How and how much to smoke sea bass using hot and cold smoking

Hot smoked sea bass is a delicious fish with juicy soft meat, a small amount of bones and a pleasant aroma. Small specimens are usually used for processing.

Smoked perch served with fresh herbs and vegetables

Composition and value of the product

Smoked sea bass is a valuable source of easily digestible protein and essential amino acids. In addition, it contains many useful elements, including:

• vitamins: A, B, C, D, E, PP;
• macro- and microelements: sodium, calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper, iron, manganese, zinc, nickel, molybdenum, phosphorus, chromium, iodine, sulfur, fluorine, chlorine;
• polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Benefits and calories

Sea bass contains amino acids necessary for the human body - the main building material. Selenium improves the functions of the immune system, phosphorus helps strengthen bones, iodine is responsible for the functioning of the thyroid gland. Omega 3 fatty acids have a beneficial effect on the heart and blood vessels and normalize cholesterol levels.

The calorie content of hot smoked sea bass is quite low, while that of HK fish is slightly higher.

The value of red snapper is reflected in the table below.

Features of smoking sea bass

This fish can be cooked in hot and cold smokehouses.

The first option is preferable for self-cooking: the fish will be processed quickly, the process does not require any special skills. You can cook in a simple smokehouse - purchased or homemade. If it is compact in size, it can be used even at home.

In an apartment, it is advisable to use a smokehouse with a water seal - a special trench around the perimeter that is filled with water. In this case, smoke will not enter the room from under the lid, but will exit out the window through a chimney connected to a special pipe.

The recipe for smoking sea bass in a cold smoked smokehouse is designed for experienced cooks. This process is quite complex and long. It is best to do this in an industrial smokehouse equipped with a smoke generator and compressor. It is important to strictly follow the entire cooking process - from salting to drying.

For smoking you will need wood chips. You can use beech, alder, oak, hornbeam, peach, apple, and apricot wood.

Fruit tree chips are good for smoking fish.

Selection and preparation of red snapper for smoking

A chilled or freshly frozen product is suitable for smoking. You can buy ready-made fillets. When buying a perch, you need to evaluate the carcass - it should be smooth, without damage or bruises. When pressed, the meat is elastic and does not disintegrate into fibers. The eyes are clear, shiny and protruding (sunken and cloudy - a sign of stale fish). If the perch is frozen, there can be a maximum of 10% ice. Once defrosted, it should have a slight fishy smell.

Red snapper is very easy to prepare for smoking, since it comes to stores in the form of already cut carcasses, often frozen. First of all, it needs to be defrosted naturally in the general chamber of the refrigerator. To do this, place the carcasses in one layer in a container and, to prevent the fish from chapping, cover it tightly with cling film.

If the perch is not cut, the procedure is as follows:

1. Make an incision in the abdomen (from the anus to the head), remove the entrails.
2. Rinse the carcass, remove the black film located on the inner surface of the abdomen.
3. Next, cut off the head and fins. Leave the tail. Do not remove the scales.
4. Wash the carcass again and wipe dry with paper towels.
5. Start the salting or marinating process.

Red snapper is most often smoked whole, so cutting is minimal

How to pickle sea bass for smoking

For dry salting, you only need fish and coarse salt.

Preparation procedure:

1. Rub the carcasses on all sides and place in a container, sprinkling with salt.
2. Place in the general compartment of the refrigerator for 10 hours.
3. At the end of the marinating process, the perch should be washed and dried for 3-5 hours.

How to marinate sea bass for smoking

To marinate sea fish, you need to prepare a brine from water, salt, sugar and various spices to taste. As seasonings you can use black and allspice, mustard seeds, cardamom, juniper berries, and cloves.

For marinating, it is recommended to use enamel dishes. The brine needs to be brought to a boil and boiled for 3-4 minutes. Then wait for it to cool and put the perch carcasses into it. Place to marinate in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours under pressure. A stone or a jar of water is usually used as a load. Next, rinse the fish and hang it out to dry for several hours.

