Content
Cold smoked trout is a red fish with a noble taste. It has dense, elastic flesh that can be easily cut into neat, thin slices. The smoked aroma in it is less pronounced; it harmoniously complements the natural smell of fish.
Cold smoked salmon looks appetizing and has a harmonious taste and aroma
Composition and value of the product
Cold-cooked smoked trout contains vitamins A, D, E. It contains potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, chromium, and chlorine.
Nutritional value per 100 g is:
- proteins – 26 g;
- fats – 1.3 g;
- carbohydrates – 0.5 g.
How many calories are in cold smoked trout?
The calorie content of cold smoked trout per 100 g is 132 kcal. This is less than with hot smoking. This is due to the fact that foods cooked with cold smoke are more dehydrated.
The benefits and harms of cold smoked trout
Smoked fish is difficult to classify as a healthy food, so you should not abuse it. The benefits of cold smoked trout are due to its composition, namely the content of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which have a beneficial effect on the functioning of many organs and systems: cardiovascular, endocrine, musculoskeletal, nervous, digestive. In addition, it can be considered a low-calorie product.
Cold smoking is considered a more gentle cooking method compared to hot smoking, in which beneficial elements are preserved in trout - fatty acids are not destroyed and fish oil is preserved. Vitamins partially disintegrate, remaining only in the thickness of the fish, where smoke and air do not penetrate. Parasites and harmful microorganisms may remain in raw smoked products.
Selection and preparation of fish
For smoking you need fresh trout. It can be selected based on the following criteria:
- The carcass has no deformations, its surface is smooth, and when pressed with a finger, the dent quickly disappears.
- The meat is pinkish-reddish.
- The gills are bright red.
- The eyes are bulging and clear.
Small fish are smoked whole. Cut large specimens into steaks weighing 200 g or fillet them - separate the pulp from the bones, cartilage, skin, fat and films. When preparing balyk, the head and belly are cut off.
High-quality fresh trout is half the success in preparing a dish
There is a technology for salting uneviscerated fish, but in the case of cold smoking there is a risk of spoilage, so it is better to remove the insides.
To do this you need to do the following:
- Make an incision in the abdomen and carefully remove the entrails.
- Remove the black film inside.
- Cut off the head, fins, tail.
- Rinse the carcass thoroughly inside and out.
- Dry with a paper towel.
- Cut into pieces (steaks) or layer the carcasses along the spine.
Spacers are inserted into the bellies of whole carcasses so that they are evenly smoked inside and out.
How to pickle cold smoked trout
Before processing with cold smoke, trout must be salted in order to destroy all microorganisms, as well as to make the fish softer and tastier. There are 3 methods of pickling: dry, wet, pickling.
Dry salting
The easiest way is to rub the carcasses with coarse salt and put them in the refrigerator for 3-7 days. You need to sprinkle generously; the fish will not take the excess, and it will be washed off with water when washing. In addition to salt, you can take other ingredients. Usually this is ground pepper and sugar.
Approximate amount of spices per 1 kg of trout:
- salt – 3 tbsp. l.;
- ground pepper – 1 tsp;
- sugar – 1 tsp.
The fish carcass, rubbed with spices, is wrapped in cling film, placed in a container, covered with a lid and sent to the cold. After salting is completed, the trout are taken out of the refrigerator, washed with water and dried.
Many gourmets believe that it is enough to rub trout with salt before smoking.
Wet Ambassador
Prepare a brine from the following ingredients:
- water – 1 l;
- salt – 100 g;
- sugar – 80-100 g;
- ground pepper - to taste;
- Bay leaf;
- dried dill
Procedure:
- Pour water into a saucepan, add salt and sugar, put on fire, and boil.
- Add other ingredients. Cool the brine.
- Pour brine over the fish and place in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours.
- After this time, drain the brine, pour clean water over the trout and leave for half an hour. Then dry.
Salting in marinade
In addition to the main spices, various ingredients are added to the marinade. First, the brine is boiled, then it is cooled and additives are added to suit your taste.The marinade can be citrus, soy, wine, honey.
