wood chips are poured into the bottom of the cauldron. A saucer for fat is placed on top. A grate cut or selected according to the diameter of the circumference of the cauldron is placed on it. The smelt is placed at small intervals to allow smoke to enter. Cover the cauldron tightly with a lid and place on high heat for 15 minutes. The gas is turned off, and the improvised smokehouse is left for 5-6 hours to saturate 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 come a long way over the past few years. Electric smokers have appeared on sale, which allow you to regulate the temperature and cooking duration. Modern equipment guarantees strict adherence to all the details of recipes.
The electric appliance guarantees the same temperature during cooking
As with an ordinary smokehouse, several handfuls of wet wood chips are poured into the recess of the device. Smelt is placed on special grids. Close the lid of the device, set the temperature to 140 degrees and start the timer 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 smoker at all. Liquid smoke comes to the rescue. Its aroma in combination with smelt gives a bright taste of hot smoking. To prepare you will need:
- 300 g fish;
- 2 tbsp. l. liquid smoke;
- 2 tbsp. l. salt;
- a pinch of black pepper.
Liquid smoke significantly improves the taste of fish
The smelt is covered with a mixture of seasonings and placed under pressure for half an hour. Then it is washed and dried with a paper towel. The fish is placed 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. Halfway through cooking, turn the smelt over and brush with additional liquid smoke if necessary. The finished dish is dried with a napkin and served as a snack.
How to smoke smelt with pickled garlic
For connoisseurs of haute cuisine, there are several ways to turn fish into a real work of culinary art. The smoke-treated product is subjected to additional marinating in an aromatic mixture. For 500 g of finished hot smoked smelt you will need:
- 700 ml 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 marinated for 12 hours. The taste of the finished delicacy can be changed by modifying the complex of spices used.
Cold smoked smelt recipe
The process is longer than the hot method, but 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 many gourmets. The cooking process consists of the following points:
- pre-salting or marinating fish;
- laying out the carcasses on special grates inside the smokehouse;
- pouring wood chips into the smoke generator;
- closing the smokehouse and starting cooking.
Cold smoked fish retains the fat content and delicate taste 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. Before eating, it is recommended to ventilate the smelt for a couple of hours in the open air.
Storage rules
Long-term salting and smoking can significantly increase the shelf life of the finished product.The delicacy retains its consumer properties for up to 2 weeks if kept in the refrigerator. The air temperature for storage should be from 3 to 5 degrees.
To increase shelf life, you can use a vacuum sealer 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 to 50-60 days.
Conclusion
Cold smoked smelt is a luxurious delicacy that is quite easy to prepare. Strict adherence to the instructions guarantees excellent consumer properties of the product. Even if you don’t have a high-quality smokehouse, you can treat yourself to an excellent dish.
