Hot smoked perch: cooking features, recommendations, recipes

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Perch is an unpretentious fish. It is caught in any weather and on any bait. And due to the fact that perches walk in a flock, they are caught in large numbers. This gives a lot of pleasure to the fisherman, because it resists well and is caught a lot. However, the hostesses do not like her. And the reason is that this fish is not cleaned in any way, has a lot of bones and small sizes. In general, working with perch is extremely inconvenient. But there is a way out! Have you ever tried hot smoked perch? Fish during it acquires a unique taste and stunning appearance. The article will consider a recipe for hot smoked perch.

Clean the fish

First of all, the fish needs to be washed. After that, with the help of a knife, the insides of the perch are removed. Of course, you can leave them for hot-smoked perch, but this can give the dish a bitter taste, so it's better to get rid of the insides.

The scales and head should be left, and the fins should be removed. They are said to be the dirtiest part of the fish. Believe it or not is everyone's business, but it is recommended to remove them so that it is more convenient to eat.

S alting

The hot-smoked perch recipe that will be reviewed is the simplest, as it requires only s alt and perch. You can also use a marinade, but this will require more time and ingredients. But you can experiment with it in different ways, add some new spices, etc. S alting is the standard that everyone is used to, however, this does not mean that this method is somehow inferior to the marinade.

So, you can start s alting:

• You should take coarse s alt and rub the fish thoroughly from all sides. Don't worry about over-s alting the fish as the perch won't have time to soak up much s alt.
• You can use pepper or some seasonings for fish. This will add a special flavor to our hot smoked snapper.
• Next, put all the fish in some container, you can even sprinkle a little more s alt on top, and leave for 3-4 hours.

In the meantime, the fish will be s alted, you can prepare for smoking!

Which smoking method to choose

There are two ways of smoking: cold and hot. Further, it is the hot method that will be considered, because it takes less time, and the product is more pleasant in appearance. Although it is believed that hot smoking is unhe althy, most people still use it.im.

In small quantities, it certainly won't do any harm. In addition, a cheap smokehouse for 200 rubles is also suitable for hot smoking. For cold, special equipment is required, which, if bought in a store, is not so cheap. Another advantage of hot smoking is that you can even smoke fish while fishing, because the smokehouse takes up little space.

Choosing chips

A lot depends on the choice of wood chips. In order for hot smoked sea bass to turn out to be pleasant to look at and with an amazing aroma, you should not make a mistake with it. If possible, fresh cherry chips are ideal. But if you don’t have cherries in your garden, then you can buy ready-made options in stores.

In general, if possible, it is better to make wood chips yourself than to buy ready-made in the store. Alder is universal, but you can mix it with other tree species. For example, use alder and cherry. Turn out amazing! The main thing is not to choose resinous tree species.

A lot of controversy arises about soaking wood chips. Someone says that it must be soaked, while others argue that this is a waste of time. To soak or not is up to you. You can experiment with this. Try first with regular, and then with soaked.

Cooking

The fire also plays a big role. To get perch in a hot-smoked smokehouse, a small, even fire is required. And most importantly, it needssupport.

1. To do this, light a small fire and put bricks on the sides if your smoker does not have legs.
2. Next, take the fish, wipe it thoroughly so that there is no water left and let it dry for about 30 minutes.
3. In the meantime, the fish is drying, you can take the time to smoke. It can be washed, but the fire itself will destroy all microbes.
4. Spread wood chips in an even layer on the bottom of the smokehouse. Place a drip tray on top of it. If this is not done, it will drain onto the chips and the fish will have a bitter taste. But if there is no pallet, you can also use food foil, it must be put on the wood chips.
5. On the grid of the smokehouse, you need to decompose the perch, which during this time will already have time to dry. It is necessary to leave some space so that the smoke can penetrate well from all sides.

Smoking

The last step to get hot-smoked perch is the smoking itself! The smoker should be covered with a lid and put on fire.

Smoked perch for 20-30 minutes. Time should be started to pinpoint after the appearance of the first smoke. During smoking, you need to release smoke several times. The first time this must be done after 5 minutes, and then every 10 minutes.

For spice, you can sprinkle perch with lemon juice and put a sprig of thyme. It is worth putting it on the fish, otherwise everything will simply burn on the grid. The color of the perch will serve as an indicator of readiness.

Remember that any hot smoked product is recommended to be consumed after cooling.

The recipe for perch in a hot-smoked smokehouse was considered. This fish is perfect as an appetizer. However, if you make a side dish and serve with it, you get a full meal.

You can delight your loved ones, friends and guests with hot smoked perch! This dish will be a great addition to your table, and given the simplicity of the recipe, you can even smoke perch while fishing. Bon appetit!