Cooking smoked catfish at home is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. The meat of this fish is very tender and tasty in any form: boiled, fried in a pan and on the grill, in the form of cutlets or barbecue, as smoked catfish is a fabulous dish.
Hot smoked catfish
After gutting the catfish, cut into portioned pieces with skin, but you do not need to wash it with water, and if necessary, just blot the fish with a dry cloth. Sprinkle each piece with plenty of salt and put it in layers in a glass or enamel bowl, press it on top with oppression and put it in a cold place for about twelve hours. After salting, soak the fish for 15-20 minutes in cold water to remove excess salt. Then the pieces of catfish must be dried, for this we hang them on the street, but always in the shade of trees or under a canopy. This is done in order to remove excess moisture, otherwise, the meat after smoking will turn out like boiled. As soon as the fish dries up and a crust appears, you can cook a smokehouse. Alder and fruit trees are well suited for smoking catfish, it is very important not to overdo it with the amount of sawdust, otherwise the taste will be very rich, heavy, with a sour taste. For a small portable smokehouse, 1 to 2 tablespoons of sawdust or flail is enough.
Smoked catfish marinated with juice
We cut the catfish about 2 kg into portioned pieces, initially cutting the carcass of the fish along the spine, and then across into strips 4 cm wide, while we do not remove the skin in order to save more juice during smoking. Preparing the marinade: mix 200 ml of warm water, 100 ml apple juice and 100 ml of pineapple juice, add a little salt to the resulting liquid and stir until you feel that it has ceased to dissolve. Salt is used only coarse grinding, gray.
We put the pieces of fish in a glass or enamel dish, the first layer with the skin down, the next layer with the meat down, and so on (meat to meat, skin to skin). After tightly laying the fish, fill it with marinade so that it covers it completely and put it in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours, maximum 36 hours. After marinating, soak in fresh cold water for about an hour, let the pieces dry and smoke into a smoker.
We smoke pickled catfish at a low temperature of about 50 - 60 degrees. Alder or a mixture of peach and alder is perfect for smoking.
Smoked catfish with spices
After gutting the catfish, pour the marinade and put it in the refrigerator for twelve hours. We prepare the marinade like this: 200 ml olive oil mix with 100 ml of lime juice, add three cloves of garlic, 50 grams of honey, a tablespoon of salt and black pepper to taste. After 12 hours, we smoke the catfish for 2 to 3 hours. Despite the simplicity of the recipe, the fish turns out to be fragrant and very tasty and will not leave indifferent even the most fastidious gourmets.
Catfish pulp is a versatile product that contains a minimum of bones. During the preparation of the dish, you do not have to peel off the scales, puzzle yourself with other unnecessary work. For real refined taste has cold smoked catfish. It is easy to achieve impressive results at home. The main thing is to have basic knowledge regarding the preparation of the pulp, salting and pickling, and the use of a smokehouse. How to cook cold-smoked catfish balyk, worthy of any table? Learn about it from this article.
About the taste of the dish and the content of nutrients
Properly cooked cold-smoked catfish allows you to enjoy the spicy sweetish taste of fish. In the structure of the tender pulp, there are practically no bones. The dish is a source of vitamins B, C and E. The fillet contains a wide range of amino acids essential for the human body. Among useful trace elements, it is worth noting the abundance of iodine, fluorine, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and zinc. Children and pregnant women are especially in need of these substances. The use of the dish promotes the renewal of hair and nails, has a positive effect on the functioning of the nervous system.
People who have all sorts of health problems are not recommended to lean on smoked meats. However, the catfish fillet is an exception to the rule. But still consult your doctor before including this dish in the menu.
Cold smoked catfish - calories
Catfish meat contains an impressive amount of protein. Eating about 200 grams of a fillet of such a fish guarantees satisfaction daily allowance substances for the body. However, what has been said should not cause concern for a person who, for one reason or another, is forced to strictly comply with the instructions of a nutritionist. The structure of the fillet of most fish species contains significant reserves of carbohydrates. Catfish meat is out of the general range. The body tissues of the fish include an abundance of water. This explains the inclusion of cold-smoked catfish in the category low-calorie meals. According to the calculations, there are 130 calories per 100 grams of the product.
condiments
Before considering the cold smoked catfish balyk recipe, I would like to say a few words about the best spices for processing such meat. A universal solution is a combination of equal proportions of black, red and white pepper. Inside and outside, it is desirable to process the product with dill. The latter must be carefully crushed for better impregnation of the meat with a specific aroma.
