How to smoke crucian carp at home, successful methods

June 19, 2019
Cooking
Ivan Gresko

Judging by the reviews, crucian carp is the most popular hunting object for many fishermen. Despite the fact that the meat of this fish cannot be called a delicacy, dishes prepared from it are loved by everyone. Undoubtedly, crucian carp meat is very tender and has excellent taste. It has a fibrous consistency and a pronounced sweetish taste.

According to experts, the quality of meat depends on the habitat of the crucian carp. If you remove fish from stagnant water, the dish will have a musty, woody smell and will reek of mud. For this reason, many novice fishermen are interested in the question of how to smoke crucian carp? The fact is that this is the most effective way to remove a specific smell. Thanks to the smoke, the carcass of this fish will be very aromatic and appetizing. You will learn how to smoke crucian carp from this article.

Where to begin?

If you don't know how to smoke hot smoked crucian carp, you should do the following. First of all, the fish must be gutted. For this purpose, make an incision on the belly of the crucian carp. It is important not to cut it by 0.5 cm to the head. Otherwise, with intense heating, the fish will fall off the hook. In addition, with a small cut, more juice will be retained in the crucian carp meat. Specialists gut the crucian carp, but do not clean it. This means that after processing the fish should remain with its head, fins, tail and scales. Now the meat is thoroughly washed in running water and placed in a colander. Water should drain from the crucian carp, and therefore it is positioned so that the incision is located at the bottom.

What are the benefits of crucian carp?

So, next 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 how useful crucian carp is. The properties of such a product were known back in Ancient Rus'. During feasts, only river fish was served at the table.

It is worth noting that crucian carp contains a lot of proteins, which are useful for those who regularly resort to strict diets. Freshwater fish contains amino acids. The calcium contained in this protein is well absorbed and helps strengthen nails and bones.

After hot smoking crucian carp, all the beneficial properties of the fish are preserved. Therefore, this product is distributed not only in our country, but also abroad. Even with this heat treatment, the fish has a low calorie content. It can be introduced into the diet of those who are on a diet and want 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 cancer.

About salting fish

At this stage, rub the gills, as well as the inside and outside, using salt and pepper. Before smoking crucian carp, they are placed in a saline solution. To prepare it you will need 6 tablespoons of salt per 3 liters of water. The container is left for a couple of hours in a cool place. According to experts, this time is enough for the fish to soak in salt. Then the crucian carp are removed from the container and washed in running water. The main thing is to wash off all excess salt from them. Afterwards the fish should dry out slightly. To do this, hang it in the fresh air, after covering it with gauze. If you don’t do this, then most likely flies will stick tightly around your workpiece. In an hour the crucian carp will be ready to be removed.

Smoked crucian carp

Hot smoked crucian carp
Cold smoked crucian carp

Smoked crucian carp is a popular snack among our compatriots.
They can be easily purchased at markets or in stores, or you can prepare them yourself. To do this you will need a smokehouse and a suitable recipe. There will be no problems with either one. In specialized stores it is quite possible to choose a suitable smokehouse model.

There are also many options for how to smoke crucian carp.

The two main methods of smoking both fish and other products are cold and hot. You can smoke crucian carp in both ways.

Let's look at simple and understandable step-by-step recipes for cold and hot smoking of this fish.

Hot smoked crucian carp

Required ingredients:

1 kg of fresh crucian carp;
40 g of coarse salt (for every kilogram of fish);
ground black pepper (add to taste).

Cooking technique:

