Red fish - delicious product, which has many useful properties. And smoked salmon is gourmet dish, which almost everyone loves. Delicious canapés, salads, soups and rolls using this fish will decorate any special event.
Composition, properties, calorie content of smoked salmon
Having excellent taste characteristics, salmon has a rich composition useful substances. Contained in fish vitamins A, C, E, B, RR. And a large number of minerals: calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, fluorine.
Including this product in the diet increases immunity, strengthens muscle and bone tissue, and improves brain function. The presence of Omega-3 fatty acids in fish strengthens the walls of blood vessels, normalizes blood pressure, and prevents the development of atherosclerosis.
Like all smoked products, it is not recommended to abuse salmon. During the smoking process, harmful carcinogens can accumulate in products, so it should not be consumed daily. Also, smoked meats should be excluded from the menu for people with individual intolerance or allergies to red fish.
100 g of smoked salmon contains:
- Protein – 22.5 g
- Fat – 12.5 g
- No carbohydrates
- Calorie content is 202.0 kcal
Preparing salmon for smoking, marinating
Salmon is not a cheap fish, and when smoked it costs even more. Therefore, you can prepare the delicacy yourself. Firstly, you can save money, and secondly, it will turn out useful, natural product without harmful additives.
To smoke fish, you need to choose fresh, not frozen. The flesh of this fish has a pleasant pale pink color. You can choose a whole salmon carcass, steaks or ridges as desired.
The fish itself has a rich taste. Therefore, when marinating, you can get by with just salt. To do this, you need to generously rub the fish with coarse salt on all sides (clean and wash first), wrap in foil, and keep in the refrigerator for 5-7 hours. After rinse with water, dry paper napkin, let it rest in the air for 1 hour and start smoking.
If you want to add some spice to the product, add black pepper or your favorite herbs to the salt.
Hot smoked salmon
Cooking fish hot is simple and quick. To do this, you need a portable or stationary smokehouse, firewood, and a smoking product.
First you need to make a fire. The fire should be moderate but constant.
Place two large handfuls of alder or fruit wood chips on the bottom of the smokehouse. Place the fish, close the damper, and place the structure on the fire.
The optimal smoking temperature is 90 ⁰С. To measure the temperature, spray water on the smoker. If the water does not hiss, but evaporates quickly, then everything is in order.
In 30-35 minutes the salmon will be ready. Remove the smokehouse from the heat, take out the fish, let it cool (at least 20 minutes) and you can safely help yourself. 
Cold smoking salmon
Cold smoked dishes have a richer taste, aroma and can be stored for a long time. The cooking process takes longer than hot smoking, but the result is worth it.
To begin, the salmon must be cleaned, washed, dried with a paper towel and marinated in salt as described above. It is better not to add additional spices; the taste will be excellent.
Place sawdust from fruit and berry trees at the bottom of the smokehouse. Light a fire. Place the product in the smokehouse and seal it tightly.
Fish should be smoked at a temperature of 28-30⁰C for 12-24 hours. You will need to constantly monitor the temperature and add sawdust if the smokehouse is not automated. 
The dish is ready! The fish should have a golden, shiny crust and be elastic. Allow the treat to cool until room temperature and serve.
If the smoking process is extended to 48 hours, the salmon will become dry, but it can be stored 3 times longer.
Bon appetit!
Article rating:Smoked salmon is a delicious fish product and a popular dish festive table. It is served as an independent meal or added to appetizers and salads. Rolls are also made from this fish.
Compound
Smoked salmon contains vitamins A, PP, E. It is also rich in minerals: potassium, calcium, magnesium, fluorine, phosphorus, chromium, chlorine, nickel, iron, molybdenum.
Beneficial features
Smoked salmon contains fatty acid omega-3. They strengthen the walls of blood vessels, normalize cholesterol levels in the blood and prevent the development of atherosclerosis. The product contains substances that increase immunity, improve brain function, and restore the body after serious illnesses.
The vitamins contained in salmon help strengthen bones and muscle tissue. Regular consumption of the product improves mood and improves general state person.
Harm
Smoked salmon is not advisable for people with individual intolerance and allergies to the product. There is an opinion that the meat of this fish can accumulate mercury.
A delicacy that is hard to imagine without modern holiday. This type of fish is especially highly valued by gourmets. Salmon tastes great and contains a number of vitamins, including Omega-3 acids.
A common cooking method is smoking salmon. Since ancient times it has been used to increase the shelf life of the product. In addition, smoking gives the fish an amazing taste and unique aroma, which cannot be obtained by frying.