In general, seasonings should not be abused. After all, catfish should retain a characteristic sweetish taste and a somewhat marshy spicy smell. If you plan to experiment, you should add a little to the above combination. nutmeg, ground bay leaf. These spices pair perfectly with fish dishes, including catfish fillet.
Meat preparation and curing
First they resort to gutting the fish. It is extremely important to do everything very carefully so that bile does not spread. Omission leads to the acquisition of a repulsive bitter taste in meat. If this happens, the fish is qualitatively washed under running water.
Next, the gills are removed, which makes it possible to get rid of the rich swampy taste. The meat is wiped with paper napkins over the entire area, not forgetting about the processing inside. This manipulation allows you to get rid of the remnants of spilled blood and thereby increase the shelf life of fish before direct cooking.
In the structure of the fillet, a number of neat cuts are made, trying not to affect the skin. A moderate amount of salt is poured here, after which the fillet is sent to an enamel pan under the lid. Pieces of catfish are folded in layers. The product is periodically compacted by shaking the container. In conclusion, it is advisable to press down the meat with a load for several hours so that the fillet is better salted. The dishes should be in a fairly cool, dark place.
Cold smoked catfish. Recipe
Let's move on to cooking. You can achieve positive results by exposing the fish heat treatment on the homestead. The simplest option smokehouse involves the vertical placement of fairly thick stakes in the ground. The latter are covered with polyethylene or a fabric made of dense material. A small hole is left on top through which smoke will come out. A grate is fixed here, where, in fact, pre-cut, salted and pickled catfish meat will be placed.
A small hole is dug under a row of stakes, which will serve as a place for a metal firebox with firewood. It is recommended to use alder, oak or fruit wood. The main secret of cold smoking is maintaining the distance between the heat source and the fish fillet. Place the product above the fire at a distance of at least two meters. To make sure that the conditions correspond to the ideas of cold smoking, it is worth measuring the temperature of the smoke at the outlet of the device. The indicator should be no more than +25 o C.
Cold smoked catfish is cooked for 6-8 hours daily. During this time period, firewood is regularly thrown into the makeshift firebox to ensure a stable smoke flow. In the future, the reduction in smoke density is no longer treated with smoke.
The dish can be considered fully usable after 3-4 days from the start of processing. The formation of an appetizing golden crust on the surface of the meat will tell you about bringing the fish to the desired condition. Next, the smoked fillet is removed from the grill, shifted with food paper and sent for storage in boxes.
Product storage
Catfish meat processed by cold smoking remains usable for a long time. For about 10 days, fish can remain fresh at a temperature that does not exceed +3 ° C. Despite the foregoing, the most reasonable solution seems to be eating fresh food. Do not forget that smoked catfish gives a strong specific flavor. Therefore, it is better to store cooked fish in airtight containers. Otherwise, other products will be saturated with the smell.
Incredibly tasty, a variant of such a dish is smoked catfish, the recipes for which are many. We will analyze in detail how to smoke catfish.
One of the most delicious smoked meats - smoked catfish
Before proceeding directly to smoking, the fish must first be salted and then dried thoroughly.
Preparation of a semi-finished product - salting
Let's take a fish. It should be gutted beforehand, in no case damaging the gallbladder, as the fillet will become bitter in taste. If bile gets on the meat, it can no longer be washed off with water.
Next, remove the gills. A very important point at this stage: in no case should you wash the catfish and even wet it. It is enough just to get wet with napkins, cleansing from blood and offal residues. This way you will save the carcass from damage.
In order for the fish to be well salted, it is necessary to make cuts on the meat without cutting through the skin. You can pickle as enamel pots, plastic buckets with lids, and in plastic bags. First, a layer of coarse salt is poured to the bottom. Then we put the fish sprinkled with salt in layers -. It is necessary to lay the pieces so that the skin lies to the skin, and the meat to the meat. Next, you need to compact the folded by shaking the container. It is best if the entire product takes up to half of the container so that it can be pressed down with oppression - something heavy. So the fish will be better salted. Put the dishes in a dark, cold place.
Usually catfish is salted for at least a day, or even more, until the juice is released. To clean it, you must thoroughly rinse the carcass. Then you need to soak it so that the excess salt “leaves”. On average, fish should be kept in water for at least one hour, it all depends on how long it has been salted. Then take it out and hang it out to dry.
If you smoke in the winter, then you can not be afraid of flies, but if in the warm season, then the product should be wrapped with gauze or a rag. The drying process itself continues until the fish dries well and is covered with a crust. This is a sign that it's time to smoke, then juicy.