Hot smoked catfish

Before you start directly smoking crucian carp, the fish must be properly prepared for this. The fish should be gutted. Crucian carp are usually cut on the belly, leaving a little space at the head, as well as at the belly in the tail. This is done for easy hooking. The fish should not jump off them during high heat. There is no need to clear the scales, especially if they are dense and outwardly attractive. The scales will protect the fish flesh from soot during cooking.
After gutting the fish, it is important to rinse it well in water. After which they can be placed with the cuts down in some container and wait until all the water has drained out.
The next step is processing with salt and pepper. Washed, dried crucian carp should be thoroughly rubbed with spices from the inside plus the outside, not forgetting the gills. There is no need to worry about over-salting: fish does not absorb excess salt.
Next, you need to prepare a saline solution - stir 200 g of salt in five liters of water.
The prepared fish are placed in a pan or other suitable container. The crucian carp should then be salted (filled with the resulting solution). Place pressure on top, for example - a large dish with a jar or saucepan with water placed on it. Place the entire structure in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. During this time, the fish will be sufficiently salted.
Next, the fish must be rinsed well to remove excess salt. Then hang it using pre-prepared hooks somewhere in the fresh air. Drying time is one hour. To protect against insects, you can use an improvised gauze canopy.
During this time, prepare the smokehouse for operation. Check the cleanliness of all elements of its design. Cover the bottom of the smokehouse with a small layer of prepared twigs (preferably from fruit trees) and alder sawdust. Then install a tray that will collect the released juices.
The next moment is a very important one. The crucian carp for smoking must be carefully laid out on the grill, with the cuts facing upward. The grate is then placed inside the smoker. The lid must be closed carefully. For reliability, you can place a brick or other weight on it.
Next, the process of smoking crucian carp in a smokehouse begins. The device is placed on the grill or separately on bricks. The fire starts. In the first stage, you need to maintain a low flame. The sawdust in the smokehouse will gradually begin to smolder, filling the air around with strong woody aromas. The total cooking time lasts from 20 to 40 minutes. Smoking can be considered completed when the crucian carp take on a golden color.
To complete the process, you need to move the device away from the fire, remove the lid and let it cool. It is not recommended to immediately take hot fish from the grill; it should cool in the fresh air.

After half an hour of cooling, the finished crucian carp can be safely served with vodka, beer or other alcoholic drinks

If you take your time and additionally dry the fish for two or three days, hanging it in the air, it will become much tastier. Its shelf life will additionally increase.

Cold smoked crucian carp

Cold smoking of fish differs from hot smoking and occurs at much lower temperatures (about 30 degrees Celsius). As a result, smoking takes much longer - it lasts from a day to several days.

This cooking method causes the fish to lose a lot of moisture. At the same time, it is significantly preserved by fire smoke.

Together, these two processes increase the shelf life of the finished product to four months versus two to three days for hot smoked fish.

Crucian carp are usually smoked for several days (2–4). Small specimens, weighing up to 300 g, are prepared in two days, larger ones are smoked longer

Required ingredients:

fresh crucian carp;
100 g of salt for every kilogram of fish;
sugar, bay leaf, black pepper to taste.

Cooking technique:

Purchased or caught crucian carp should be gutted and then washed with water. We must strive to thoroughly remove all bile and films so that there is no bitterness. It is better to leave the gills on small specimens, and remove them on large ones.
You need to salt the fish using a marinade. Dissolve 300 g of salt in two liters of water heated to boiling, add black peppercorns, bay leaves, and a pinch of sugar. Stir thoroughly. Set aside until cool.
Rub the prepared fish generously with salt both outside and inside. Then place the fish in a pan, arrange it in layers and pour over the salt solution. Place some kind of pressure on the pan. Keep in the refrigerator for two days. Periodically shift the crucian carp for uniform salting.
Next, the crucian carp should be removed from the pan, rinsed thoroughly, and excess salt removed. Then soak for several hours in cold water.
The next stage is drying. The fish should be hung in the fresh air and dried for two days.
You should start smoking only after drying. Prepared fish are hung in a smokehouse (barrel with crossbars). There should be at least a meter from the fire.
The crucian carp will be smoked using thick smoke at a constant temperature of about 30 degrees Celsius. The temperature must be constant so that the fish does not lose too much fat. The longer the smoking time, the longer the product can then be stored. For fire, it is better to use standard fuel briquettes for barbecue.
On average, fish is smoked this way from a day to three, depending on its size.
High-quality smoked crucian carp will be dry, with elastic meat that fits tightly to the bones. The body color is golden, the aroma is pleasant, even delicious.

Crucian carp prepared in this way can be eaten as an independent snack. They are just as good as the original ingredient in a variety of salads or sandwiches.

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Source: https://edaTuristu.ru/ryba/kopchenyy-karas

How to smoke crucian carp in a smokehouse? Progress

First of all, you should prepare this device. The bottom of the smokehouse is carefully lined with alder sawdust or cherry branches. To prevent the juice from the fish from dripping onto them, you need to place a tray on top. Before smoking crucian carp, it is advisable to blot it with a napkin and then place it on the grill so that the cut on the belly is on top. After this, the grate is placed on the smokehouse and tightly closed with a lid.

