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Home-made fish preparations allow you to get excellent quality delicacies that are not inferior to high-level restaurant dishes. Cold-smoked muksun can be prepared without even having serious culinary skills. You just need to choose and prepare all the necessary ingredients correctly, and then follow simple instructions.
The composition and calorie content of smoked muksun
Most fish of the Salmon family are classified as delicacies. When smoked, muksun meat becomes very tender and soft. When preparing the product at home, you can get not only tasty, but also a very healthy dish. The most valuable components are the following:
- a large amount of natural protein;
- fatty acids that lower cholesterol and improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system;
- vitamin D for the central nervous system;
- trace elements – calcium and phosphorus.
Smoked muksun is not only tasty, but also a very healthy dish
Scientists and doctors note that the periodic consumption of smoked muksun significantly improves the general condition of the body. Consumers also report a reduction in stress levels and improved sleep quality. The main advantage of the delicacy is its rather low calorie content and, as a result, its use in various diets and nutrition programs. 100 g of cold smoked muksun contains:
- proteins – 19,5 g;
- fats – 5,2 g;
- carbohydrates – 0 g;
- calorie content – 128 kcal.
Adherents of the most healthy food can significantly reduce the fat content of the finished dish by preparing it in a different way. When hot smoked, more fat comes out of the fish, leaving no more than 2 g for every 100 g of weight. Caloric content in this case changes to 88 Kcal.
Preparation of muksun for smoking
The best fish for cooking, regardless of the recipe and type, is freshly caught. Given the rather specific habitat of the muksun, most of the country’s inhabitants will have to be content with a frozen product. When choosing fish, the first thing to pay attention to is the glaze layer – a large amount of ice often indicates repeated defrosting or non-compliance with transportation technology.
When buying chilled fish, it is important to correctly evaluate its appearance. Often, under the guise of such a product, supermarkets put up thawed whitefish. A bad product gives out an uneven sheen, the presence of mucus and an unpleasant odor coming from the carcass. It is also worth examining the eyes – they should be clear, without clouding.
Before you start cooking, you need to defrost the carcasses. It is best to leave them overnight in the refrigerator with a temperature of 4-6 degrees. If you need the fastest processing, a microwave or oven with a defrost function comes to the rescue. In order not to lose a large amount of natural juice, it is not recommended to put muksun in hot water.
The abdomen must be thoroughly cleaned before smoking.
The next step is cleaning the fish. Her belly is cut open and all the insides are removed. Particular attention is paid to the dark film, which can be bitter in the finished dish. The head is left or removed as desired. The scales are best left to protect the muksun from overly aggressive smoke.
Regardless of the cooking method chosen, the fish needs pre-salting. There are 2 traditional options for such processing for muksun – dry and wet. In the first case, the fish is rubbed with salt and a mixture of various seasonings to taste. Wet salting for smoking is produced in a special saline solution or marinade.
Before the final stage, the muksun is washed with running water to remove excess salt. Then the carcasses are hung on ropes and dried from moisture. The finished fish is placed in a smokehouse and they start cooking.
Cold smoked muksun recipes
A long process of smoke treatment at low temperatures makes it possible to turn the fish into a real delicacy. On average, a cold-smoked muksun dish will take from 12 to 24 hours. Given the low temperature during cooking, it is important to follow the recommendations for pre-salting – a lack of salt can lead to the preservation of harmful microorganisms in the finished product.
During cold smoking, special attention should be paid to the selection of spices during salting or pickling. An excessive amount of aromatic herbs can impair the taste of muksun. Salt is an ideal addition, as well as a little pepper and bay leaf.
Classic recipe
The traditional way of cooking involves the minimum use of spices and a long period of processing with cold smoke. Before smoking, the muksun is thoroughly washed and gutted. For 1 kg of salt add 50 g of ground black pepper. The resulting mixture is rubbed on the outside and inside of the carcasses, after which they are left for 2-3 hours. Muksun salts out quite quickly – you should not leave it for a longer time. The fish is washed, wiped with a paper towel and greased with sunflower oil.
The minimum amount of spices will preserve the natural fish taste
For a smokehouse, a large fire is kindled in order to be able to periodically add firewood. As soon as there are enough coals to maintain the optimum temperature in the device, it is installed on top. At the bottom of the smokehouse, apple or cherry chips soaked in water are poured. The fish is hung on special hooks or laid out on grills.
Cooking a cold-smoked whitefish appetizer according to this recipe takes about 12 hours. The first 8 hours you need to monitor the constant presence of smoke in the smokehouse. Then it is recommended to take short breaks for half an hour. To check the readiness of smoked muksun, one fish from the smokehouse is cut across the main fin. The meat should be a uniform white color. Before serving, it is recommended to air the delicacy in the open air for 3-4 hours.
Muksun cold smoked in traditional marinade
The brine will achieve a more uniform salting compared to the dry method. The classic marinade will fully reveal the delicate taste of whitefish when smoked. For a kilogram fish you will need:
- 1 L of water;
- ¼ st. salt;
- 20 peppercorns;
- Xnumx buds clove;
- 3 art. l. strong tea;
- 3 bay leaf.
