|
|
 |
Fishing Recipes, Best Cooking and Buying Tips, Nutrition Facts. |
|
Two girlfriends: - “Well and how was the first dinner you cooked for your husband?” - “Not bad, tomorrow he will be out of the hospital...” The young wife calls her mother: - Mummy! Do you hear, how the cutlets are hissing? How do you think - How much longer they need to be fried? In the hospital - What kind of dreadful medicine have you brought me?! - What medicine?! It’s your dinner! |
1. How to Smoke Salmon?
2. Maple Salmon
3. Grilled Salmon
4. Salmon Shish Kebab
5. Lox - Cured Salmon
6. Tuna Tartare
7. Types of Salmon
How to Smoke Salmon?
|
Smoking fish is not difficult, and it takes far less time than smoking meats. Salmon is an excellent smoking fish, as is bluefish, trout, sturgeon or eel. |
Preparing the brine
It's what makes smoked salmon so good! Salmon Brine! This magical liquid reacts with the flesh of the fish, changing its structure. That change, in turn, improves the texture and helps the fish retain moisture. Basic fish brine is:
|
|
|
Curing the Fish
You need to cure fish for at least 8 hours, even for thin fillets. For thick salmon fillet it is better to do for at least a day. For sturgeon steaks or something even thicker, it could be for two days.
Don't worry, you can not overdo it. The longer you keep it in the brine, the saltier it will get.
You need to do it to eliminate some of the moisture from the inside of the fish while at the same time infusing it with salt, which will help preserve the fish.
Air Drying the Fish
You do this by resting the brined fish on a rack and putting it in a cool (less than 65 degrees) place that has good air circulation, or you can run a fan over the fish at low speed. Let the fish dry this way for at least 2 hours, and up to three. Don't worry! The salt in the brine will protect your fish. You do this to form a thin, lacquer-like layer on top of the fish that seals it and offers a sticky surface for the smoke to adhere to (called a pellicle). This is the step many smokers fail to do, but drying your cured, brined fish in a cool, breezy place is vital to properly smoking it.
Once the pellicle is formed on the surface of the salmon, it's time to smoke.
Smoking the Fish
I smoke my fish at around 150 - 180 degrees at the most, usualy use hickory, apple, oak or any other fruit or nut wood. How long? Depends on temperature and how thin is your fish. One hour and a half - 2 hours, 4 hours for a realy thick steaks and you get the best tasty fish ever.
Back to top
Maple Salmon
|
One of the best things about salmon maple or salmon teriyaki recipes like this is that they are so easy to make. Maple syrup lends some sweetness and brings the flavors into perfect balance. |
Directions:
1. Mix the maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic, garlic salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
2. In a shallow glass baking dish coat he salmon with the maple syrup mixture. Cover the dish, and marinate salmon in the refrigerator 30 minutes, turning once.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
4. Place the baking dish in the preheated oven, and bake salmon uncovered 20 minutes, or until easily flaked with a fork. Enjoy it.
Back to top
Grilled Salmon
|
Salmon is great on the grill and good for you! Its relatively high fat content that means it can stand up to grilling with less chance of drying out than some of its relatives. Salmon is a source of omega-3 polyunsaturated fat, an essential heart healthy fat that our bodies need to function properly. Omega-3 may protect against coronary artery disease and stroke. |
Prepare sauce for a salmon
Bring 1/2 cup dry white wine to a simmer in a small saucepan. Stir in 1/2 container herb and garlic cream cheese, Alouette, Pub Cheese or Boursin. Stir constantly until melted and smooth. Taste. If desired, add more cheese or wine to taste. If you don't like wine, you can use a milk instead.
Preheat the grill to medium-high, lightly oil the grill rack, cook the fish until opaque, turning once during cooking. This will not take long, about 8 to 10 minutes, so watch it carefully, don't let the fish dry. Make sure that no flame touches the fish directly.
For an alternative preparation, make large rectangles of aluminum foil and center a filet in each one. Sprinkle with lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and dill. Fold foil tightly and grill salmon for 10 minutes over medium heat in the pouch. Enjoy it.