It may be that it will move away, as a result of which the tightness of the smokehouse will be broken. In this case, place a brick on the lid. After this, the structure is placed on the grill, and then a small fire is lit under it. If you don't have a barbecue, place it on bricks. After some time, the thin layer of sawdust inside the smokehouse will char, followed by the release of aromatic wood smoke. This indicates that the smoking procedure has begun. Beginners often ask how long to smoke crucian carp? Experts advise taking into account the size of the fish. In total, it should take you about 30 to 40 minutes to prepare.

Hot smoked crucian carp

To smoke crucian carp in a hot smokehouse, the fish is salted dry (100 g of salt per 1 kg). Semi-finished products are rolled in salt, filling the gill cavities with salt and not forgetting the abdominal cavity. Place in a non-oxidizing dish on a base of salt, pouring each row, and fill the pan with fish. The layer of salt on top should be at least 1 cm. A rich spicy taste can be added to smoked meats by adding grated garlic and freshly ground black pepper to the salt. To quickly prepare hot smoked crucian carp according to a recipe in a smokehouse, the fish is salted for 1.5 hours, washed to remove salt, allowed to drain and dried for about 30 minutes. You can put dill greens in the abdominal cavity.

Dry salting of crucian carp

The smokehouse is being prepared. Chips from deciduous trees and pieces of fruit twigs are poured into an even layer at the bottom of the chamber. They are pre-moistened with water so that they smolder slowly during smoking. A tray is placed on them, onto which fat will drain during smoking. In the upper part, grates are installed for laying semi-finished fish products. Place the fish on the racks sideways, at a distance of at least 1 cm from each other and from the walls. Close the lid. Place it on a heating source. They use a stove, a burner, heat it over coals - everyone has their own capabilities and preferences.

Important! The bitterness of smoked products is imparted by the use of wood chips from coniferous trees. But you can add juniper berries for flavor.

Hot smoked crucian carp

The cooking time for hot smoked crucian carp at home is from 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the weight of the product.

The smoked meats are left on the racks until they cool completely, on average for an hour and a half, since the fish breaks easily when hot. It is better if the crucian carp rests for a day. At this time, the inner layers of the pulp will be even better saturated with smoke, and resins that are harmful to the body will disappear from the surface.

Final stage

After this time, you need to carefully remove the device from the heat and open the lid. Wait for the meat to cool slightly. 10 minutes will be enough. Transfer the finished fish to a plate. It is now considered ready to eat. Some craftsmen determine the readiness of crucian carp by its fin. If it separates easily and the meat underneath turns out to be white, then the fish is ready to eat. In order for it to become completely smoked, it is not immediately removed from the grate. Often the dish cools down on the smokehouse, and not in the plate.

As for alcohol, hot smoked crucian carp goes best with beer or vodka. Judging by numerous consumer reviews, delicious golden crucian carp will also be good with potatoes and tomatoes.

Quick recipe for hot smoked crucian carp

Main ingredients for brine for 2 kg of crucian carp:

7 tbsp. spoons of salt,
800 ml water.

To save time, the fish is not gutted. Wash well. Prepare the brine, making sure that the salt grains are thoroughly dissolved. Draw the saline solution into a syringe and inject it evenly into the carcasses.

While the smokehouse is being prepared, the fish dries out. Before placing on the smokehouse grate, the carcasses are additionally dried with napkins. The crucian carp are simmered at medium temperature for one and a half hours. Then open the lid and grease the carcasses with vegetable oil to give a pleasant color.

If you want to get fish with an appetizing crust, the last 15-20 minutes of smoking increase the heating temperature.

Hot smoked crucian carp has low-fat, low-calorie meat. The presence of vitamins A and E helps fight infections in the body and prevents the risk of developing cancer.

Good luck cooking delicious smoked crucian carp!

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Cold smoked recipe. Start

According to experts, this method of cooking fish is a little more complicated. As in the previous case, for 3 kg of freshly caught crucian carp you will need 300 g of coarse salt and black pepper. An additional ingredient was bay leaf. At the very beginning, the fish is also gutted and washed in running water. It may be that the smoked crucian carcass will taste bitter. To prevent this from happening, it is advisable to rid the fillet of bile and black film. If you are working with large fish, then it is more advisable to remove the gills. They are mostly left in small fish.

