Smoking carp at home: cold and hot methods

Carp is a popular freshwater fish that belongs to the cyprinid species. It is fried in vegetable oil, baked in the oven with onions, lemon and white wine, and cooked in fish soup. A recipe for smoked carp at home is a wonderful snack for beer, which has no equal in taste.

Beautifully served smoked carp

Wood selection

For hot-smoked carp, you should take deciduous trees, since they do not contain resins. Judging by the reviews, many cooks use willow, poplar, chestnut, maple, alder and oak. According to experts, smoked carp will be very tasty if the wood is additionally enriched with juniper and berries. In addition, the fish will have a beautiful golden color and a special aroma. If you use sawdust from any fruit tree, your dish will have a special taste.

It is not recommended to cook carp on coniferous trees and birch, or you should not take a lot of such chips. After selecting the wood, it is used to make shavings and sawdust. It is important that they are free of mold and mildew. Many cooks experiment with sawdust, mixing wood of different species. It is noteworthy that pine sawdust gives carp meat a dark, bronze tint, while aspen sawdust gives it a golden hue. To make the smoke thicker, experts advise adding pine cones.

What ingredients will be needed?

According to the classic recipe, hot smoked carp is prepared with the following products:

Coarse salt. For a kilogram of fresh, not frozen fish, you will need one tablespoon.
Ground white pepper. One teaspoon will be enough.
Garlic (3-4 heads). This ingredient is pre-crushed using a special garlic grinder. You can also use a fine grater.

Grated tomatoes (500 g). Tomato sauce will also work.
Coriander (50 g).

For variety, you can use various spices, dried herbs, fresh herbs and lemon.

Composition, glycemic index, BJU content

View	Proteins (g)	Fat (g)	Carbohydrates (g)	Calorie content (kcal)	Glycemic index
Fresh	18,2	2,7	0	97	0
Fried in a pan	18,8	18,6	0	242,2	0
Baked	16,5	2,2	0,2	87,4	0
Boiled	21,5	3,1	0,1	113,9	0

Contains vitamins: B1 and B2, C, A, E, PP. Meat contains a large number of mineral components: potassium, fluorine, magnesium, nickel, calcium, phosphorus, chromium. The benefits of carp are associated with beneficial amino acids and unsaturated fatty acids.

About preparing fish

Before starting the smoking procedure, the carp should be carefully prepared. First of all, this fish is salted. Some craftsmen make a dish from a whole carp. There are fans who gut the fish before salting it. If you want to smoke the whole carcass, first wash it in running water and then rub it with coarse salt. After these steps, the fish is placed in the refrigerator for a couple of days. How long a carp should be aged depends on its size. For example, small fish are kept in the refrigerator for a day, but large fish will have to be salted longer.

Danger and contraindications

Carp is an unpretentious and indiscriminate fish.

Therefore, it feeds on a wide variety of foods: mollusks, worms, insect larvae.

It can live in polluted water bodies.

Harmful compounds and parasites accumulate in his body , which can adversely affect human health, since they do not always disappear after heat treatment.

Therefore, if the fish lived in unfavorable conditions, it should not be abused.

If the fish lived in ecologically clean areas, there are practically no contraindications to its consumption. It is worth excluding it from the diet of those people who are allergic to fish products.

How to gut a carp?

The purpose of this procedure is to cut the fish along its spine and then remove the insides. You don't have to touch the scales. If you don't know how to gut a carp, follow these steps:

First of all, cut the carcass, and then unfold it along the cut.
Next, you should make several horizontal and vertical cuts. It is desirable that the skin of the fish remains intact.
After this, as in the first case, the meat is rubbed with coarse salt. Without entrails, the carp is kept in the refrigerator for five hours.
After this time, the carcass is removed from the refrigerator, thoroughly washed of salt in running water, and then rubbed with garlic, pepper, tomatoes and coriander squeezed out through a press, and then proceed directly to the smoking procedure itself.

For hot smoking, experienced chefs recommend taking large fish weighing at least one kilogram.

Cold method

Salting and marinating

Cold smoked carp is salted at home using dry or wet methods. For mixed salting, sprinkle the product with salt, after 24 hours, pour in a strong salt solution and leave for 7 days.

When dry salting, black pepper, crushed bay leaves, garlic, spices and herbs are used. Rub the resulting mixture onto the fish, apply pressure and hold until water appears.

The process of marinating carp

For liquid brine, 1 liter of water will require 150 g of salt. When the brine boils, add laurel leaves, cilantro, pepper, herbs and spices. Cook for 5 minutes and remove from the stove. The cooled mixture is poured into the fish and kept for three to seven days. If the holding time is longer, add more salt.

Processing fish before smoking

After brining, wash the fish. If it has stood for a long time, then it should be soaked in water (maximum 3 hours). Then the carcasses should be dried in a well-ventilated place for up to 5 days. When the fish stops sticking to your hands and is covered with a crust, transverse cuts are made and sent to the smoking chamber.