Water is brought to a boil and salt and all spices are thrown into it. The liquid is boiled for 5-10 minutes, then removed from heat and cooled to room temperature. Muksun is laid out in an enamel pan and poured with marinade for 12 hours. Before cooking, it is wiped dry and smeared with sunflower oil.
Marinade guarantees better salting of larger fish carcasses
A smokehouse with moistened wood chips is put on fire and a temperature of 30-40 degrees is achieved in it and an abundant stream of smoke is achieved. The fish is placed in it and tightly closed with a lid. Muksun will be completely ready 18-20 hours after the start of smoking. After treatment with smoke, it is ventilated for about 2 hours in the fresh air.
Muksun cold smoked in apple and lemon marinade
Fans of more refined recipes can diversify the preparation of smoked fish with additional ingredients. The main factor is compatibility with tender fish meat. Apples and lemons are best in small quantities. According to consumer reviews, such cold-smoked muksun is tastier than the traditional recipe.
To prepare the marinade you will need:
- 500 ml of apple juice;
- 500 ml of water;
- 2 sweet apples;
- half a lemon;
- 60 g salt;
- 1 Art. liter. sugar;
- 10 peppercorns;
- 4 laurel leaves;
- Xnumx buds clove;
- 1 cup onion skins.
Rub the apples on a coarse grater. Peel the lemon and squeeze out the juice. Water is mixed with lemon and apple juice in a small saucepan and brought to a boil. All the remaining ingredients are laid out in the liquid and boiled for 10 minutes, after which they are cooled to room temperature. The resulting marinade is poured over the muksun and left for 12 hours. Before smoking, the carcasses are wiped with a towel and sprinkled with vegetable oil.
Apple-lemon marinade for muksun – a guarantee of getting a real delicacy
Smoke treatment takes up to 20-24 hours at a temperature of about 40 degrees. The readiness of smoked muksun is checked by making several cuts at the main fin – uniform white meat indicates that the fish can be removed from the smokehouse. It is hung out for 1-2 hours in the open air, after which it is served at the table or put away for storage.
How to smoke hot smoked muksun
A distinctive feature of this cooking method is the increased temperature during smoke processing. If a special smokehouse is needed for cold smoking, then even self-designed primitive appliances are suitable for the hot method. The temperature of muksun smoking in such cases is limited only by natural factors, so the cooking process is significantly accelerated up to 1 hour.
Classic recipe
Cooking muksun by hot smoking is quite simple. To begin with, the fish must be salted for a couple of hours with a mixture of salt and ground black pepper in a ratio of 20:1. Then it is washed and dried with paper towels. Given the rather high smoking temperature, it is not recommended to lubricate carcasses with sunflower oil.
Hot smoked fish can be cooked much faster
Muksun is laid out on the grate of a smokehouse, the bottom of which is filled with wet sawdust, and put on fire. The lid of the device is tightly closed and the breather is slightly opened to remove excess smoke. The smoking process takes 40 to 60 minutes depending on the size of the fish carcasses used. The finished delicacy is cooled and served at the table.
Muksun hot smoked in brine with herbs
To fully reveal the taste of smoked fish, experienced chefs advise using additives – dill, parsley and basil. Herbs turn whitefish marinade into a flavor bomb. To prepare it you will need:
- 1 L of water;
- ¼ st. table salt;
- 10 peas of sweet pepper;
- Xnumx buds clove;
- 3 art. l. strong black tea;
- 4 laurel leaves;
- 4 sprigs of basil;
- a small bunch of dill;
- bunch of parsley.
Marinade on herbs significantly improves the taste of the finished dish
Water is brought to a boil and spices and finely chopped greens are put into it. After 5 minutes of boiling, the marinade is cooled and the fish is poured over it overnight. The pickled muksun is wiped dry and placed in a heated smokehouse with wood chips. Smoking lasts about an hour, then the fish is ventilated from the smoke and served.
A very simple recipe for hot smoked muksun
There are many ways to prepare smoked fish, but none of them can be compared in simplicity with the recipe of one of the professional chefs. Before proceeding with the heat treatment, the muksun is salted in a dry or wet way, then wiped with a paper towel.
Pumpkin seed oil is the perfect complement to hot-smoked muksun
The smokehouse is put on fire and soaked apple chips are poured onto the bottom. To speed up and simplify the preparation of muksun as much as possible, it is smeared with pumpkin oil, and then placed on a wire rack. Heat treatment lasts no more than half an hour – this time is enough for the complete preparation of tender meat.
Storage Rules
To keep smoked muksun for a long time, you will need to purchase a special device – a vacuum cleaner. Fish packed in this way easily retains its consumer characteristics for 5-6 weeks. If vacuum-packed muksun is placed in the freezer, you can extend its shelf life to several months.
If there is no such device, you can use the traditional methods of preserving smoked fish. It is wrapped with a thick cloth or parchment paper in several layers and placed in the refrigerator. In this form, muksun retains its taste for up to 2 weeks. If left at room temperature, fish will go bad in 24-48 hours.
Conclusion
Cold-smoked muksun is an incredibly tasty delicacy that anyone can cook. The simplicity and variety of recipes will allow you to choose the perfect combination of ingredients according to your consumer preferences.
