How to smoke catfish at home. Hot and cold smoking of catfish

Fish dishes are very healthy, regardless of the method of processing and cooking. We are used to eating fish fried, boiled or pickled. We usually buy smoked carcass in the store. However, having once prepared hot smoked catfish, the recipe for which I will provide you with, you will forever forget about store-bought delicacies, since they will lag far behind in taste from the homemade delicacy. The recipe for smoking catfish is quite simple and not labor-intensive, so it will be accessible to everyone.

Hot smoked catfish - instructions

To prepare hot smoked catfish, follow these steps.

First, we clean the carcass from the insides. Wash well and dry. Let me clarify right away, if you have a mini-smoker that is popular today for use at home, then that’s just great. And if you have not yet acquired such a device, then prepare this dish while going on a picnic with friends.

So, hot smoking catfish involves the following steps. Take cleaned and prepared catfish and cut it into portions. It is advisable that they are not very thick for normal smoking. We salt them, pepper them and set them aside for a while so that the meat absorbs the seasonings. Next, thoroughly rinse off the remaining salt and dry with a towel.

Prepare sawdust in advance, preferably alder wood. Place a special smoking device above the grill. Don't forget to put catfish in the device! Make sure there are only coals and not open flames. When the fish is ready, you will understand it by the delicious smell and smoke that will spread from under the lid of the smokehouse. Remove the device from the grill and open the lid for a few minutes. Then close the device again and go to the grill for 10-15 minutes. Do this several times for better effect. When you have completely removed the fish from the grill, you should keep it in the smokehouse for some more time so that it cools down a little. Here is a simple recipe for smoking catfish at home.

Cold smoked catfish - instructions

However, you can just as easily prepare cold smoked catfish, the recipe for which is as follows.

If you don’t have a special smokehouse, you can quickly make a picnic version of the device. To do this, take sticks and dig them into the ground. Cover them with thick fabric or film, and leave a hole on top for the smoke. Thus, the fish should be smoked for two days. This is a long and arduous process, but the end result is worth it. Cold smoking of catfish involves the process of impregnation with smoke over a long period of time. In addition, during cold smoking, the fish is then hung in a dark place with a strong draft in order to thoroughly blow and cool the prepared product. As you can see, for this method you must thoroughly settle down at a dacha or a picnic with friends, which is quite difficult in our chaotic times.

Smoked catfish with seasonings

It also happens that you just can’t get out to the dacha or don’t have a home smokehouse, but you really want an exquisite delicacy. Then use the following recipe and prepare smoked catfish with seasonings. To do this you will need the following components:

Olive oil – 200 gr;
Lemon juice – 100 g;
Garlic – 5 cloves;
Honey – 50 g;
Salt, ground black pepper and bay leaf.

We are preparing a marinade for our smoked fish. Mix olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and honey in a deep container. Mix everything thoroughly. Put a spoon or two of salt there - to everyone’s taste, and mix thoroughly again. Take a glass jar and put catfish there, cut into portions. Pour the prepared marinade over it, cover with a lid and put it in the refrigerator for a day. After you try this catfish, the desire to buy store-bought smoked food will disappear forever.

Cooking smoked catfish yourself at home is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. The meat of this fish is very tender and tasty in any form: boiled, fried in a frying pan and grilled, in the form of cutlets or shish kebab, since smoked catfish is a fabulous dish.

Hot smoked catfish

After gutting the catfish, cut into portions with skin, but do not wash with water, and if necessary, just blot the fish with a dry cloth. Sprinkle each piece generously with salt and place it in layers in a glass or enamel bowl, press it on top with pressure and put it in a cool place for twelve hours. After salting, soak the fish for 15-20 minutes in cold water to remove excess salt. Then the catfish pieces need to be dried; to do this, we hang them outside, but always in the shade of trees or under a canopy. This is done in order to remove excess moisture, otherwise the meat after smoking will turn out like boiled. As soon as the fish dries and a crust appears, you can prepare the smoker. Alder and fruit trees are well suited for smoking catfish; it is very important not to overdo it with the amount of sawdust, otherwise the taste will be very rich, heavy, with a sour aftertaste. For a small portable smokehouse, 1 - 2 tablespoons of sawdust or flail is enough.

Smoked catfish marinated with juice

We cut about 2 kg of catfish into portioned pieces, initially cutting the fish carcass along the spine, and then across it into strips 4 cm wide, without removing the skin in order to retain more juice when smoking. Prepare the marinade: mix 200 ml of warm water, 100 ml of apple juice and 100 ml of pineapple juice, add a little salt to the resulting liquid and stir until you feel that it has stopped dissolving. We use only coarse salt, gray salt.

Place the fish pieces in a glass or enamel bowl, the first layer skin side down, the next layer meat side down, and so on (meat to meat, skin to skin). After laying tightly, pour the marinade over the fish so that it covers it completely and put it in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours, maximum 36 hours. After marinating, soak in fresh cold water for about an hour, let the pieces dry and put into the smoker to smoke.