Classic way

Ingredients:

150 g salt;
1 tsp each ground black and red pepper;
2-3 bay leaves;
other spices to taste.

Brine is being prepared:

Salt and spices are poured into water, put on fire, and brought to a boil.
Cool to room temperature, pour the resulting marinade over the fish and leave for 2-5 days.
Remove and dry with paper towels.

The smokehouse is being prepared for use. If a smoke generator is used, moistened wood chips are loaded into it and set on fire, and the smoke is directed into the smoking chamber. If a homemade smokehouse is used, the wood chips are loaded into one chamber, and the fish is placed in another. A long pipe of 8-10 meters is passed from the first chamber to the second. Passing through the pipe, the smoke cools to the desired temperature (no more than 40 degrees).

Cooking lasts from 10 hours to 3 days, depending on the size of the carcasses.

Quick recipe

For 1 kg of carcasses it is necessary

100-130 g table salt;
1 tsp. chopped laurel, ground black pepper, paprika, turmeric, oregano, cilantro, dill, cumin.

Cooking process:

Chips or sawdust are placed in water for half an hour.
The fish, cleaned of its entrails, is spread with salt, spices and seasonings, wrapped in a special film and placed in a refrigeration unit for 24 hours. Then the flame is lit, and the carapaces are dried in the air.
Before smoking, you can put onions, bay leaves, herbs, chopped garlic, sliced lemon or other citrus fruits inside the fish.
The fish carcasses are placed on marinated grape leaves or a griddle coated with oil. You can also simply hang the fish in the smoking chamber, if the device allows it.
The temperature is maintained from 20 to 40 degrees, the smoking time is up to two days and depends on the size of the fish.
When the carcasses have cooled, they are kept in air for up to three days.

Densely packed cold-smoked carp can be stored for up to three months. The calorie content of cold-smoked carp is 109 kcal.

Smoking without a smokehouse

For cold smoking you need a special smoking box and chimney. But if you use your imagination, you can do without a smokehouse; this will not spoil the taste of the delicacy.

First, prepare the fish carcasses:

Take out the insides, the ridge, get rid of the scales and gills (you can leave the head). Finally, rinse the carp thoroughly under running water.
Rub the fish with salt, place it in a container and sprinkle the salt mixture on top thoroughly. Place the container in a cool place for salting.
After 5-6 hours, remove the carcasses, rinse with water and dry with a paper towel.
Make holes near the tail and insert hooks through them.
Spread the belly with a toothpick so that during smoking the smoke flows evenly throughout the entire carcass.

Now begin the cold smoke treatment process:

Make a frame from wooden blocks and hang hooks with fish on it.
Cover the homemade structure with gauze to prevent midges or flies from flying in and leave the fish to dry for 24 hours.
After the time has passed, remove the gauze and place a cardboard box on top of the frame. Connect a smoke generator to the side, and make a hole on top to allow excess smoke to escape.
Connect the compressor with a temperature of 30 degrees, add alder chips and smoke for 6-7 hours.

After the time has passed, let the delicacy cool and only then take it out and serve.

An example of carp storage

Work progress

First, the bottom of the smokehouse is lined with a layer of sawdust and wood chips. Next, the washed and dried carcasses are placed on the grill. It is important that they do not touch each other. Now the box can be closed and put on fire. Many beginners are interested in how long it takes to smoke this fish? According to experienced chefs, specimens weighing up to 2 kg will be ready in half an hour. If the weight of the carcass is more or less, then accordingly you will have to increase or decrease this time interval.

How to determine the readiness of a dish?

It may be that after half an hour the smoked carp will not be ready yet. This is determined by its appearance, as well as by testing. Well-smoked fish should be brown-golden in color and have an appetizing aroma. If there is no blood along the ridge in a carcass broken in half, and the skin and pulp are easily separated with the formation of a small amount of juice, then your dish is ready.

Otherwise, all you have to do is put the lid back on the smokehouse and continue the smoking procedure. This recipe for smoked carp is a classic. To enjoy a snack made from this fish, you don’t have to take it home. You can smoke carp directly while fishing. This is easy to do if you have available tools. Read more about the method of preparing hot smoked carp in camping conditions.

Peculiarities of influence on the human body: benefits and harms

Due to the presence of vitamins, microelements and nutrients, fish has a beneficial effect on the body. It is recommended to be introduced into the diet of all age categories of people.

Benefits for men and women

Unsaturated fatty acids and vitamin PP improve the condition of skin and hair and have anti-aging properties.

Vitamins C, A and E support immunity. The components actively participate in metabolism, improving the quality functioning of many organs.

Lecithin promotes the regeneration of young cells and tissues. The connective fibers in meat have a positive effect on the digestive system.

The presence of saturated fatty acids helps maintain mental health. They prevent depression and relieve frequent mood swings.

Eating meat helps get rid of pancreatitis and gastritis. If you use the product several times a week, you can restore the correct heart rhythm and get rid of tachycardia.

