The only representative of the sturgeon that lives in fresh water is the sterlet (king fish). It is also considered the smallest in size among sturgeons and lives in the Black and White Seas, as well as in the rivers of Western Siberia, the Caspian and Aral basins. Sterlet soup and smoked products are well-known delicacies. The taste of the meat of this fish is surprisingly tender and pleasant. The size of the sterlet reaches 125 cm and 16 kg, but smaller individuals are more common.
Calorie content, composition, beneficial properties
The composition of smoked sterlet meat includes Omega acids, animal fats, and minerals. But most of all it contains high-quality, easily digestible proteins. Increased calcium and phosphorus content. Thanks to this attractive composition, sterlet is beneficial for health:
- normalizes the functioning of the nervous system;
- helps cope with apathy and depression;
- protects the heart and blood vessels from diseases, including atherosclerosis and high cholesterol;
- has a positive effect on brain function and vision;
- as part of a comprehensive diet, it helps prevent strokes and heart attacks;
- vitamins A, E, D are necessary for the normal functioning of all systems;
- protects the skeletal system from premature wear.
Fish contains a lot of healthy fat, but it is different from sources such as red meat. It is necessary for the human body.
| Calorie content and nutritional value of smoked sterlet per 100 g of product | |
| Calories | 88 kcal |
| Squirrels | 17.5 g |
| Fats | 2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 0 g |
What method do you use to smoke sterlet?
HotCold
When consuming sterlet, it is important to remember possible contraindications. The main thing is individual intolerance to fish products. Not recommended in large quantities for diseases of the adrenal glands and pancreas.
Important! If you have high blood pressure, salty foods can cause water retention in the body, making you feel worse.
It is necessary to monitor the processing of meat and avoid insufficient salting. If parasites and microorganisms remain inside, this can lead to botulism, helminth infection, and intoxication.
Preparing the fish
Salting sterlet is the main stage of proper smoking. It is salt that kills all bacteria and prepares the pulp for smoke treatment. There are dry and wet methods. The first one is ideal for hot smoking, but is not considered the only correct one. For dry salting you need to take 1 pack of coarse salt, 10-20 g of black pepper, 3.5-4 kg of fish.
First, the carcasses are gutted, removing the entrails but keeping the head. If smoking is planned in pieces, the head can be cut off. Next, the salting technology is strictly observed:
- You can make small cuts on the back where the salt is placed. It is best to marinate a dried product.
- The belly and outer part of the carcass are rubbed with a mixture of salt and pepper and placed in a suitable container.
- A layer of salt is first poured into the container, and when the fish is placed, more is added.
- They put pressure on top and marinate the carcasses for up to 12 hours.
- After salting, the fish should be rinsed well and ventilated for 2 hours.
Now you can begin the most enjoyable process.
Storing finished sterlet
After cooking, you need to properly store the product so that it retains its taste and freshness for as long as possible. Over time, these indicators deteriorate, but you can safely extend the shelf life of the delicacy, guided by the following tips:
- if smoking takes place outside the city, the carcasses are wrapped in paper or newspaper, having previously covered them with nettle leaves. In a ventilated place, the fish will remain in good condition for 24 hours;
- cold smoked sterlet is stored in the refrigerator at temperatures up to +4 degrees for 10 days;
- fish can be frozen and stored in this state for up to 3 months - it is advisable to use vacuum bags to prevent spoilage.
In order for the sterlet to retain its taste, it can only be defrosted in the refrigerator at a temperature in the range of 4-5 degrees Celsius.
Smoked sterlet is a beautiful, appetizing, aromatic delicacy that every connoisseur of smoked meats can pamper themselves with. The main thing is not to overuse, properly salt and store the finished product. Thanks to step-by-step technologies, this is not difficult to do; even cold smoking of sterlet will become an understandable and exciting process for every cook.
Hot smoking
To hot smoke sterlet, you will need a low or high smokehouse, in which the fish is placed on a grate or hung by its tails on hooks. The easiest way is to buy a smokehouse in a store - the design will be reliable, functional, and accurately maintain the set temperature.
The second required component for smoking is wood chips or sawdust from alder, fruit tree species, but not coniferous ones. They will begin to secrete resin, which will ruin the taste of the fish.