We smoke marinated catfish at a low temperature of about 50 - 60 degrees. Alder or a mixture of peach and alder is perfect for smoking.

Smoked catfish with spices

After gutting the catfish, fill it with marinade and put it in the refrigerator for twelve hours. We prepare the marinade as follows: mix 200 ml of olive oil with 100 ml of estuary juice, add three cloves of garlic, 50 grams of honey, a tablespoon of salt and black pepper to taste. After 12 hours, we smoke the catfish for 2 – 3 hours. Despite the simplicity of the recipe, the fish turns out aromatic and very tasty and will not leave even the most fastidious gourmets indifferent.

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Hot smoked catfish

Catfish meat is tender and pleasant to the taste in any form: boiled, cooked in the grill, oven, in a frying pan, in the form of kebabs, meatballs, cutlets. A truly delicious dish is hot smoked catfish. Smoking fish at home is not difficult.

How to smoke hot smoked catfish

Smoking catfish is similar to preparing any smoked fish. The process consists of four stages.

Preparatory stage

It starts with cleaning the carcasses. Carefully remove the insides of the abdomen. At the slightest damage to the gallbladder, an unpleasant bitterness will be felt in the cooked fish. During preparation, the question of how to smoke is decided: with a whole carcass (gills and fins are cut out, the head is left), in the form of steaks, fillets. After gutting, the internal parts are washed or wiped with napkins, which is preferable.

Pickling

The simplest recipe for hot smoking catfish is adding sugar to salt to make the meat more tender.

For 1 kg of fish take:

1 tbsp. l. salt,
1/2 tbsp. l. Sahara,
5 chopped bay leaves.

Spicy lovers add to taste: caraway seeds, thyme, allspice. The fish are generously rubbed with salt, placed in a suitable container, and covered. Keep cool for 3-4 hours. If the fish is salted in small pieces, you can leave it in the cold for two hours in a regular plastic bag.

Drying

After keeping the fish in salt for several hours, it is taken out and washed thoroughly, washing off the residue. Sent to dry. Hang the pieces in a shady, ventilated place (protecting from insects) and leave for 1-2 hours. The remaining liquid drains off and the fish wilts slightly. In the summer, cover the carcasses with gauze moistened with a mixture of vinegar and vegetable oil. Whole carcasses are left for a day. If the catfish is exposed to direct sunlight during drying, it will have a cooked taste after smoking.

Smoking process

How to smoke hot smoked catfish so that the fish turns out beautiful and has a pleasant taste?

Subject to certain conditions.

A small amount of sawdust is poured into the smokehouse, about 2-3 tbsp. spoons. A large amount of wood shavings, chips or sawdust worsens the taste of the finished fish. It will acquire an unpleasant brown color, instead of golden, and a terrible bitter taste. For smoking, choose tree branches: alder, fruit trees. Walnut wood is undesirable; it imparts a pungent odor to the fish.
A tray must be installed on top of the layer of sawdust on pebbles or special stands into which the liquid will drain. If the dripping juice gets on the chips, acrid smoke will appear, spoiling the taste.
A grid is placed on top of the tray, on which the fish are laid out at a distance from each other. In a deep smokehouse, fastenings are made to allow the placement of several grates.
Having finished laying the fish, close the smokehouse tightly and put it on the fire. If smoking is done over a fire, allow the wood to burn out so that it produces moderate heat.
After smoke comes from the smokehouse, time is noted. The catfish takes about an hour to cook. It is advisable to open the lid from time to time to release steam and monitor the readiness process.

Under no circumstances should ready-made catfish be removed immediately. They can easily crumble and lose their shape. They are left in the smokehouse until completely cooled.

Hot smoked catfish recipes

There are many cooking methods, each housewife has her own secrets. Different ingredients are used for salting. The fish are kept in salt for different amounts of time. Simply rinse or lightly soak. The drying time and smoking time are determined experimentally. Different variations provide many shades of taste.

Hot smoked catfish with spices

They not only add dry spices to the fish, but also keep it in a marinade.

Composition of the marinade mixture:

200 ml olive oil,
100 ml estuary juice,
2-4 cloves of garlic,
50 g honey, pepper.

For 1 kg of fish, 1 tbsp is enough. l. salt. Gourmets can add spices. Soak the carcasses in the marinade, keeping them cool for 10-12 hours. Rub dry, lightly dry, smoke over low heat for 2-3 hours. Smoked catfish, aged in an oil-honey mixture with lemon, is distinguished not only by its taste, but also by its amazing aroma.

Hot smoked catfish marinated in juice

Marinade mixture:

a glass of warm water,
½ glass of pineapple juice,
½ cup apple juice.