Hot smoked sea bass recipes

Hot smoked sea bass is easy to smoke. You can do this in a regular smokehouse, grill, medical oven, oven, or on the stove.

Hot smoking sea bass in a smokehouse

Traditionally, fish is smoked in a smokehouse. Sea bass can be salted for hot smoking using the dry method or in brine.

For dry salting for 6 carcasses weighing 300 g, you will need about 1 cup of salt.

Recipe for sea bass in a hot smoked smokehouse:

1. Soak the wood chips for 20 minutes. Then place 2-3 handfuls in a tray that is installed at the bottom of the smokehouse. Experts advise sprinkling them with sugar so that the finished product acquires a golden hue.
2. Grease the grates with sunflower oil. Place the perch belly down on them, place them in the smoking chamber, and close it with a lid.
3. Place the smokehouse on the grill, where the wood has burned down to coals.
4. Cook for 25 minutes at 90 degrees.

The perch should turn out golden and have a pleasant rich aroma. The carcasses must be ventilated so that they weather and acquire the true taste of a smoked product.

The easiest way to cook fish is using the hot method.

How to smoke sea bass marinated in lemon sauce

To marinate sea bass for hot smoking, you will need the following ingredients (for 6 medium carcasses):

• olive oil – 3 tbsp. l.;
• chopped garlic – 1.5 tsp;
• lemon juice – 3 tbsp. l.;
• ground ginger - to taste;
• ground pepper - to taste;
• salt - to taste.

Cooking method:

1. Mix all ingredients for marinade.
2. Cut the fish, wash and dry.
3. Pour in the prepared marinade and stir. Leave for 2 hours, then rinse, wipe with a cloth and dry in the open air.
4. Next, start smoking in the GK smokehouse using the method described above.

One of the popular ways to marinate perch is to soak it in lemon sauce.

Hot smoking red snapper on the grill

If you have a grill at your dacha, you can smoke fish with it.

First you need to marinate the carcasses in a mixture of coarse salt and freshly ground pepper.

Smoking order:

1. Soak the apple wood chips (about 20 minutes).
2. Place 1 kg of coal on one half of the grill, set it on fire, and place a tin sheet on top.
3. Place a tray (store-bought or made from foil) on the sheet and pour wood chips into it. Place a drip pan on the other half of the grill to drain the fat.
4. Place the carcasses on the grill on the side under which the fat tray is located.
5. The smoking process lasts 45-50 minutes.

Smoking sea bass at home

You can cook hot smoked sea bass at home. This is easy to do in the oven, in a convection oven, or in an old medical jar on the top burner.

In bix

The lid of the container, made of stainless steel, has holes for smoke to escape.

Preparation procedure:

1. Prepare perch for smoking: cut and salt.
2. Soak oak or alder chips.
3. Place it at the bottom of a medical sterilization container.
4. Place the fish on the grill sideways so that there is a gap between the carcasses.
5. Close the Bix, secure the latches well, and place it on a gas or electric stove.
6. After half an hour, open the container and check the readiness of the perch.
7. Ventilate for about 30 minutes, then you can eat.

Many home smokers have used compact smokers for this purpose.

In the oven

To smoke in the oven, you need to purchase a special package made of thick foil and strong culinary thread for tying the carcasses. The bag has a double bottom where the wood chips are located.

The following ingredients will be required:

• red snapper – 1.5 kg;
• coarse salt - 1 tbsp. l. with a slide;
• fine salt – 1 tsp. with a slide;
• nutmeg – ½ tsp;
• coriander – ½ tsp;
• black pepper – ½ tsp;
• seasoning for fish – 1.5 tsp;
• vegetable oil.

