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Cold smoked pink salmon is an exquisite delicacy that can be made at home. To do this, you need to choose the right fish, prepare it, and follow all cooking recommendations. Ignoring these conditions can lead to the fact that instead of tasty cold-smoked pink salmon, you end up with a product with a high content of harmful substances and a bitter taste. Therefore, you should study the cooking technology in advance.
The optimal weight of fish carcasses for preparing the delicacy is 0.8-1.5 kg
The benefits and harms of cold smoked pink salmon
This fish is valued for its high content of iodine, phosphorus and iron. It also includes a large amount of vitamins and unsaturated fatty acids.Cold smoking of pink salmon allows you to preserve most of the beneficial substances for human health in the product. After all, the cooking process takes place with minimal heat treatment, namely, no higher than 30 degrees.
The main beneficial properties of cold smoked pink salmon:
- reduces blood clotting, which prevents the development of thrombosis;
- helps strengthen teeth and bone tissue;
- increases stress resistance, prevents the development of depression;
- restores muscle tone, strengthens the musculoskeletal system.
The product can cause harm to health only if low-quality fish was chosen. In this case, the low processing temperature is unable to neutralize parasites and pathogenic microorganisms. This contributes to the development of dangerous diseases.
BJU and calorie content of cold smoked pink salmon
The process of preparing the product does not require the use of vegetable fats. This feature leads to the fact that the calorie content of cold smoked pink salmon does not exceed the permissible limit. It contains about 21.3% protein, 8.8% fat and 0.01% carbohydrates.
The calorie content of cold smoked pink salmon per 100 grams is 176 kcal.
The meat of this fish is very filling, but at the same time it is one of the low-calorie foods. Therefore, it can be used without fear by people who care about their figure.
Cold smoking pink salmon technology
The process of preparing a delicacy requires compliance with certain rules. Therefore, you should study them first.
The technology of cold smoking pink salmon involves a long cooking process at a low smoldering temperature of sawdust for 24-72 hours, depending on the size of the carcass.Therefore, you should stock up in advance with a sufficient amount of wood chips to maintain the required regime during this time.
Sawdust for cold smoking should be chosen from fruit trees or alder. This will give a pleasant taste and aroma to the final product. Birch can also be used, but you must first remove the bark from the wood. After all, it contains a large amount of tar.
You need to hang fish in the smokehouse on hooks, which will prevent it from falling.
The taste of the delicacy directly depends on the quality of the wood chips.
Selection and preparation of fish
For cold smoking, you need to choose fresh pink salmon with thick, elastic skin that fits well to the pulp. The fish should not have spots or mechanical damage. Its abdomen should be slightly flattened and pink in color. You should also pay attention to the pulp; when pressed, it should quickly restore its shape.
Before you start cold smoking, the fish must be cleaned. During preparation, you should remove the entrails, but leave the scales and fins. It is also necessary to remove the gills, since if there is insufficient salting, they provoke rapid spoilage of the product.
If necessary, the head of the pink salmon can be cut off and the fish divided into two parts, removing the spine and rib bones. A large carcass should be cut crosswise into pieces. After this, wash it and blot off any remaining moisture with a paper towel.
How to pickle pink salmon for cold smoking
To give the delicacy the necessary taste, you need to properly salt the pink salmon for cold smoking. To do this, rub it thoroughly with salt outside and inside. This should be done against the direction of the scales. You also need to add salt under the gill cover. After this, place the fish in an enamel pan, sprinkle it with additional salt and cover with a lid.
Salting pink salmon for cold smoking lasts from 1.5 to 4 days at a temperature of +2-4 degrees. During this time, it must be turned over periodically.
After this period, the fish should be blotted inside and on top with a paper towel, which will remove excess salt and moisture. Then dry it in a cool place for 5-6 hours until a thin crust appears on the surface.
How to marinate pink salmon for cold smoking
If desired, you can give the dish a more refined taste. To do this, you need to use a special marinade.
To prepare it, you need to prepare:
- 1 liter of water;
- 100 g sea salt;
- 50 g sugar;
- spices - to taste.
Cooking method:
- It is necessary to combine all the components and thoroughly mix the marinade for pink salmon for cold smoking.
- Then immerse the carcass or pieces in it until the liquid completely covers them.
- Maintain at a temperature of +2-4 degrees for two days.
- After this, dry the top and inside with napkins and dry in a cool, dry place for 24 hours.
After preparation, the fish must be thoroughly dried.
How to smoke cold smoked pink salmon
There are several basic ways to prepare the delicacy. It is necessary to consider each of them separately, which will allow you to understand the technique of the procedure.
How to smoke cold smoked pink salmon in a smokehouse
The process of preparing the delicacy takes several days. During this time, it is necessary to maintain the smoldering temperature of the wood chips within 28-30 degrees. In this case, aromatic herbs and branches of fruit trees should be tossed at the end of cooking.