You can add fresh rosemary or juniper to the firewood for flavor.
Traditional recipe
Cooking of sterlet begins by starting a fire: the logs are set on fire and allowed to burn for several minutes to a medium but stable flame. Wood chips are poured into the smokehouse, covered with a lid, and put on fire. After a few minutes, a light smoke appears, after which you can proceed to the main steps:
- The marinated fish is placed on racks a few centimeters apart.
- Record the time - at least 1 hour. You can open the lid only 30-40 minutes after the start of cooking. This is to make sure the crust gets the right shade. Very dark fish will taste bitter.
- When the crust reaches the desired shade, remove the smokehouse from the heat and allow the product to cool under the lid.
- Take the carcasses out of the device, hang them or lay them out in a ventilated area for 30-60 minutes.
Serve the prepared sterlet with your favorite vegetables, a slice of lemon, and fresh herbs.
In a cauldron on the stove
You can prepare very tasty fish at home: take 1 clove of garlic, 450 g of sterlet, 3 g of parsley, 2 tbsp. l. soy sauce. Step by step plan:
- Prepare a marinade from finely chopped parsley, garlic, and soy sauce. Add some black pepper.
- After 10 minutes, place the carcass in this mixture and leave to marinate for 1 hour in the refrigerator. Be sure to add some of the marinade to the gutted belly.
- Take a large cauldron, foil, grate, alder sawdust for smoking. Place the sawdust in foil, wrap the envelope, and poke several holes in it with a knife.
- Place the salted sterlet, having previously blotted it with a napkin, on an oiled grate. Place the foil in the cauldron and a wire rack on top.
- Cover with a lid and turn on medium heat on the stove. Place the cauldron on top. When there is aromatic smoke, reduce the burner power and cook the fish for 20-25 minutes.
It is best to serve hot smoked sterlet with boiled young potatoes, herbs, and fresh vegetables.
In the oven with liquid smoke
In your apartment you can prepare delicious smoked sterlet with a small amount of liquid smoke. You will need: 1 kg of fish, 1 tbsp. l. salt, 70 g red wine, 1 tsp. sugar without a slide, 1 tsp. liquid smoke.
Cooking a smoked product begins with preparing the carcass:
- The sterlet is cut up, rubbed with salt and sugar, and put in the refrigerator for 10 hours.
- When the fish releases its juice, add wine and liquid smoke and leave for another 6 hours.
- After this, they take it out and place it on the wire rack.
- Set the oven to 80 degrees, place a wire rack there, and smoke using convection mode for at least 60 minutes.
The specific aroma and golden color of the skin will be the main factors in determining readiness. It is better to overcook than to serve an under-smoked product.
Sterlet smoked in a “special” way
This recipe, worthy of a real chef, is prepared using a smoke machine. If you have such a device at home, you can begin the process.
Take:
- 1 medium-sized sterlet;
- chives;
- white toast bread;
- salt and butter to taste.
Place the cut sterlet carcass in hot water, add salt, and bring to a light boil. Small alder shavings are placed on the mesh of the smoke machine. The bread is cut into portions for toast, and butter is spread on top.
As soon as the water with the fish begins to boil, it is removed from the heat and the carcasses are removed. Remove excess moisture with a napkin and place on a wooden board. The sawdust is set on fire in the machine, and the sterlet is covered with a glass cover. Direct a stream of smoke underneath it.
Leave the carcasses for 3-4 minutes to absorb the exquisite aroma. Take out the fish, cut it into pieces, put it on bread and butter. Sprinkle chopped onions on top and serve a delicious appetizer to the table.
Smoked sterlet “Merchant's Wedding”
The note
Anton Sogrevaev
- sterlet 1.5-2 kg;
- 1.5 tbsp. l. salt;
- 1 tsp. Sahara;
- A little freshly ground black pepper;
- 100 g cognac.
Make a mixture of salt, pepper and sugar. Rub the fish and leave for 5 hours. Add cognac, wait another 5 hours. Add the soaked fruit chips to the bottom of the smokehouse. We install the grease collector and grate.