Back to top
Salmon Shish Kebab
|
This recipe features an excellent fish marinade that really brings out the flavor of the fish, while still maintaing the "grilled" flavor. Salmon is great on the grill, Its relatively high fat content, it can stand up to grilling with less chance of drying out than some other fish. |
Ingredients:
Preparation:
1. Mix olive oil, lemon juice, dill, and vinegar to make marinade.
2. 2 hours prior to grilling, prepare fish by rinsing with cold water. Pat dry with paper towel. Cut into 1 inch cubes. Set aside.
3. Pour marinade into large freezer bag and add fish. Make sure fish is well covered by marinade. Place in the refrigerator for two hours.
4. Chop vegetables. Half the cucumber lengthwise and slice into 1/2 inch pieces. Cut the onions into eights. Cut red pepper into 1/3 chunks. Set aside.
5. Remove fish from marinade. and sssemble kebabs according to taste. I personally like to do a vegetable them meat combination. But this is entirely a matter of personal choice. It really does not affect the cooking. If you are using steel skewers, be sure to put a light coat of oil before adding the fish and vegetables. They will slide off much easier.
6. Spray the grill lightly with cooking oil and place the fish kebabs on the grill. Cook for about 4-6 minutes each side or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Enjoy it.
Back to top
Lox - Cured Salmon
|
Lox is salt-cured salmon that is actually raw, never having been raised to more than 90°F during processing. A homemade lox is less salty and cleaner tasting than a commercial lox, it is much better testy and for a lot less money too. |
Instructions:
1. Prepare the salt-sugar-mix in the following proportions: 2 tablespoon of Salt and 1 tablespoon of Sugar. Make a mixture as much as needed to cover the fish filets. Add a little pepper. I usualy add 1/2 of teaspoon pepper with 6 tablespoon of Salt and 3 tablespoon of Sugar.
2. Cut the salmon in 2 filets remove the bone but keep the skin. Dry the pieces with some kitchen paper.
3. Chop the dill.
In a dish large enough to accommodate the salmon, sprinkle the bottom with some of the salt-sugar-mix, and some of the dill. Place one piece of fish, skin-side down, on the mixture. Sprinkle nearly all of the mix and dill on the fish, and place the other piece on top, skin-side up. And put rest of the salt mix and dill on top.
4. Cover the dish and refrigerate for 2 days. Turn it around every 12 - 24 hours. The longer the fish cures, the more water will be extracted from it, and the firmer and less raw it will be. 2 days is pretty much enough. The fish will water lots during the curing; this is normal.
5. Once the fish has cured, pick it out, brush it and place in the large container with cold water. I usualy do it for 2 hours with changing the water every 1/2 an hour. As to stating of some adepts, fish must be in a water as much time, how many days resided in brine. This process will take a little salt out of the fish and lox will be less salty and more tasty. Ones again Dill and pepper are optional, as well as keep fish in the water after cure. Enjoy.
Back to top
Tuna Tartare
|
Tartare is a preparation of finely chopped raw meat or fish optionally with seasonings and sauces that is served as a spread for toast. |
or if you do not have this mix use the spices below:
Instructions:
1. Cut up the tuna into small cubes about ¼ of an inch all around.
2. Chop the cucumber into julienne slices and then chop into small pieces. Lay cucumber on paper towel for 15 min to drain all the liquid.
3. Place the tuna and drained, dried cucumber into a metal mixing bowl, add the mayonnaise, spice mixture and seaweed and mix very gently with a metal spoon until thoroughly combined. Be careful not to break apart the pieces of tuna.
4. Marinate the tuna for about 45 min in the fridge (NO LONGER) or the tuna will start to lose its color.
5. Wash lettuce and remove stem, pull apart the individual endive leaves and place in a flower format around a dark plate. Place a small amount of tuna salad in the middle for presentation and then spoon a small amount (about 1 tablespoon) on each leaf.