The fish should be hung on hooks at the top of the smokehouse. In this case, you should open and secure the walls of the abdomen with toothpicks or sticks so that the smoke can easily penetrate inside and saturate the fibers of the meat.
Do not interrupt the cold smoking process. If this is not possible, then an uninterrupted supply of smoke should be ensured for 8 hours, and then you can take a break for 3-4 hours.
Frozen pink salmon should not be used for smoking.
The readiness of the fish can be determined by its appearance. It should have a reddish-golden hue and noticeably lose weight. After this, allow it to cool in the smokehouse, and then ventilate in the fresh air for 12 hours.
Cold smoked pink salmon in a smokehouse with a smoke generator
This method allows you to significantly speed up the process of preparing the delicacy. For this you need a special smokehouse.
The recipe for cold smoking pink salmon with a smoke generator is practically no different from the previous one. The only difference is that the smoke is supplied automatically in the selected mode.
Initially, you need to hang the prepared pink salmon carcasses on hooks in the upper part of the smokehouse. At the same time, push the walls of the abdomen apart and secure them with a toothpick. After this, place wet wood chips in the smoke regulator and set the supply of fresh smoke to the chamber every 7 minutes. with a smoldering temperature in the range of 28-30 degrees.The cooking time for a whole carcass is 12 hours, and to obtain the meat of cold smoked pink salmon, 5-6 hours is enough.
When finished, you do not need to immediately take out the fish, as it should cool down inside the smokehouse. And then keep it in the refrigerator for one day. This is necessary so that the fish matures and its smoked aroma fades slightly.
Recipe for cold smoked pink salmon with liquid smoke
You can prepare the delicacy even if you don’t have a smokehouse. To do this, you need to use liquid smoke, which will give the dish the necessary aroma. In this case, the cooking process is slightly different from standard technology.
In this case, the following components are needed:
- 4 tbsp. l. salt;
- 100 ml liquid smoke;
- 1 liter of water;
- 100 g onion peel;
- 1 tbsp. l. Sahara.
The process of preparing the delicacy in this case takes two days.
Cooking method:
- Initially, you need to fill the onion peel with water and cook for 5 minutes. on low heat. In this case, the broth should become a rich brown color.
- After this, strain it.
- Then add salt and sugar to the resulting liquid, stir until dissolved.
- When the broth has cooled completely, pour liquid smoke into it and mix thoroughly.
- Pink salmon carcasses should be placed in an enamel pan.
- Then pour the prepared marinade over them so that the liquid completely covers them, and place pressure on top.
- Move the container with fish to the refrigerator or basement for uniform maturation. Carcasses need to be turned over every 12 hours.
Liquid smoke simplifies and speeds up the cooking process
After two days, the fish must be removed and thoroughly wiped inside and out with paper towels to remove excess moisture. At the end of cooking, dry the pink salmon for 3 hours until a thin crust appears on the surface.
Why is cold smoked pink salmon soft?
The delicacy should have an elastic, moderately juicy consistency. However, cold smoked pink salmon balyk often does not meet the standard, since serious mistakes were made during the preparation process.
The most common cause of soft, flaky fish is elevated processing temperatures, which causes the meat to overcook. Therefore, you need to strictly maintain the required regime and avoid sudden jumps.
This may also be due to insufficient or excessive salting of the carcass. The amount of salt should be 1.8-2% of the total weight of the fish. Moreover, the greater its quantity, the lower the smoking temperature should be.
Immediately before cooking, the carcass must be thoroughly washed and dried for 6-12 hours. If there is insufficient ventilation, smoke does not penetrate into the meat, as a film forms on its surface. As a result, the fish remains raw inside or becomes cooked.
The reason for the soft consistency of the meat may be the closed walls of the abdomen. Therefore, the smoke does not pass enough inside the carcass, as a result of which there is excess moisture in it. To prevent this, you need to open the belly when smoking and secure its walls with a toothpick.
Soft consistency may be caused by non-compliance with the terms of use of the product. At the end of cold smoking, pink salmon should be given time to mature. To do this, it should be left in the smokehouse until it cools, and then kept in the refrigerator for another day.This will allow excess moisture to escape.
Rules and shelf life of cold smoked pink salmon
The prepared delicacy can be stored in the refrigerator for 10 days. At the same time, the product completely retains its taste.
Is it possible to freeze cold smoked pink salmon?
To increase shelf life, you need to freeze cold smoked pink salmon. When the temperature drops to -5 degrees, the product can be stored for 2 months. in a well-ventilated place.
In case of deep freezing (up to -30 degrees), the shelf life is 1 month. In this case, it is necessary to maintain the humidity of the chamber within 75-80%. The product should be defrosted at a temperature no higher than +8 degrees.
Conclusion
Cold smoked pink salmon has an exquisite taste and aroma that few people can leave indifferent. Anyone can prepare this delicacy at home if you follow all the recommendations given. But you should understand that during storage the product gradually loses its taste and aroma, so there is no need to stock up on it for future use.