The ideal raw material is fresh salmon, since frozen salmon loses its natural juiciness. First you need to cut it up: rinse thoroughly under running water, remove the insides. Next, remove the head, fins, and tail - this is an excellent basis for the fish soup. The carcass needs to be cut along the ridge, the large bones separated, the fish dried with a paper towel, the finished layers can be smoked.
Cold smoked salmon with pre-marination
Let's look at how to smoke salmon. We marinate the prepared, cut carcass in a saline solution with spices. The main difference from the hot method is the cooking temperature in the smokehouse. For this cooking option, it should not exceed +40 degrees Celsius. The duration of smoking is at least 24 hours. Nowadays there are many devices on sale for smoking under different conditions, designed for different volumes of products. After purchasing your own smokehouse, you will immediately have “traditional recipes”. If it already exists, please share it. the best options preparations on our blog.
Hot smoked salmon
Fire-fried meat is a very popular dish, but at the end of the summer season you want some variety. Hot smoked salmon is a very popular product for cooking over charcoal. Write down an easy and delicious recipe.
Extremely simple. The first stage is marinating the fish in a mixture of pepper and salt. It is better to give preference to coarsely ground sea salt; choose the amount of pepper and its type to taste. According to the recipe, the marinating time is at least an hour. This is the minimum at which spices permeate salmon pieces. To prevent the spices from spreading, portions of fish should be blotted with a paper towel.
Correct selection of wood chips will improve taste qualities fish
Let's move on to preparing the smokehouse, choosing - bird cherry, apple, alder, cherry chips. The substances contained in these types of wood give the fish a wonderful taste and aroma, but the main thing is that the finished fish will not taste bitter.
After laying the wood chips on the bottom and installing the grate, you need to put a tray to collect the fat, because the salmon is enough fatty fish, and when burning fish oil carcinogenic substances are released. The smoking process can be carried out over charcoal or an open flame.
It is important to monitor the amount of smoke, because with a lot of smoke the fish turns out to have a sour taste. Insufficient smoke emission leads to less rich taste- take these features into account.
Cooking time on coals is about 20 minutes. On an open fire it is reduced by half, otherwise the fish will turn out dry. If they smoke large pieces, smoking time can be increased to 40 minutes. The resulting product can be consumed while still hot; some people like it already cooled down. For a picnic, charcoal smoked fish is a great option.
Recipe with liquid smoke
If you do not have the opportunity to cook smoked salmon in a smokehouse,... Using this method, fish can be cooked in the refrigerator overnight.
Salmon prepared by cold smoking is tender and has a rich smoked aroma. In just a day cold snack can be served at the holiday table.
Dip the prepared pieces into a solution of liquid smoke for five minutes. Next, rub the fish on all sides with salt so that it absorbs required quantity. The resulting layers of fish should be wrapped in cling film and placed in the refrigerator for a day. Cold smoked salmon is ready to eat; it can be cut into portions and served.
Summarize
Now you know how to smoke salmon cold and hot. The cooking process is easy, so you will cope with the task brilliantly, even if this is your first experience in smoking.
Smoking is a type heat treatment products. Unique way, firstly, preserving products (meat, fish, game, etc.), and, secondly, making products aromatic and very tasty. Smoking, rather, is preservation, for later long-term storage.
Usually smoking is divided into cold and hot. Their difference is that hot smoking is very similar to baking (temperature is usually 60-120 degrees) with a smoking effect due to the formation of aromatic smoke.
Hot smoking is fast smoking, and to enhance the effect, unfortunately, chemical cocktails - liquid smoke - are often used. Due to its simplicity, hot smoking is applicable even in a city apartment. Cold smoking is a very long-term treatment with fairly cold smoke (temperature 20-30 degrees). Sometimes cold smoking lasts several days.
Hot smoked salmon is easy, even on a picnic or at home in the kitchen. For a picnic you need a portable smokehouse, for kitchen smoking you need a sealed smokehouse with a smoke exhaust system in the form of a water seal.
One day, my friends and I impromptu prepared an amazing delicacy - hot smoked salmon, right on the river bank. Well, try it yourself and feed people - smoked salmon is something that anyone will have time for. I admit, I cut off one steak to cook at home.
Hot smoked salmon. Dream!
Ingredients (10-12 servings)
- Salmon, carcass 2.5 kg
- Salt to taste
- Do you know how jellied pike perch is prepared??? You buy hake and say it's pike perch. We decided not to suffer and bought two good salmon, 2.5 kg each.