Place the fish, cover with a lid, and put the smokehouse on the grill. Smoke for 1-1.5 hours. The dish is self-contained, with bread, capers, and lemon, it’s a delight.
Smoker Smoker Chef's Recipe
The note
Denis Glazkov
Chef
- sterlet:
- lemon;
- thyme;
- oil;
- salt;
- pepper.
To cook delicious fish, you need to marinate it. Since sterlet has very thick skin, it is not always tasty to cook it whole, because the skin does not allow the aromas of smoke and smokehouse, salt, and pepper to pass through. Therefore, we cut the fish and marinate it. As a rule, sterlet has few bones, which is why many people love it.
Let's cut the carcass into even pieces so that it cooks evenly and it doesn't look like one piece is dry and the other is juicy. For the marinade we will use the classic version: lemon juice, olive oil, herbs. To reveal the aroma of thyme, place it on your palm and clap it once. Add grass, olive oil, salt and pepper to the sterlet.
After the fish has been marinated, remove it for an hour and a half. In order to place the product, when it is cooked, beautifully on a dish, it is better to use the pieces in the period in which they were cut, so that each one has a smoky aroma. Therefore, we carefully place the fish on parchment in the form of a ladder, and then place it on a dish in the same order.
We place it in such a way that the thickest pieces are closer to the coals, because they will fry longer. We add pre-prepared wet alder chips to the coals so that the heat goes away a little, and the chips smolder as long as possible and add flavor to the dish.
Close the smoker for 15 minutes to cook.
For decoration you will need lemon and lettuce leaves.
Add thyme to the greens mix, season with olive oil, add a little salt and pepper.
Preparing carcasses for salting
The entire process of preparing smoked sterlet at home can be divided into three components: cutting the carcass, salting and smoking itself. The taste and smell of the finished meat directly depends on the quality of cutting. Every fish contains some elements that, when cooked, can give an unpleasant taste or odor. Sterlet is no exception, but more on this gradually.
- When purchasing fish, you should pay close attention to its freshness. The first sign of a good choice is the wet surface of the skin. Dry skin, sticky or slippery - all these are not good indicators. It is better to refuse the purchase completely.
- Next, we look for any cuts or other damage. It is necessary to carefully select carcasses only when smoking; for frying, such manipulations will be unnecessary. It is known that in the process of cold smoking there is a high probability of bacterial growth, and places of damage on carcasses will be precisely such foci. There are a couple more points left to consider: the meat should be difficult to separate from the bones, and the color of the gills should have a peculiar bright pink tint.
- Washing in running water is considered a mandatory step, since the carcass is covered with a slimy substance that needs to be gotten rid of. Here, advice from experienced chefs will be useful. To effectively remove mucus, the carcass must first be washed in hot water. The water temperature should not exceed 80°C degrees, and even more so, you cannot take boiling water. The meat may become scalded and lose its taste.
- Removing bone growths is not as easy as it seems. You can try cleaning the fish with a stiff brush, and in those places where the indicated growths protrude. The gills must be removed. In this case, all work must be carried out wearing protective gloves. There is a high probability of injury from the thorns on the scales.
- The head and tail should be separated, as they will take up free space in the smokehouse. But, due to their high content of meat and fat, they can be used to prepare, for example, fish soup. Some experts recommend removing a thin vein from the carcass - the vizig, which runs along the chord. According to them, it may give a not entirely pleasant aftertaste.
The above guide is a step-by-step algorithm that must be used for any method of salting sterlet. If the carcass was cut correctly, this guarantees a positive result from the entire cooking process, otherwise the meat can be completely ruined.
Cold smoking sterlet
The aroma and taste of cold-smoked sterlet differs from the hot-cooked product. This dish has a brighter texture and indescribable taste.
Important! To make sterlet correctly, you need to salt it well. It is best to use a liquid marinade.
You will need a specially equipped smokehouse consisting of 3 parts: a smoke generator, a tube for connecting the container to the heating element, and the fish container itself. The ideal unit can be bought in a store - maintaining the temperature in it is much easier.
Traditional cooking method
The classic recipe is not very different from hot cooking technology. However, for more effective smoke treatment, the fish can be cut into pieces:
- The carcasses are butchered, cut, rubbed with salt.