Smoking order:

1. Prepare the marinade by mixing all the spices and seasonings and adding vegetable oil.
2. Prepare the carcasses, rub them with the mixture, put them in the refrigerator and leave for 12 hours.
3. Dry the perch with paper towels, removing excess moisture and marinade. Tie the carcasses tightly, folding the cooking thread in half.
4. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
5. Place the carcasses in a smoking bag with the knots down. Fold the edges over several times.
6. Place the bag on the bottom of the oven and smoke over high heat for 20 minutes. As soon as the smoked smell appears, reduce the temperature to 200 degrees and continue cooking for another 30 minutes. Raise the temperature to 250 degrees and smoke for 10 minutes.

Perch prepared this way turns out very juicy.

A convenient option for smoking at home is to use a special thick foil bag with wood chips

In a convection oven

In an air fryer you can smoke fish using liquid smoke.

The ingredients you will need are 4 carcasses, salt and 30 ml of liquid smoke.

Preparation procedure:

1. Cut the perch, wash, dry, rub with salt, place in a vacuum bag, keep in the refrigerator under pressure for 3 days.
2. Take out the bag, make a cut on one edge, pour liquid smoke inside.
3. Continue marinating for another 2 hours.
4. Next, place the carcasses on the air fryer rack.
5. Cook the perch on low fan speed for 30 minutes. Smoking temperature – 65 degrees.
6. Check the readiness of the carcasses. If necessary, extend the time by 5-10 minutes.

Cold smoking sea bass

The recipe for cold smoked sea bass is more complex compared to the hot cooking method. Before cold salting, fish can be dry-salted or kept in brine. Salting, the smoking process itself and further drying will take longer than with HA.

For dry salting, you only need salt.

Preparation procedure:

1. Rub the prepared carcasses on all sides with salt, place them in a container, pour them again.
2. Leave for 1 day. Then soak in water for half an hour.
3. Blot with paper towels and hang in a smokehouse under a fan. The carcasses are dried for 1 hour. After this, they move on to the smoking process.
4. Pour some fruit chips into the smoke generator. Set it on fire.
5. Hang the carcasses in the chamber so that they do not touch each other.
6. Smoke for 8-10 hours at a temperature of about 30 degrees. Open the smokehouse as little as possible.

Cold smoked perch has denser and fattier meat.

For the wet marinade you will need the following ingredients:

• perch – 1 kg;
• water – 1 l;
• salt – 6 tbsp. l. with a slide;
• sugar – 1 tsp;
• black peppercorns – 5 pcs.;
• allspice peas – 5 pcs.;
• coriander – 10 grains;
• mustard seeds – 1 tsp;
• cardamom – 2 pcs.;
• cloves – 2 pcs.;
• juniper berries – 4 pcs.

Preparation procedure:

1. Place all the spices in water, put on fire, and bring to a boil. Cook for about 5-7 minutes, then cool.
2. Prepare the perch, pour cold marinade over it, and leave for a day.
3. The next day, rinse and dry with a paper towel.
4. Insert spacers into the bellies and hang to dry for 8 hours.
5. If the sawdust is wet, they need to be dried in the oven, heating it to 60 degrees.
6. Pour wood chips into the smoke generator, filling half the volume.
7. Hang the carcasses on hooks or place them on a grill. Install a smoke generator, connect the compressor, set fire to the sawdust.
8. Smoke at 25 degrees for 12 hours.
9. After smoking, hang the fish out to dry for 2 days.

How long does it take to smoke sea bass?

Sea bass should be smoked in a hot smoking chamber for 2 hours.

Cold smoking will require much more time - approximately 12 hours.

Storage rules

GK sea bass prepared at home can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. It must be packed in cling film, then in parchment.

The XK product can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 14 days. Vacuum packaging will help extend the period up to 3 months.

Conclusion

Hot smoked sea bass is quite easy to prepare at home, the main thing is to find high quality fish. As for cold processing, it is important to have a good smokehouse and properly marinate or salt the carcasses before the smoking process, as well as be patient.

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