How to choose the right crucian carp

It is better to take fresh crucian carp for smoking, since such fish is stored longer and has a more expressive taste, and is also safe. The freshness of an individual is indicated by:

bright eyes without cloudy spots;
pronounced fishy smell;
smooth, homogeneous surface;
elasticity of the skin (when pressed, the surface quickly returns to its shape);
red gills, lack of mucus.

Individuals are found in different sizes, so for home cooking it is better to take carcasses with the same parameters so that the fish is smoked evenly and at the same time.

About preparing the marinade

They do it as follows. In a saucepan, bring 2 liters of water with table salt (300 g) dissolved in it to a boil. The mixture is additionally seasoned with black peppercorns and bay leaves. Afterwards, the marinade is thoroughly stirred and cooled. Next, the fish, grated on all sides, is placed in a separate container and poured with the cooled marinade. The crucian carp should stay in this brine for 48 hours. It is advisable to open the lid from time to time and transfer the fish. This way it will be better saturated with salt.

Cooking process

The flame under the structure should be kept low. Otherwise, the fish may burn. After some time, the sawdust in the smokehouse will begin to char. As a result, woody, aromatic smoke will begin to be released. Its appearance indicates the smoking process. Cooking time for fish depends on the size of the carcasses. Typically the entire process takes from 20 to 40 minutes.

Once cooking is complete, remove the smoker from the heat and remove the lid. After this, you should wait until everything cools down. It is not recommended to remove crucian carp while they are hot, as the carcasses will simply fall apart. Let them remain on the wire rack for 15 minutes. After the specified time, the crucian carp can be carefully removed onto a dish and served. It is recommended to store this fish in the refrigerator.

About the cold smoking procedure

In this case, the distance between the fish and the roasting pan in the smokehouse should be one and a half meters. The device itself is a large metal barrel, inside of which there are special crossbars on which products are hung. During cold smoking, fish carcasses are treated with thick, cold smoke. It is very important to ensure that the flame does not get too hot. It is best to cook over smoldering straw. You can also get briquettes for grilling kebabs. The main thing is that the temperature in your smokehouse does not exceed 25 degrees.

How long does it take to smoke crucian carp? According to experts, everything will depend on the size of the carcasses. For example, small fish can be cooked in just 24 hours, while large fish can be cooked in 48 hours. If the crucian carp have become elastic and have a golden hue, it means that they are ready.

It is important that the fillet fits well to the bones and smells good. Cold smoked crucian carp is used as a gastronomic accompaniment to kvass and beer. Hot potatoes and ripe tomatoes go well with smoked meats. You can also eat fish with delicious salad and sandwiches.

Preparing crucian carp for smoking

Anyone who has ever tried smoked crucian carp will say with confidence that this is one of the most delicious dishes, but there is one problem - it is not prepared on an industrial scale, like other fish, which means finding it already cooked will be quite problematic.

Moreover, everyone has different tastes, so the best option would be to prepare smoked crucian carp at home with your own hands.

It is necessary to understand that smoking implies
the presence of a smokehouse .
At the moment, there are a large number of different options on the market, ranging from open options that are ideal for the street and those that can be easily placed in an ordinary city apartment. As for smoking crucian carp , the process has practically no differences compared to other types of fish. Despite the huge number of recipes, each chef has his own unique version, suitable for personal taste preferences. Regardless of the recipe, it is necessary to properly prepare the fish before smoking.
Reference. Among the large number of different reviews, among the negative ones, one can only note the large presence of small bones in this type of carp.
The process of preparing for the smoking process, in principle, does not have any fundamental differences, regardless of the choice of cooking recipe. In other words, when choosing cold smoking, the process of preparing the carcass will be similar to cooking in smoke:

the crucian carp needs to be gutted and cleaned , but if there is no particular desire to do this, you can skip this stage;
Now the fish must be well rubbed with black pepper and salt . If desired, you can use spices and a variety of herbs to give the dish a special smell and taste. It is imperative to put the mixture into the gills;
All processed carcasses are placed in a plate under pressure . If there is not too much fish and the plates fit in the refrigerator, then you need to put it there for about an hour and a half. Despite the fact that salting can be done at room temperature (moreover, the process will go much faster this way), but in this case it will be uneven;
the next stage involves removing the fish and then washing the carcasses from excess salt;
Now is the time to hang the fish in a place where there is free air circulation, for example on a balcony. It is very important that the place where the fish is dried is protected from insects that are attracted by its smell. It’s okay if it not only dries out, but even wilts slightly.