To prepare the marinade you will need the following ingredients:
- water – 1 l;
- coarse salt – 4 tbsp. l.;
- lemon juice – 2 tbsp. l.;
- bay leaf – 2 pcs.;
- cloves – 3 pcs.;
- black peppercorns – 5 pcs.;
- allspice – 3 pcs.
Procedure:
- Place salt, black and allspice pepper, cloves and bay leaf in a saucepan with water. Put on fire, boil, remove from heat, cool.
- Strain the brine and add lemon juice.
- Place the fish in a container, pour the marinade, top with a load, and leave in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
- After a day, remove from the refrigerator, rinse and pat dry with paper towels.
Smoking trout in a cold smokehouse
To cook cold smoked trout, you need to have certain skills and patience. This requires a special smokehouse, which you can make yourself. It is more convenient to purchase a smoke generator, which is connected by a smoke pipe to the food chamber. Next, a recipe for cold smoked trout for a smokehouse will help.
The day before cooking, the salted fish should be washed and dried thoroughly: first pat dry with a towel, then hang on hooks for drying, protecting from flies with gauze. Leave the trout in this form overnight. It is not recommended to hang it in a strong draft, otherwise the outer layer will dry out, moisture will not be able to leave the inner layers, and when smoking, the smoke will not penetrate well into the pulp.
Place the trout on a grill or hang it in the smokehouse on hooks and close the door or lid, depending on the design. Then set fire to the wood.It is best to use alder or beech wood chips. The smoke temperature should be 25-27 degrees, maximum 30. Smoking time for fish is from 10 to 24 hours, depending on the size of the trout pieces.
Attention! If the temperature in the smokehouse exceeds 40 degrees, the fish will turn out the same as during hot smoking.
Once the process is complete, the trout should be kept suspended for several hours to dry and mature.
During this time, all layers of fish will be evenly saturated with smoking substances, which initially predominate in the outer layer, and it will become more aromatic and softer.
After smoking, the fish must be hung out to dry.
After drying, it should be wrapped in film and put in the refrigerator for 3 days so that the taste is completely formed. Only after this can you try cold smoked trout fish.
Cold smoking of trout with liquid smoke
Liquid smoke is used when there is no smokehouse. With it you can easily and quickly make products that imitate smoked meats. It is convenient for use in an apartment. Trout prepared with its help cannot be considered cold-smoked fish, since after treatment with this flavoring it will be subjected to heat treatment in the oven, microwave or convection oven.
You will need the following ingredients:
- 1 small trout;
- 1 tsp. liquid smoke;
- 1 tbsp. l. lemon juice;
- 1 tbsp. l. olive oil;
- 1 tbsp. l. soy sauce.
Procedure:
- Prepare a marinade from lemon juice, soy sauce, olive oil and liquid smoke.
- Treat the fish with the mixture and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
- Wrap the trout in foil and place in the oven for 30 minutes.
- The finished product has the aroma and taste of smoke.
How and how long can cold smoked trout be stored?
Cold-cooked trout can last longer than hot-cooked trout. This is due to large amounts of salt, dehydration and prolonged exposure to smoke, which includes disinfectants.
The shelf life depends on humidity and air temperature. The colder it is, the longer it will be usable.
The shelf life of hot smoked trout in the refrigerator does not exceed 3 days.
The table shows the shelf life depending on the air temperature at a humidity of 75-85%.
t °С | Deadlines |
0… +4 | 7 days |
-3… -5 | 14 days |
-18 | 60 days |
Is it possible to freeze cold smoked trout?
Freezing cold smoked trout is possible if you need to increase the shelf life. The main thing is to defrost it correctly afterwards. From the freezer it needs to be transferred to the general compartment of the refrigerator so that it defrosts slowly. This way she will lose less weight and her taste will be better.
Conclusion
Cooking cold smoked trout is not easy. The process is complex and long, requiring patience and some experience. It is important to strictly adhere to the salting and smoking technology so as not to harm your body.
Reviews of cold smoked trout
I love cold smoked trout fillet. For pre-salting I use only sea salt and sugar. I never soak in brine, always only using the dry method. I like my own fish much better than store-bought fish: tasty, moderately salted, soft.
