Hot Smoked & Cold Smoked Fish — Part 2

We have talked about the general differences between cold smoke and hot smoke for fish in our previous article. In this article, we will talk about why is it important and how to cold smoke and hot smoke your fish.

Why It Is Important To Cold Smoke and Hot Smoke Fish

Before actually smoking the fish, it is important that you cure it with a dry salt cure or brine. This should be done whether you are cold smoking or hot smoking.  It is used to draw water out of the fish so that the fish is firmer. The brine water is made with equal quantities of salt and sugar in water. Kosher salt is better than table salt when it comes to smoking because it has larger grains.

Salt helps to break down protein, to remove excess moisture, to preserve the fish and to also enhance flavors. Sugar, in turn, adds flavor to your fish and helps to retain the water necessary to keep the fish fresh. Use 2 pints of cold water, 4 ounces of Kosher salt and 4 ounces of brown sugar. You may also add hot pepper, onions, herbs, garlic, soy sauce, spices, and wine or any other flavors that you like. The dry salt cure will also remove the excess water.  Simply cover your fish with brown sugar and kosher salt. Use 100 grams of sugar and 100 grams salt for each kilogram of fish.

Curing Fish

• Put your fish in a bowl that is metallic and cover it with the brine or with your dry cure. Skin one side of the fish and leave the other side unskinned so that the flavors can be locked in.
• Keep the bowl covered and put it in your refrigerator
• If the pieces of fish are about an inch thick, allow it to cure for eight to twelve hours. If the pieces are thinner, leave them there for six to eight hours.
• Take it from the cure and rinse well with cold water then pat it dry with a tissue or tea towel.
• Now leave it in the fridge but this time uncover it for twelve hours so that it can develop a tacky skin

Cold Smoking

• Your smoker should have two separate chambers
• Use wood chips with great flavors such as cherry, apple, and hickory
• Turn the hot element to cold smoking
• Place the fish in the smoker with space to allow for the free permeation of smoke
• Smoke for twelve to forty eight hours
• Keep the temperature at below twenty five degrees Celsius
• Allow the fish to cool for about 3 hours

Hot Smoking

• Get a hot smoker for this
• Use wood chips with intense flavors such as alder or hickory
• Put the fish skin down on a rack above the smoking chips of wood
• Leave the fish to smoke for forty minutes to two hours
• Maintain the smoker at seventy to eighty degrees Celsius
• Once smoked, the fish is ready to eat

Making sure that the smoked fish have has gone through the right process is also the key to the taste. To save time smoking your own fish, you can also find smoked fish supplier for your restaurant, hotel, catering, and your food service business. Puri Pangan Utama is a reputable food distributor based in Bali. One of our many products, we have various smoked fish and also many frozen food selections. Contact us now if you want to ask for a specific product.