Smoked trout
2 servings
50 minutes
Smoking is not only one of the oldest methods of preserving food, but also a powerful flavor and aroma additive. In order to try smoking something yourself, it is not at all necessary to buy a bulky smokehouse and go to the country. You can quickly smoke a piece of fish for dinner at home with a minimum set of equipment.
1
Soak 50 grams of alder chips in water for about 30 minutes to prevent them from igniting inside the smoker.
2
Line the bottom of the pot with two layers of foil, tightly wrap the ceramic bowl and plate. The diameter of the plate should be about 5 cm smaller than the diameter of the pot for smoke to distribute evenly from all sides.
3
Place a bowl on foil in the center of the pot and surround it with chips. Any chips that get between the foil layer and the pot's wall should be removed — they will start to burn, and cleaning the pot will be much harder.
4
Place 6–8 pieces of sugar on the sawdust. Sugar addresses three aspects at once — it absorbs the liquid released from the fish, provides a beautiful color, and adds aroma.
- Lump sugar: 6 pieces
5
Place a piece of parchment on a foil-wrapped plate; otherwise, the fish will stick. The fish needs to be prepared in advance by removing large bones and marinating it in a salt solution with sugar and spices. It's better to leave the skin on. For 500 ml of water, use 100-150 grams of salt and 100 grams of sugar, mix everything together. Pour the prepared fillet with the marinade and leave it in the fridge for 2 hours. If you're short on time, you can just salt the fish before smoking.
- Trout fillet: 300 g
- Salt: 130 g
- Sugar: 100 g
- Water: 500 ml
6
Place the plate with fish on top of the bowl and check the stability of the structure. After that, tightly wrap the top of the pot with two layers of foil. A regular lid will let smoke through.
7
The home smoker is ready to work — it needs to be placed on the stove over medium heat. After 3 minutes, you can smell the aroma of smoldering chips. If it smokes too much, reduce the heat and check the tightness of the foil lid.
8
In 15-20 minutes, the fish will be ready. Turn on the extractor and carefully remove the foil - smoke and scalding steam will rise from the pot.
9
In 15 minutes, a 300-gram piece of trout fillet will be fully cooked. The main principle is: it's better to under-smoke than to overcook. Smoking too long will give a bitter taste. You can also gauge by the color of the product — trout should be golden-yellow with a slight caramel hue.