What can be made from nelma?

Known as whitefish, this species offers great nutritional value. It's beneficial for cardiovascular diseases and can also help lower cholesterol. It can be used to prepare a variety of healthy delicacies. Smoked nelma (balyk) can be smoked directly on a rafting trip, in the wild, or on the shore.
It also lends itself to various processing methods. It's fried, lightly salted, or used to make a delicious fish soup. Trophy specimens found in the rivers of the Putorana Plateau Nature Reserve, a Siberian nature reserve with numerous fishing routes, are rich in vitamins and microelements.

How to prepare smoked whitefish balyk

Cold smoking:

Cold smoked nelma is easy to prepare while you are rafting.

• Caught salmon must be cleaned, cut and salted at a rate of 20 grams of salt per 1 kg of fish.
• Place the whitefish fillet in a deep container and sprinkle salt on top.
• Soak in brine for about 2 days.
• After the time has elapsed, rinse the fish and hang it to remove excess moisture.
• A convenient way to make a smokehouse. A description can be found in the article on smoking fish outdoors.
• The fish is dried in the wind for 24 hours and then placed in a prepared smoker. The nelma can be hung, depending on the type of smoker used. A cover is required.
• For smoking, wood chips are used, but only those containing no resin. They are then lit and smoked for 20 hours. Larger specimens can be smoked longer.
• The main thing is that the temperature inside the smokehouse does not rise above 25-27 degrees.

Hot smoking:

This type of smoking whitefish also begins with salting.

• You only need 100 grams of salt per kilogram of fish. Cooking time is significantly shorter. Nelma is salted for 4 or 5 hours.
• After which the fish is washed and hung in the same way as in the previous smoking method.
• The only difference from the cold type is that raw branches or chips are placed in the smokehouse.
• When smoking on grates, they must be greased with vegetable oil.
• At temperatures from 50 to 90°C the fish is dried for 15 minutes.
• After this, the temperature must be raised to 140°C. The fish is smoked at this temperature for another 20 minutes.
• Then the temperature is reduced to 80-120°C. Once the fish has reached a golden color, it should be removed from the smoker and left to air-ripen. This usually takes one and a half to two hours. After this, the delicious balyk is ready to be served.