Cold smoking method
Smoked catfish marinated with juice
We will need 2 kg catfish fillets. We cut it into pieces 4 cm wide. It is not necessary to remove the skin so that the carcass retains the juice.
For the marinade, mix 200 ml of warm water with 100 ml of apple and pineapple juice. Add coarse salt to this mixture until it no longer dissolves.
Place the fish in layers in a bowl. At the next stage, and put in the cold for 24-36 hours. Such catfish should be smoked at a smoke temperature of 50-60 ° C.
For a piquant taste, there is a recipe for smoked fish with spices.
The secret of this recipe is in the marinade. It is prepared simply: mix 200 ml of olive oil with 100 ml lemon juice. Add three cloves of garlic and 50 g of honey. Here we put a tablespoon of salt and pepper to taste. Pour the fish with the finished marinade and put in the refrigerator for 12 hours. Ready meal it turns out tasty, juicy and with a spicy taste.
There are different ones, and which one to choose is up to you.
I went to the market for sturgeon to smoke. I started a conversation with the sellers about smoking. One buyer warmed his ears and told me that catfish is even tastier, they say, he tried it once and generally mistook smoked catfish for sturgeon. Well, I was seduced and divorced for catfish. Well, it's interesting. Here, I'll tell you, a bummer of bummers turned out in terms of appearance but in terms of taste - it's something unreal! But also terribly oily. Just awful. I don’t know if every catfish is as fat as I got, but this one was just as if from one fat. But it's useful. Fish oil is what it is.
And cut it and at least spread it on bread.
Necessary:
Som.
Salt.
Sliver, I have alder.
Cooking:
Everything as usual. Rinse the fish, dry, generously coat with coarse salt. For a day in the refrigerator, salt.
Then rinse from excess salt, dry.
At the bottom of the cauldron is foil, on top of a sliver, on top of the grate. Here, by the way, it would be more appropriate to use a grate for a double boiler, since the catfish is a tender fish, its skin is not thick, so it doesn’t hold its shape very well when smoking, it took the form of a grate and had to be torn off with difficulty. And so he would have had nowhere to fall.
I put the fish on the grill.
I also lined the edges of the cauldron with foil, covered it with a lid and turned on a small fire.
40 minutes over low heat, no more. Even this can be a lot for a catfish, because, well, it's painfully tender. Cool under the lid. It seems to have turned out beautifully.
Chilled after the refrigerator, too, it does not look bad.
And they cut it and now ... Well, very fat. One piece can be mastered with difficulty and a large amount of bread, washed down with wine, otherwise you will feel sick.
But tasty, you will not say anything. If anyone wants to repeat - enjoy!
Saved
Fish can be smoked whole, in the form of a steak or fillet. But first it must be cleaned, remove mucus, scales and gills. Gutting should be done carefully so as not to damage the gallbladder - this can cause the meat to acquire a bitter taste.
- Rinse the meat thoroughly.
- Dry with a paper towel or tissue.
- Rub salt inside and out. For a spicy flavor, you can optionally add thyme, chopped bay leaf, pepper.
- Put the fish in a container with a lid and leave for 4 hours in the refrigerator.
- After the fish, rinse again - we do not need the rest of the salt.
- Hang the pieces on wire or hooks and leave to ventilate for 2 hours. During this time, the fish will dry out and wilt a little.
To prevent hanging meat from being attacked by insects, soak a piece of gauze in a solution of vinegar and cover it.
How to cook delicious catfish: smoking at home
Now let's get down to the actual slicing. In order for the result to please you, follow the following recommendations and the sequence of steps:
- As firewood, it is better to take alder chips. It needs quite a bit, 3 tbsp is enough. l. Otherwise, the fish may turn out bitter. Pour them into the bottom of the smoker.
- Place a tray on top of the sawdust so that the juice from the fish does not drip onto the wood chips and does not burn, giving an unwanted smell to the meat.
- Set up one grate or several if the depth of the smoker and the number of fish allow it.
- Put the pieces at a distance so that they do not interfere with each other to smoke evenly.
- Light the fire, cover the lid. If a portable outdoor smoker is used, then any wood can be used.
- The wood should burn well, and give a heat of medium intensity.
- After the smoke appears, keep the meat in the oven for 1 hour.
During cooking, if necessary, you can open the lid to check the condition of the meat.
When the fish is completely ready, you should turn off the smoker or remove from heat, let cool. After you take it out, serve it on the table after 1-2 hours. Catfish prepared in this way can be used as an ingredient for a salad.