Mix all the liquids, gradually add coarse salt until it stops dissolving. The prepared carcasses are cut lengthwise along the back, then divided into pieces 4 cm wide. The skin must be preserved; it will retain the juice inside and add juiciness. After smoking, the catfish will not be dry.

For marinating, place in a vessel. In the first row, the pieces are placed skin side down, in the second - skin side up, alternating rows in succession. Pour in the marinade to completely cover the catfish. Leave in the cold for up to a day and a half (at least a day). They are washed, soaked for an hour in cool water, dried, and placed in a smokehouse.

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Cold smoked catfish. Recipe with photo

Which smoking do you prefer - hot or cold? You probably need to try both options and draw your own conclusion. Both methods differ in the design of smokehouses and the technology for preparing fish. Cold smoked catfish (the recipe with photos will be given later in the text) tastes good, but takes much longer to prepare.

The cold smoking process lasts 3-4 days. The equipment can be easily ordered from any store or constructed independently from available means. We have books that describe the making of various smokehouses. You can choose the most suitable option. Since the process is labor-intensive and time-consuming, it is advisable to immediately smoke large batches of fish weighing 5-8-10 kg.

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soaking
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1. When cutting the catfish, the entrails are removed and the gills must be cut out. But washing fish is not recommended. It is carefully wiped with napkins, removing blood and mucus. Small carcasses that fit entirely into the smokehouse are left unchanged. To make them smoke better, frequent deep cuts are made on the inside without damaging the skin. Large carcasses are cut into pieces of a suitable size, and cut on a wet board across the grain (the dry board absorbs part of the meat juice).

2. Salting involves rubbing carcasses or pieces with salt and spices. The fish is placed in layers in a deep container (skin to skin, flesh to pulp). A layer of salt is poured on top, pressed down with pressure, and put in the refrigerator for a day. Readiness is determined by the released liquid - it rises to the level of the die on which the oppression lies.

3. After salting, the fish is washed to remove any remaining salt and placed in clean water. Soak for several hours (3-5), periodically changing the water. After soaking, smoked catfish becomes more juicy and tasty than without this lengthy procedure. In addition, water draws out excess salt.

4. After allowing the liquid to drain, the fish is hung out to dry and dry. Otherwise, it will fall apart when smoking. Hang out overnight, additionally protected with mesh (gauze). Readiness is determined by the crust that covers the fish and ceases to be sticky.

Compliance with smoking technology

How to smoke cold smoked catfish? The placement of fish depends on the type of smokehouse. The pieces are laid out, leaving a distance between them so that smoke can penetrate from all sides. Small carcasses are smoked hanging.

Cold smoked smokehouses are distinguished by the fact that in them the firebox and the smoking cabinet are located at a distance of 2-7 meters from each other. The smoke, passing through a chimney with a diameter of 15-20 cm, is cooled to a temperature of (25-35°). It is necessary to maintain continuity of the smoking process and the same smoldering temperature of the sawdust for the first 5-8 hours. After this time, interruptions are not so bad; you can take breaks at night.

The taste and safety of the finished product depends on compliance with smoking technology. Otherwise, the fish will be oversaturated with carcinogenic substances present in the smoke.

The duration of smoking depends on:

The size and thickness of the catfish pieces.
The distance that smoke travels from the firebox to the smoking cabinet.
Temperature and smoke density.
Interruptions in the supply of smoke.

If the smoke is thick and dense, open the damper in the smokehouse. Pieces of catfish are periodically turned over every 12 hours. After a couple of days of continuous smoking, the fish is checked for readiness. The middle of thick pieces is pierced with a wooden stick. As soon as liquid ceases to be released at the puncture site, the smoking process can be completed.

After smoking, the fish is allowed to sit for a day to mature. Then it is easier to cut and does not become colored when cutting. For longer storage, smoked fish is stored in a suitable container, covered with paper.

Cold smoked catfish recipe

For 1 kg of fish:

salt - 100 g
laurel - 3-4 leaves
sugar - 30 g
ground pepper and peas - to taste
other spices - optional.

Mix spices: salt, sugar, pepper, crushed laurel leaves. You can add your favorite dry herbs (dill, basil, parsley), clove buds, coriander grains or ready-made fish seasonings. Pieces of catfish are rubbed with the mixture, placed in a container for salting (do not use aluminum!), pressed with pressure, and put in the refrigerator for half a day.

After 12 hours, the oppression can be removed, the container can be shaken and the fish can be left in the resulting brine for another 12 hours. Then the pieces are washed and soaked for a couple of hours, changing the water. Dry by hanging until a thick crust appears.

Smoke, maintaining the smoke temperature no more than 30-35°. First, dry alder wood is lit in the firebox, then it is covered with alder sawdust (70%) in combination with fruit chips (no more than 30%). For piquancy, add branches of spicy plants - basil, sage, wormwood.