- On the shore they began to prepare for smoking. Heavily salted the fish carcasses from the inside and over the skin, then left for 1 hour to allow the fish to salt.
Salt the salmon and then wash it
- While the firewood was being collected, the fish was ready for smoking. Carefully lit a fire. They asked someone in boots to rinse the fish in the Dnieper from salt and clean it of mucus.
- Heads and tails were cut off. The fish was wiped dry.
- Three handfuls of large alder shavings were poured into the smokehouse, the fish was loaded, the damper was closed and the smokehouse was put on the fire.
Load the fish into the smokehouse
- The fire needs to be medium or even less, but constantly. The sawdust began to smolder almost immediately.
Put the smokehouse on fire
- Fragrant white smoke poured out. Exactly - 30 min.
Fragrant white smoke poured out
- We need to keep the fire going. Half an hour. No more, no less! Then carefully remove the smokehouse from the heat.
- It is better to immediately “disassemble” the fish, remove large bones, smoked salmon must cool down. A side dish for salmon may not even be necessary.
- Well, then you can use it. It’s very tasty to put salmon on a piece of very fresh Ukrainian bread!!!
Smoked salmon – delicious treat, which has long been loved by many and can quickly turn even a banal breakfast into a real feast.
Salmon – big fish salmon family. She's a predator. This fish lives like in the wild northern seas, Quiet and Atlantic Oceans, and in the waters of fish farms in every corner of the planet. Characteristic feature Salmon is a meat of amazing taste and red color. For this quality it is popularly called “red fish”.
The nutritional characteristics of this fish are very high. It is especially valued for its high content polyunsaturated acids, which have the scientific name omega-3. This miraculous substance in all respects is contained in fish fat. Because of these unique qualities, this valuable breed of fish is bred. Salmon meat produces extraordinary delicacies.
One more positive feature This fish is distinguished by culinary specialists: salmon does not have small bones. Thanks to this, the meat is easily separated from the ridge and looks very neat when cut.. The salmon looks approximately the same as in the photo.
Prepared from salmon great amount various delicious dishes. This fish, as culinary experts say, is waste-free. Only the entrails and scales are considered unfit for food, while everything else has a use. For example, soup is made from the meat of this fish, fins and ridges; various snacks and pickles, cutlets and many other dishes are made from fillets.
Preparing salmon delicacies is very simple, and they always turn out delicious. Boiled or baked meat of this fish is used in dietary nutrition and nutrition of children. This product is also necessary for older people.
Smoking salmon is a simple way to preserve all the beneficial substances of this valuable commercial fish in its original form.. It is no secret that smoked meats last longer than pickles and also have better organoleptic qualities. Smoked salmon attracts with its appearance, aroma and unsurpassed taste. This delicacy quickly saturates and increases the level of serotonin in the body, popularly called the hormone of happiness.
Compound
The composition of smoked salmon meat is no different from fresh fish. Salmon contains vitamins A, E, C, as well as group B, and is rich in microelements. The meat of this valuable fish contains a large amount of easily accessible protein and fats, which, unlike other animal fats, help humans fight many diseases. It is the high fat content that makes salmon a rather high-calorie product..
The main microelements contained in this fish are sodium, magnesium and phosphorus. Meat contains these microelements maximum quantities. A secondary place is occupied by the no less familiar fluorine, iron, zinc, calcium and potassium, and microdoses of chlorine, nickel and molybdenum complete the line of useful substances.
Meat from fish grown in wildlife, contains a large amount of a substance such as melatonin, known to science How best helper in the fight against wrinkles and trophic skin lesions.
How to choose quality smoked salmon?
How to choose quality smoked salmon? This question is asked by all people without exception who once wanted to buy this delicacy. And it is quite understandable, because the high cost of the product must be justified by the high quality.
When purchasing smoked salmon, you should adhere to the following rules::
- Rate appearance product. High-quality fish should be moderately dried, the skin should easily come away from the meat when you try to pull it down, and the fish itself should be elastic and pleasant to the touch. You should refuse to purchase a piece of smoked salmon that crumbles into fibers (even prepared using the hot smoking method), even if its price is suitable. If the smoked salmon fillet is vacuum-packed, then, of course, determining these characteristics is a little more difficult. In this case, you should trust the manufacturer and his conscience.
- Buy only famous products brands. Manufacturers of this level care about their reputation and produce the delicacy in compliance with technology and always from fresh, unfrozen raw materials.