6. You can use a touch of finely chopped dried seaweed salad on top of each endive leaf with tuna as a garnish.
Back to top
Types of Salmon
When shopping for fish for the grill or smoker, it good to know about the different types of salmon. Salmon is anadromous, meaning that it spawns in fresh water. Some fish become landlocked in lakes, resulting in a supply of freshwater salmon, which is considered to be not as flavorful, and therefore not as prized, as saltwater salmon. Each species has certain qualities that affect its flavor and cooking characteristics. The oil level in the flesh of the salmon varies from species to species, but the location from which the fish is harvested also has an affect on the quality. Types of salmon that are low in oil content are usually lower in price. When these fish are marinated or seasoned with herbs and spices, they can be good eating. Knowing a little about the different types of salmon will help you choose the best cooking method when grilling or smoking.When absolutely fresh, raw salmon is delicious. It is also excellent grilled, broiled, poached, baked, roasted, and sauteed. If grilling or broiling, better to choose one of the fattier varieties (like Atlantic or chinook salmon), which are not as easy to overcook. The silvery skin of the salmon is very tasty when grilling whole salmon, brush the skin generously with oil to help keep it intact. When you buying a salmon, fresh or thawed steaks and fillets should look moist and smell seawater fresh flesh should glisten. Whole fish should look alive and be well iced. Make sure salmon's skin looks bright, shimmery, and fresh.
Nutrition Value: Salmon is an excellent source of protein (39g), vitamin A, B vitamins, and Omega-3 oils. When cooked, dry heat, 1/2 fillet (5.4 oz. / 153g) of Salmon contains 280 Calories, 12.5g Total Fat, 0.0g of Carbohydrate and Fiber, 967mg of Potassium, 72mcg of Selenium, 15.5mg of Niacin and 57mg of Magnesium.
Atlantic Salmon
|
Atlantic salmon are found wild in the Atlantic ocean, and can be found on the eastern coast of North America and in Europe. This fish is farmed extensively, and has an oily flesh that's mild in flavor. The succulent meat of Atlantic salmon is usually pink-orange in color (there is also a white-fleshed variety) and high in fat, with a rich, pronounced flavor. |
Pacific Salmon Pacific salmon is a term that can be used for any one of five species of salmon, all found in the Pacific Ocean. These salmon include chinook, sockeye, coho, pink and chum salmon.
Chinook Salmon
|
Chinooks are also commonly called King salmon, probably because of the large size they can attain. Kings of nearly 100 pounds have been taken by fisherman, and fish of 20 to 30 pounds are common. This salmon contains the highest oil content of all the Pacific salmons, and the flesh is rich tasting and buttery, strong-flavored, and delicate in texture. This succulent, soft-textured, fatty meat is highly prized. Flesh of chinook or king salmon ranges in color from off-white to deep red. |
Sockeye Salmon
|
These are also known as red salmon and bluebacks. This fish also has a high content of oil, and a rich flavor. Many of these fish are exported to Japan. The sockeye also has flesh that's deep red in color, fatty, strong-flavored, and firm-texture. |
Coho Salmon
|
Cohos or silvers have an oil content that is lower than Kings and sockeyes, but it's still a rich tasting fish. Coho salmon meat ranges in color from pale orange to dark red, is high in fat, rich in flavor, and medium firmv in texture. |
Pink Salmon
|
This is the most abundant of the Pacific salmons. The flesh generally contains a low oil content, meat is moderately fatty and of less pronounced flavor than other salmon it can be on the dry side. Flesh is light pink in color. The flavor is not as rich as the more oily salmons. Other names for this fish are humpbacks, or humpies. Pink salmon is usually found in canned form, and is fairly inexpensive. |
Chum Salmon
|
Chums are known by several different names...Keta salmon and silverbrite salmon are two. These fish have large teeth and a speckled appearance, which is the reason for two more common names. Dog salmon and calico salmon. The flesh of this fish is usually very low in oil content, lowest in fat of all salmon, pale to deep orange in color, and of a coarse and firm texture, very delicate in flavor. |
Back to top
|
|
|
|