- Place the sterlet in an enamel container, cover it with a plate, and place pressure on top.
- Keep the fish for at least 4 days - it should release juice. After this, the meat is washed and ventilated for 2 days.
- It is important to cook only dry sterlet, otherwise the product will spoil.
- Hang the fish on hooks inside the smokehouse or lay it out on the grill.
- Cover the unit, light a fire, and place wood chips into the generator. When there is light smoke, attach the pipe and cook the fish for 2 days.
It is necessary to maintain a constant temperature within 30 degrees. You can determine readiness by the smell and consistency of the meat - it will be tender, but not watery.
Sterlet with notes of apple
You can get aromatic cold-smoked sterlet if you make it with the following ingredients:
- 1 kg of fresh gutted fish;
- 0.5 l of water for marinade;
- 0.25 cups sugar;
- 1.5 tbsp. l. salt;
- 500 ml fresh apple juice;
- 10 black peppercorns;
- 0.5 pcs. lemon;
- 8 pcs. carnations;
- 0.5 tbsp. onion peel;
- 3 pcs. bay leaves.
First, cook the brine: mix the juice with water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add onion peels washed in cool water, and after 5 minutes add spices. Boil for 25 minutes, adding a little water every 6-7 minutes, cool. The ideal brine is dark brown, closer to red brick.
The note
Vladimir Kuznetsov
Professional smoker
Carcasses can only be placed in cooled liquid; the fish must first be cut into large pieces. Cover the top with a lid or film. Sterlet is marinated for at least 24 hours.
When the marinating is finished, place the pieces on a wire rack. Make a fire, put wood chips in the smokehouse, and put it on the fire. Connect the pipe to the main compartment, install a grill with fish in the smoking container, and close it. Smoked at a temperature ranging from 28 to 30 degrees for at least 1-2 days.
If you want to cook a whole fish to serve beautifully on the table, marinating is extended to 2 days and smoked until cooked. The process can take up to 5 days if the carcasses are large. You should also take into account the amount of ingredients for the marinade - it is better to take more salt and water.
Let's prepare the fish for smoking
To prepare hot smoked sterlet, we don’t need much: desire, fish, salt and black pepper! From such a simple set of ingredients, the result is a juicy and tender dish with a subtle smoky aroma. We take:
- sterlet - 3-4 pieces, weighing approximately 1 kilogram,
- coarse salt - 1 pack,
- ground black pepper - 1 packet.
- Number of servings: up to 10;
- Cooking time: 17 hours.
The smoking process begins with a not-so-pleasant, but necessary event: cleaning and gutting the fish. If other varieties of sea and river inhabitants can be smoked with giblets, then sterlet requires careful cleaning, cutting off the spines from its sides and back, as well as removing the vizier - a thin vein running along the ridge. Due to an unremoved or incompletely removed vizig, the taste of the sterlet can be completely ruined. So, we carefully cut off the thorns, make an incision along the abdomen and clean out the giblets, through the incision along the ridge we grab and pull out the vizig. Then we thoroughly wash each carcass inside and out and lightly dry it with towels.
It's time for salting. Sterlet smoked in hot smoke is not salted for too long - 8-12 hours will be enough for medium carcasses. Pour a layer of salt into a food container, and also rub each sterlet carcass with salt on the outside and inside the abdomen. We also rub each fish with a pinch of black pepper. You can use other spices, but the taste of sterlet is good in itself and does not require additional notes that spices will provide. Place the sterlet on the salt, pour another layer of salt on top, cover with a lid or plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. While the sterlet is being salted, you can work on the smokehouse or look at the website “Fishing for Everyone!” looking for inspiration for a new fishing trip.
We extract the salted sterlet from a saline solution, which is obtained from used salt and excess moisture extracted from the fish. Wash it thoroughly in cold water. You can let the fish lie in clean water for about an hour to release excess salt, and then dry it well with towels. After this, we hang the sterlet in the fresh air to dry. This process takes a couple of hours. If it’s summer and there’s a risk that flies might pick on the drying fish, you should arm yourself with gauze and make a canopy out of it over the sterlet. After drying, it’s time to send the fish to the smokehouse, but for this, the smokehouse itself still needs to be prepared!
