Smoked fish. Delicious. Fragrant. Melting in your mouth. All you need to smoke fish at home or fishing is a smoker and a fire pit. Let's find out how prepare smoked fish at home. We will learn how to smoke fish, what kind of wood is needed for smoking, what kind of fish to smoke, how to gut and salt fish before smoking, how much to smoke fish and even how to smoke fish without a smoker!

What fish to smoke

Beginner anglers will ask what fish to smoke? We answer - almost any fish can be smoked. The most important thing is that you meet two conditions: 1) the fish you intend to smoke must be fresh!
2) choose fish of the same size and type for smoking, then it will be salted and smoked more evenly!
If you are asking which fish to smoke, it is related to its type, note that oily fish is tastier. For example, the following are perfect for smoking: mackerel, pike, sturgeon, starling, catfish, bream, perch, eel, etc.

Which smoker to choose?

Smokehouses used in everyday life are cylindrical or rectangular boxes with a lid, grills for placing fish or meat, as well as a special container for collecting dripping fat. The products are treated with smoke, which is released during the heating of the fuel and placed in the bottom of the box.

There are three types of smokers - electric, gas and charcoal.

According to the design, household smokehouses are divided into stationary and portable. Which smoker to choose depends on the expected conditions of use.

I will not expand too much about the smokehouses, that's why I wrote it a separate article that you can find here.

How to prepare fish for smoking

Someone likes to smoke raw fish. However, sometimes raw smoked fish can be bitter. Therefore, it is recommended to gut the fish and clean the entrails.

It is a good idea to split a large fish in half lengthwise so that each side of the fish has half the head and half the tail. To do this, the fish is split in half along the back so that the two halves are joined. Spine and tail fin are not removed.
If the whole fish is smoked, then it is not necessary and even not desirable to clean it from the scales, especially if the scales are strong enough and have a nice appearance, because this protects the fish meat from dirt and soot during smoking.

How to marinate fish for smoking

Cooking smoked fish is a simple process. You just need to give it enough time fish salt overnight and then smoke the fish for about three hours in a smoker or charcoal grill.

• Prepare the smoked fish brine by combining the water, salt and brown sugar in a saucepan over low heat and stirring until the sugar and salt dissolve.
• Allow the brine mixture to cool.
• Clean the fish and divide it into fillets, cutting the ribs on one side of the spine.
• Place the brine in a large bowl and make sure it will fit in your refrigerator
• Immerse the fish in a bowl with brine for 6-10 hours in the refrigerator (cover the bowl with plastic film).
• After the brine bath, rinse the fillets with cool water and pat dry with paper towels.
• When the fish is dry, sprinkle with the spices of your choice or give it a dry rub.

What wood is suitable for smoking

Fish is usually smoked on alder chips. You can use willow. However, it is classically believed that alder or juniper wood is best used for wood shavings. Hazelnut, oak, apple, cherry can also be used. Each of the trees will give the product a unique taste. If you prepared the chips yourself before splitting the wood, you need to remove the bark first, because the bark contains a lot of resin. The wood should be chopped into 2-3 cm cubes, but no larger. Before pouring the wood chips into the smoker, they can be slightly moistened and then spread in an even layer over the entire bottom of the smoker.