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The red perch (Mackerel) has excellent flavor. Although it isn't found in the rivers of the Putorana Plateau like salmon, this predator shares similar vitamins, minerals, and acids. Fishermen smoke the fish while rafting on the reserve's trophy fishing trips.
Many of us only see pollock in stores, so it's a good idea to learn how to marinate it at home. Then, head out into the countryside and smoke it using traditional methods ( pit pit, grill, open fire, etc.).
Fish can be prepared either cold or hot smoked, the main thing is to prepare a high-quality marinade. As for how to smoke it afterwards, let each river chef decide for themselves.
Marinade recipes
The key to marinating fish is softening the meat fibers. Every housewife and experienced fisherman has their own ideas about the best, most suitable marinade. When it comes to pollock, a dry marinade is especially popular.
Dry
This is a simple, classic recipe. Remove the gills and guts from the fish; scales can be left on. Mix salt and pepper and rub generously into the meat. Then marinate for several hours in a cool place, and after three to four hours, begin smoking.
When smoking hot, the predator is immediately hung, spreading its sides and placing sticks between them. For cold smoking, the carcasses must be further dried by hanging them in a ventilated area, and then hung in the same manner.
With lemon, sour cream, herbs
Add the additional ingredients to the salt and pepper listed above. Mix everything thoroughly, then rub the fish and let it marinate. Note that this method is only suitable for hot smoking.
Liquid
This marinade is considered fairly quick. It only takes 24 hours to prepare the fish for smoking. The fish is salted and pressed under pressure. The resulting juices are drained and diluted with water. Then bay leaves and pepper are added, the mixture is boiled, cooled, and poured over the fish. After 24 hours, the fish is removed and hung to dry, then smoked.
Smoking fish
Smoking while hot is much easier and is ideal for outdoor use. The main thing is to keep the coals from burning too hot, so the greenling will be delicious and juicy, whether it's cooked in a pit or on a grill. The temperature inside the smoker shouldn't exceed 80°C. Place the greenling inside the brazier, preferably with the belly side up. After 40 minutes, the smoked greenling will be ready to eat.
Cold smoking is more complex and time-consuming. The maximum temperature inside the smoker should not exceed 25-30°C. Keep the carcasses in the smoke. It should be at least 8 hours, but several days are better.
Conclusion
We've briefly described how to smoke greenling, preparing a suitable marinade at home. You can do it all on the shore, outdoors. However, you'll need to hot-smoke the fish. Cold smoking requires a specially built smoker, and it's quite time-consuming.
If you take a fishing trip to the Putorana Plateau, you'll have the chance to sample smoked salmon while fishing. After returning from fishing, buy some greenling. Cook it and compare which is truly tastier: real lenok or sea lenok.