For pregnant and lactating women

Carp is indicated for women during pregnancy . This is an easily digestible product that prevents constipation. It naturally restores iron levels in the blood and promotes weight loss. Regulates metabolism, improves blood circulation, and is a preventive measure for venous insufficiency.

Fish is recommended for nursing mothers. Its components have a positive effect on the development of the child. Minerals and vitamins strengthen the skeletal system, increase immunity, and make the baby calm.

Useful qualities for children

Eating carp improves children's well-being and increases brain activity. With regular use of the product, the number of colds decreases and the functioning of the child’s gastrointestinal tract improves.

Carp is indicated for children with asthma. It is recommended to give it from 3 years of age no more than 2 times a week.

For the elderly

The presence of unsaturated fatty acids will reduce inflammatory processes.

The product is recommended for use for arthritis and diseases of the skeletal system.

Eating meat prevents the formation of blood clots, lowers cholesterol levels in the blood, and is a preventive measure against atherosclerosis.

In older people, blood pressure stabilizes.

Retinol reduces the risk of age-related changes in the optic nerve and improves night vision.

Fish has a positive effect on the functioning of the cardiovascular system.

Special categories

Carp meat is a dietary product, so it is recommended for people with increased body weight.

Due to its beneficial components, it prevents obesity. Due to its low calorie content, it is included in the diet of people suffering from diabetes.

How to smoke fish outdoors?

First, the fish is salted. The scales are left in it. Next you need to dig a hole half a meter deep. Its width and height must be at least 700 mm. You can do this right on the shore. When the hole is ready, cover it on top with branches of deciduous trees. The already salted fish will be located here. Now you need to make a fire in a niche at the very bottom of the pit. To make the smoke thicker, in addition to branches of non-resinous trees, additionally add wet leaves to the fire. During cooking, it is recommended to periodically turn the carcasses. Judging by consumer reviews, smoked carp will be ready in three hours.

About preparing snacks using foil

For those who want to make hot smoked carp, but do not have a smokehouse, we can recommend using food foil. In addition, you will also need a large cauldron. At the very beginning, the fish is salted and left for several hours in the refrigerator.

Afterwards, the bottom of the cauldron is lined with foil, on which sawdust and wood chips are carefully laid. To prevent the carcasses from coming into contact with them, a stand is installed on the cauldron. The fat formed during smoking will not drip onto the wood chips if this stand is wrapped in food foil. Now all you have to do is carefully arrange the carcasses, cover the cauldron tightly and put it on the fire. After 30 minutes, remove it from the heat. The appetizer will be ready in two hours. During this time, it should brew in a cauldron with a lid on.

What do experienced chefs recommend?

Often, beginners make a number of mistakes, as a result of which smoked carp meat may not turn out to be tasty and aromatic enough. For example, during smoking without a tray, the fat released from the fish will drip onto the sawdust and burn with the further formation of unpleasant smoke and odor. As a result, the taste of your snack will be ruined. Hot smoking is possible at a temperature of no less than 50 degrees and no more than 170.

Despite the fact that this dish is a real delicacy that can be eaten both hot and chilled, according to experts, a snack prepared in this way is not suitable for long-term storage. It is advisable to consume hot smoked carp within four days.

Oven smoking recipes

There are several ways to smoke fish in the oven using sawdust, liquid smoke, and in a sleeve.

You can prepare fish for smoking in a liquid salt solution or dry method. The whole process is carried out in the same way as when marinating for smoking in the classical way.

Cooking in a makeshift smokehouse:

Rub the fish carcasses with seasonings - approximately 2/3 tsp. for each piece, pour liquid smoke in the amount of 2 tbsp. l.;
Cut the foil and wrap one piece at a time in it, secure the edges well so that the fish juice does not spill out.
Place the finished portions on a baking sheet, place in an oven preheated to 200 degrees and leave for an hour.

You can cook fish in an electric oven on the balcony:

Place alder or apple chips evenly on a baking sheet, cover another container with foil and make holes.
Place the finished fish on the grill bars.
Heat the oven together with the wood chips. You can add any herbs to give it a special smell.
Heat the equipment to 200 degrees, place the grill with fish on the middle level, close the doors.
Cook until smoke forms at high temperature for another quarter of an hour, then reduce to 45 degrees and hold for 20 minutes.
Then turn off, but do not open the oven until the smoke stops.

Cooking carp meat in a sleeve is very convenient and practical. Firstly, the liquid does not leak out, and secondly, acrid smoke does not spread in the apartment. The fish turns out juicy.

Coat the prepared fish with a liquid smoke substance, you can add rosemary or special herbs. Fasten the sleeve and place the fish, back up, on a wire rack in an oven preheated to 200 degrees.

When the sleeve swells, pierce in three places. Baking time – 30-40 minutes. When the product has cooled, divide into portions. It turns out something between baked and smoked fish.