- Be sure to study the composition of the product on the packaging, and also find out the preparation date and expiration date. When purchasing a weighted product, you can obtain this information from the seller.
- Feel free to smell the smoked product. If you have any doubts about the naturalness of smoking or the quality of the original product, then refuse to purchase. Health is more valuable than a short gastronomic pleasure!
- Purchase products only in stores and always ask for certificates. Try not to buy fish from private producers and places of spontaneous trade, because in this case you will not be able to be sure of the correct preparation and smoking of the product, as well as its subsequent storage. Always remember that a low-quality delicacy can easily put you in a hospital bed.
In order not to worry about the quality of the purchased salmon, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the secrets in the next section of this article and prepare the delicacy yourself.
How to smoke with your own hands?
You will learn how to smoke salmon with your own hands in this section of the article.
Before describing the technology for preparing the delicacy at home, I would like to insert a short remark. Fish that has not been refrigerated, much less frozen for a long time, is suitable for smoking. Only a fresh product will allow you to obtain smoked meat with a dense structure and maintain a pleasant elasticity of the fibers. If the fish was frozen, then it is possible that the smoking process will take a little longer.
Prepare smoked fish You can either use a portable mini-smokehouse on the street or right in your apartment. In the latter case, a multicooker with a smoking function or a homemade device made of a large cast iron and a grate inside will help. You can currently find many videos on making “cunning smokehouses” with your own hands on the World Wide Web.
The process of preparing smoked salmon at home always begins with salting or marinating the main ingredient. Moreover, it can be not only the fillet of this valuable fish. The ridges, heads, and bellies are smoked. The latter are characterized by high fat content, so they are always cut out and used separately.
In most recipes related to smoking salmon, cooks suggest using a mixture of regular table salt, granulated sugar and herbs, which include fenugreek, juniper berries and other herbs that add the aroma of wood.
The average specimen weighs four kilograms. It is on this basis that it is advisable to cook and smoke salmon in portioned pieces. And buying it this way is also much more convenient and profitable.
If you purchased whole fish, be sure to rinse and gut it before marinating. Be sure to remove the cord white with dark filling, located at the base of the ridge, especially if you plan to smoke this part of the carcass. There is no need to remove the skin. Abdomen, freed from entrails and fat, pat thoroughly with paper towels, and then wipe the peritoneum dry. Proceed with extreme caution so as not to touch or crush the gallbladder.
If it so happens that bile gets on tender meat, then try to collect it as quickly as possible, and then treat the area with lemon juice or natural apple cider vinegar. Leave the liquid on the fish for about five minutes, and then rinse it thoroughly with salt and always cold water.
After this, proceed to further cutting of the carcass. Cut off the fins, including the tail one. It is not advisable to smoke these parts of the fish. Cut off the head and remove the gills. If you plan to smoke it, then be sure to prepare sticks of the appropriate size and density, which will allow you to secure the gill bones as well as possible at a distance from the head. This will make it possible to effectively smoke this part of the carcass. With a sharp knife Dress the fish: Separate the fillet from the backbone, and then carefully cut out the fatty part of the belly.
Marinate all parts of the fish to be smoked and leave them in the refrigerator under pressure for a day. Remove the salted fish from the brine. Hang the pieces on hooks and let the brine drain. If you smoke salmon hot, be sure to tie the fillet with twine at this stage of cooking. This will save the fish from premature scattering.
Light a fire in the mini smokehouse, fill the tray with wood chips and install the water seal. Bring the chips to the desired condition, and only then load the fish. You can either place the carcass pieces on the grill or hang them on hooks.
Control the smoke temperature: throughout the smoking process it should not exceed ninety degrees Celsius. Smoke the fish for about one hour. After the time has passed, check the readiness of the fish. If necessary, continue smoking for the required time.
Cool the finished fish in air (this will take at least four hours), and only then eat it or store it.
Smoked salmon prepared by yourself will definitely surpass in quality and taste all industrially prepared products. You can not only always have an excellent delicacy on hand, but also save significantly family budget, because the price of raw fish less cost ready-made delicacy.
How to store smoked salmon?
How to properly store smoked salmon, read in this section of the article. Like all smoked products, salmon meat must not only be properly prepared, but also stored under appropriate conditions. In modern life best place The place where you can store smoked salmon without losing quality is the refrigerator.
Wrapped in parchment or cotton cloth soaked in strong saline solution, cold smoked fish can be stored without drying out for two weeks. But the hot smoked fish in similar conditions will be suitable for food only within three days from the moment of preparation.
