How and how much to smoke sea bass hot and cold smoked

Hot smoked sea bass is a delicious fish with juicy soft meat, few 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 to strengthen bones, iodine is responsible for the thyroid gland. Omega 3 fatty acids have a beneficial effect on the system of the heart and blood vessels, normalize cholesterol levels.

The calorie content of hot-smoked sea bass is rather low, while in HC fish it is slightly higher.

The value of the red bass is shown in the table below.

Features of smoking sea bass

This fish can be cooked in hot and cold smoked smokehouses.

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

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

The recipe for smoking sea bass in a cold smoked smokehouse is designed for experienced chefs. This process is rather complicated and lengthy. It is best to do this in an industrial smokehouse equipped with a smoke generator and compressor. It is important to strictly observe the entire cooking process - from salting to drying.

Wood chips are required for smoking. You can use beech, alder, oak, hornbeam, peach, apple, apricot wood.

Chips of fruit trees work well for smoking fish

Selecting and preparing red bass for smoking

A chilled or fresh 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 flat, without damage or bruising. When pressed, the meat is firm and does not break down into fibers. The eyes are clear, shiny and protruding (sunken and cloudy - a sign of stale fish). If the perch is frozen, there may be a maximum of 10% ice. After thawing, it should have a slight fishy odor.

Red perch 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 common refrigerator compartment. To do this, put the carcasses in a single layer in a container and, so that the fish does not get weathered, tightly cover it 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 insides.
2. Rinse the carcass, remove the black film on the inner surface of the abdomen.
3. Next, cut off the head and fins. Leave the tail. Do not take off the scales.
4. Wash the carcass again, wipe dry with paper towels.
5. Start the process of salting or pickling.

Red perch is most often smoked whole, so cutting is minimal.

How to salt sea bass for smoking

For dry salting, only fish and coarse salt are required.

Cooking procedure:

1. Grate the carcasses on all sides, put in a container, sprinkle with salt.
2. Put in the common compartment of the refrigerator for 10 hours.
3. At the end of the marinating process, the perch must be rinsed and dried for 3-5 hours.

How to pickle 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, cloves.

For marinating, it is recommended to take enamel dishes. The brine should be brought to a boil and boiled for 3-4 minutes. Then wait until it cools down and put the perch carcasses in it. Put marinate in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours under pressure. A stone or a jar of water is usually used as a load. Then rinse the fish and hang it out for drying for several hours.

Hot smoked sea bass recipes

Smoking hot smoked sea bass is easy. You can do this in an ordinary smokehouse, grill, medical bix, oven, on the stove.

Hot smoking of sea bass in a smokehouse

Traditionally, the fish is smoked in a smokehouse. Salt sea bass for hot smoking can be dry or in brine.

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

Hot smoked sea bass recipe:

1. Soak wood chips for 20 minutes. Then place 2-3 handfuls in the drip tray, which is set at the bottom of the smoker. 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, close it with a lid.
3. Install the smokehouse on the grill, where the wood is burnt 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 dry out and acquire the true taste of the smoked product.

The easiest way to cook fish is the hot method.

How to smoke sea bass marinated in lemon sauce

To marinate hot smoked seabass, you 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 the ingredients for the marinade.
2. Cut the fish, wash, dry.
3. Pour over the cooked marinade and stir. Soak for 2 hours, then rinse, wipe with a cloth and air dry.
4. Next, start smoking in the GK smokehouse as described above.

One popular way to marinate perch is to soak it in lemon sauce.

Hot smoking grilled red snapper

If you have a grill in the country, you can smoke the fish with it.

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

Smoking procedure:

1. Soak the apple chips (takes about 20 minutes).
2. Put 1 kg of charcoal on one half of the grill, set it on fire, put a sheet of tin on top.
3. Put a pallet (purchased or made of foil) on a sheet, pour chips into it. Place a drip tray on the other half of the grill.
4. Place the carcasses on the wire rack on the side with the fat pan.
5. The smoking process lasts 45-50 minutes.

Smoking sea bass at home

You can cook hot smoked sea bass at home. This can be easily done in the oven, in an airfryer, or in an old medical box on the top burner.

In bix

The lid of the bix, made of stainless steel, has holes for smoke outlet.

Cooking procedure:

1. Prepare perch for smoking: cut and pickle.
2. Soak oak or alder chips.
3. Place it on the bottom of a medical sterilization container.
4. Place the fish sideways on the wire rack so that there is a gap between the carcasses.
5. Close the Bix, fix the latches well, put it on a gas or electric stove.
6. After half an hour, open the container and check the readiness of the perch.
7. Air for about 30 minutes, then can be eaten.

Many home smokers have adapted compact bixes for this.

In the oven

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

The following ingredients are required:

• red perch - 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 procedure:

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

The perch cooked in this way is very juicy.

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

In the airfryer

In the airfryer, you can smoke fish with liquid smoke.

From the ingredients, you will need 4 carcasses, salt and 30 ml of liquid smoke.

Cooking procedure:

1. Cut the perch, wash, dry, rub with salt, place in a vacuum bag, keep in the refrigerator under oppression for 3 days.
2. Take out the bag, make an incision on it from one edge, pour liquid smoke inside.
3. Continue marinating for another 2 hours.
4. Then put the carcasses on the grill of the airfryer.
5. Cook the perch at 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 smoked sea bass

The cold smoked sea bass recipe is more complex than the hot method. The fish before HC 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, only salt is needed.

Cooking procedure:

1. Grate the prepared carcasses with salt on all sides, put in a container, pouring again.
2. Leave for 1 day. Then soak in water for half an hour.
3. Pat dry with paper towels, hang in a smokehouse under a fan. The carcasses are dried for 1 hour. After that, they move on to the smoking process.
4. Pour some fruit chips into the smoke generator. Set 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 have denser and more fatty meat

The following ingredients are required for a wet marinade:

• 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.

Cooking procedure:

1. Put all the spices in water, put on fire, bring to a boil. Cook for about 5-7 minutes, then cool.
2. Prepare the perch, pour cold marinade, leave for a day.
3. The next day, rinse and dry with a paper towel.
4. Insert spacers into the abdomen, hang for drying 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 the wire rack. Install the smoke generator, connect the compressor, set fire to the sawdust.
8. Smoke at 25 degrees for 12 hours.
9. After smoking, hang the fish to dry for 2 days.

How long does it take to smoke sea bass

It is necessary to smoke sea bass in a hot smoking chamber for 2 hours.

Cold smoking will take much longer - about 12 hours.

Storage rules

Home-cooked HA sea bass can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. It must be packed in plastic wrap, then in parchment.

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

Conclusion

Hot smoked sea bass is quite easy to cook at home, the main thing is to find high quality fish. With regard to cold processing, it is important to have a good smoker and properly marinate or pickle the carcasses before smoking, as well as be patient.

Recommended entries

Cold smoked trout: recipes, benefits and harms, calories

Hot smoked sturgeon: calorie content, benefits and harms, recipes with photos

Cold smoked catfish: recipes with photos, videos, calories, reviews

Cold and hot smoked silver carp recipes

Hot, cold smoked squid: calorie content and benefits, recipes with photos

Hot smoked pink salmon in a home smokehouse: delicious recipes with photos, videos

Chum salmon hot, cold smoked at home: recipes, calories

Hot, cold smoked salmon at home

Cold smoked pink salmon: calorie content, benefits and harms, recipes with photos