Mackerel smoking at home in the oven - the right and quick recipe

Smoked fish is one of the most common beer snacks. You can cook such a delicacy yourself, even if you do not have a smokehouse. Today I will talk about smoking mackerel at home in the oven.

Fish Tips

To make a delicious hot smoked mackerel, you need to not only familiarize yourself with the cooking technology, but also know how to choose it correctly. Buying fresh sea fish is quite difficult; shops and supermarkets offer frozen carcasses. When planning to buy a product, be guided by the following tips:

1. Select individuals of medium size, at least 30 cm in length, and ask them to weigh. It is better to take mackerel weighing 350 g for smoking.
2. Assess the state of the ice crust covering the product. It should be without sagging, chips and cracks, uniform and transparent.
3. Inspect the fish from all sides. Dents, dark spots and other damage to the skin, cloudy eyes, bloated abdomen - an occasion to refuse to buy.
4. Smell the mackerel. If there is a slight smell of fish, iodine and algae - the product is high-quality and fresh. Foreign impurities or the complete absence of any aromas indicate in the first case improper storage, and in the second - about long-term.

At home, after defrosting a mackerel, evaluate its density - the flesh should be elastic. If the product you purchased meets all of the above requirements, it is quite suitable for smoking.

Liquid smoke: composition, benefits and harms

For smoking at home, liquid smoke is used - a water-based concentrate consisting of wood decay products.Most often, hard breeds are used for this - alder, apple tree, beech, aspen, bird cherry.

Condensate formed during smoldering is divided into fractions. Insoluble, for example, ash and tar, are removed, and then the composition is subjected to further purification. Then it is distilled, flavorings, a liquid base are added and insisted in barrels.

After processing the concentrate, the products acquire the desired smell, taste and color. But the debate about how useful and safe they are has not subsided so far, despite the fact that in our country liquid smoke is sold freely and used on an industrial scale.

On the one hand, any product can be considered harmful to a greater or lesser extent. But on the other - the fact that the concentrate goes through several stages of purification, during which harmful substances are removed. And with traditional smoking, ash, tar and other combustion products do not disappear anywhere. Given this fact, it can be assumed that the use of liquid smoke is less dangerous than natural.

Hot smoked mackerel at home

• Cooking time: 1 hour preparation / 24 hours salting / 5 minutes soaking / 50 minutes baking in the oven.
• Servings Per Container: 6-8.

Cooking smoked fish at home includes 4 stages: preparation, salting out, soaking in a solution of liquid smoke and heat treatment in the oven. Before smoked fish, it can be salted dry or placed in brine. This recipe describes the second option.

Preparation and salting

Ingredients for salting per 1 kg (3 pcs.) Of mackerel:

• water - 1.5 l;
• rock salt - 1 cup;
• sugar - 3 tbsp. l .;
• bay leaf - 4-5 pcs.;
• peppercorns - 5-7 pcs.

Tip. If you want the fish to acquire a beautiful golden color, add 4-5 onions or 2-3 tbsp. Husk to the brine. l black tea.

Operating procedure:

1. Let the mackerel thaw a little in a natural way, gut it, carefully scrape it inside the abdomen with a knife - you need to remove the black film and blood clots, otherwise the finished product will be bitter. If you cook fish with your head, do not forget to cut the gills.
2. Leave the carcasses at room temperature to completely thaw, then rinse in cold water.
3. Prepare the brine: boil water, add sugar, peppercorns, parsley and salt. Do not worry that there is so much of the latter. More than necessary, the fish will not absorb.
4. Keep the liquid on medium heat for 5 minutes, strain and cool to room temperature.
5. Place the carcasses in a container of suitable size, fill with brine and send in the refrigerator for a day.

The salted mackerel must be washed in cold water and allowed to dry a little.

Liquid Smoke Treatment and Oven Smoking

Ingredients:

• water - 1 l;
• liquid smoke - 2-3 tbsp. l .;
• vegetable oil - 2 tbsp. l

Sequencing:

1. Pour water into a container where the carcasses fit freely. Add liquid smoke.
2. Immerse the fish in the solution and leave for 3-5 minutes.
3. Spread the mackerel on a greased grate (to prevent it from sticking), place it on a baking sheet and place in a cold oven.
4. Turn on the heat and dry the fish at a temperature of 60 ° C for 15-20 minutes.
5. Now increase the indicator to 100-110 ° C and wait a quarter of an hour.
6. After the specified time, open the oven, turn the carcasses to another barrel and cook another 15-20 minutes.

When the mackerel has cooled, it is recommended to lubricate it with a small amount of vegetable oil - for shine and elasticity. After that, you can chop and try.