With regard to smoked salmon sold in vacuum packaging, the following requirements should be adhered to: the entire package can be stored under the conditions indicated on it for the recommended shelf life, but unopened salmon can be stored for no longer than five days.
What to cook?
What to cook with smoked salmon? This question is relevant at all times, because fish is not so cheap that it should be spent irrationally.
The first thing that comes to mind is to cut the delicacy into thin slices and place them on a spread butter bread. A cup of sweet black tea or aromatic tart coffee - and the perfect breakfast is ready on your table!
A piece of salmon fillet and a portion of spinach on the side – perfect dietary dish. A serving of this delicacy can easily become a complete breakfast or dinner.
In fact, there are a huge number of dishes that use smoked salmon. All of them are easy to prepare, so even completely inexperienced cooks can implement them.
You can make smoked salmon fillet delicious salad, which is then used to stuff pita bread or fill tartlets, rolls, casseroles, and even cook soup, for example, with the addition of young asparagus beans. Salmon heads and ridges are also excellent for cooking the latter.
Also prepared and served with smoked salmon:
- pasta and macaroni;
- potato fritters;
- pizza;
- pies.
Smoked salmon bellies, woven into a spiral, as in the photo, are an excellent appetizer for beer or an independent dish.
With one of the most interesting recipes You can find out more about using smoked salmon below. It has an unusual name - gnocchi with herbs and smoked salmon sauce.
The main ingredients of this delicacy are:
- potatoes – 700 grams;
- wheat flour – 200 grams;
- cold smoked salmon fillet – 200 grams;
- cream high fat content(for sauce) – 200 ml;
- green onions (feathers) – 1 bunch;
- dill (greens) - to taste;
- table salt – 1 tablespoon;
- water (for cooking gnocchi) – 2 liters.
Read the process of preparing the delicacy step by step below.
- Wash the tubers thoroughly in running water. Boil the potatoes in their jackets until tender. Cool the product in cold water and peel off the skin. After this, grate the tubers on a fine grater. Place the mixture in a bowl and add a little salt.
- Add to potatoes wheat flour. Mix the ingredients and knead into a stiff dough.
- Divide the workpiece into four parts. Roll each piece of dough into a sausage one centimeter thick.
- Cut the strips of potato dough into cubes, and then use a fork to make wavy impressions on them, placing the back of the fork on the dough. These dumplings or potato dumplings are gnocchi.
- Boil water in a large saucepan, add salt to taste and carefully add the gnocchi. Boil the dumplings for a minute after the liquid has boiled, then remove with a slotted spoon and place on a plate.
- Pour the cream into a deep frying pan, and then add the smoked salmon fillet cut into cubes and finely chopped herbs.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over low heat, and then salt it to taste. Place gnocchi in hot sauce. Stir them very quickly and then remove the pan from the heat.
- And that’s it, the wonderful delicacy is ready! Place the dish on portioned plates and safely serve. Wish your household a bon appetit and receive praise!
If you add half a can of canned green peas and about a hundred grams of grated peas to this delicacy hard cheese, and after that send the dish to an oven preheated to two hundred degrees Celsius, you will get a delicious casserole. It can become a holiday table favorite and your signature dish..
We hope that this section taught you how to prepare simple, tasty and unusual delicacies and helped dispel all your doubts!
The benefits and harms of smoked salmon
We will try to describe the benefits and harms of eating smoked salmon in the diet as much as possible in this section.
The benefits of smoked salmon are obvious, and they are fully consistent with eating salmon in its pure form. Regular use of the product helps improve the functioning of all organs and systems of the body. Eating salmon is beneficial for people suffering from:
- diseases of the cardiovascular system;
- diabetes mellitus;
- nervous system disorders;
- brittle bones and joint diseases;
- atherosclerosis.
At the same time, smoked salmon can be harmful. That is why it is not recommended to use this product for pregnant and lactating women, children and people with allergies. These categories of people are especially susceptible to carcinogens, which inevitably accumulate in the product during the smoking process. Due to the individual state of the body or the immaturity of the digestive system, such people may experience deterioration in health due to intoxication.
In general, moderate and not too frequent consumption of smoked salmon in the diet helps improve performance, improve mood and increase the body’s overall resistance to external factors.
Eat smoked salmon and be healthy and happy! Just keep in mind the fact that smoked salmon has more calories than fresh or salted salmon, so it can change the shape of your figure.
