Smoked crucian carp is one of the most popular cooking methods. The result is a delicious golden brown fish with a unique taste and pleasant aroma.
What is useful for crucian carp
So, then we will discuss how to cook hot smoked crucian carp. The recipe is quite simple. You can cook delicious fish even at home. However, not everyone knows why crucian carp is useful. The properties of such a product were known in ancient Russia. Only river fish was served at the table during the feast.
It is worth noting that there are a lot of proteins in the carp that are useful for those who regularly resort to strict diets. The composition of freshwater fish includes amino acids. Calcium contained in this protein is well absorbed and helps strengthen nails and bones.
After smoking crucian carp, hot smoking preserves all the beneficial properties of the fish. Therefore, this product is distributed not only in our country, but also abroad. Even with this heat treatment, fish has a low calorie content. It can be introduced into the diet for those who follow a diet and seek to get rid of extra pounds. Crucian carp also contains a large amount of vitamins E and A, which support the body, protecting it from infections and reducing the risk of developing oncology.
Smoking methods
Smoked crucian carp is not the only method of cooking it. There is also a cold way. However, the latter method is rarely used, since in order to preserve the useful properties of the product, all technological rules must be observed.
There is a third option - liquid smoke treatment. This method is suitable for multicooker owners. In this case, the fish is treated with liquid smoke and cooked for half an hour in the "Baking" mode. To give the crucian carp a golden hue, onion husks or tea leaves are used.
Hot smoked crucian: recipe
This method of cooking river slaves is considered the simplest. To bloody crucian carp, you will need:
- 3 kg of fresh fish;
- 200 g of coarse salt;
- ground black pepper.
Before starting cooking crucians should be prepared.
How to clean fish
So, how to smoke hot smoked carp? To begin with, it is worth gutting the carcasses. To do this, it is necessary to make an incision on the abdomen, without cutting to the end of the abdomen and head about 5 millimeters. If this is not done, the fish may fall off the hook as a result of intense heating. It is also required to preserve all the juices generated by heat treatment.
It is recommended that you only gut the fish. No need to clean. Scales, tail, fins and head should be left.
After the crucians are disemboweled, it is necessary to thoroughly wash them under running water, and then shift the incision down into a colander. This will completely remove the liquid.
We rub and weaken
In order for smoked crucian carp (hot smoked) to be successful, it is necessary to prepare the fish well. Gutted carcasses should be grated with black pepper and salt inside and out. Do not forget about the gills. Many are afraid to salt the fish. But this is impossible, since crucians will take exactly as much as they need.
After this, the fish should be placed in the solution. For its preparation, it is necessary to dilute 6 tablespoons of coarse salt in three liters of water. Prepared carcasses need to be placed in a deep pan and pour the solution. In conclusion, it is worth sprinkling everything with salt. Now crucian carp should be covered with oppression and put in the cold for two hours. During this time, the fish will salt well.
Ready crucians must be removed from the pan and washed. This will remove excess salt. You need to wash the gills, as well as the carcasses themselves inside and out. Fish should be dried a little before smoking. For this, the carcasses need to be hung for an hour in the fresh air, always covered with gauze.
Smokehouse preparation
To get a delicious hot smoked crucian at home, you should properly prepare a smokehouse. All its elements must be clean. At the bottom, lay a layer of sawdust. For the preparation of crucians it is better to use alder. It’s also worth putting some cherry branches.
It is recommended to place a pallet on top of the sawdust. The fat secreted by the carcasses of fish during cooking will flow into it.
We install the design
So, how to smoke hot smoked crucian? When everything is prepared, the carcasses need to be blotted with napkins, and then laid out on the grill so that the cuts are at the top. After that, the fish can be placed on the smokehouse and tightly close everything with a lid. The main thing is that there are no holes. If the cover comes off, then it is worth pressing it with bricks or stone. The smokehouse must be hermetically sealed.
The device should be placed on the grill or on bricks. Under the smokehouse you need to light a fire. You can use coal and firewood for this.
Cooking process
The flame under the structure should be kept weak. Otherwise, the fish may burn. After some time, the sawdust in the smokehouse will begin to char. As a result of this, aromatic wood smoke begins to stand out. Its appearance indicates the smoking process. The cooking time of the fish depends on the size of the carcasses. Usually the whole process takes from 20 to 40 minutes.
At the end of cooking, the smokehouse should be removed from the heat and remove the lid from it. After that, it's worth the wait until everything cools down. It is not recommended to remove crucians hot, as the carcasses just fall apart. Let them stay on the grill for 15 minutes. After the specified time, crucians can be carefully removed to a dish and served. It is recommended to store such fish in the refrigerator.
Little tricks
If you don’t have a smokehouse on hand, you can use a Russian stove to cook fish. In this case, the carcasses are suspended inside the chimney. While the stove is heating, smoking of fish occurs. The most important thing is to choose the right height. Otherwise, the fish may burn or not get smoked.
For the preparation of crucians, do not use sawdust from conifers. Such material emits resin. Sawdust must be from deciduous trees, dry, without bark, fungus and mold.