Smoked eel is a delicacy with high taste and nutritional qualities.

Delicate, sweetish meat of this fish has a lot of useful properties and is highly valued in world cuisine.

Smoked eel - general cooking principles

Eel can be sea and river. Both types have a pleasant taste and are actively consumed in food. Smoked fish is used to prepare salads, snacks and other dishes. You can also find fresh, frozen and chilled eels in stores. For home smoking, it is better not to use a product that has been frozen.

It is important to remove all mucus from the surface of the eel before smoking. It spoils not only the taste, but also the appearance, and during the cooking process it can give the product a gray color and an unsightly appearance. Slime can be removed with a knife, newspaper, coarse sand or salt.

Like any other food, the eel must be marinated before cooking. For this, spices and salt are used. It is advisable to salt the fish well so that no ichor remains inside.

Eel can be smoked both cold and hot. At home, you can use both conventional and electrical units. The fish is hung on hooks or laid out on wire racks. Cooking time depends on the temperature and size of the fish. You can cook whole carcasses, but at home it is better in small pieces.

Recipe 1: Smoked eel at home

Eel has a rather soft meat that passes smoke well, absorbs odors. The main difficulty that can be faced is the ridge along the ridge. Therefore, it is not recommended to smoke large fish whole.

Required ingredients

Bay leaf;

Peppercorns.

You will also need a smokehouse, wood chips or sawdust from fruit trees, alder or oak.

Cooking method

1. Prepare brine from water, salt, spices. For 1 liter of liquid there is 100 gr. salt. Bring to a boil, cool.

2. Prepare the eel. We clean off the mucus from the surface with a knife, then sprinkle it with salt. After a few minutes, together with it, we remove the remnants of mucus, thoroughly clean the gills. Unpick the belly and remove the insides. If necessary, cut the carcass into several parts.

3. Soak the eel in the brine, let stand for at least 5 hours. It is better to leave the fish for two days to marinate well. In this case, even if it does not smoke, it will still be ready.

4. We wash the fish with running water. We hang the whole carcass on a hook, lay the pieces on the wire rack. Let the eel dry well.

5. Refuel the smokehouse, lay out the chips. If they are too dry, they should be slightly moistened to avoid fire.

6. We put the fish in the smokehouse, bring it to readiness. It is determined by the appearance of the carcass. Transverse folds should appear on the skin. If the fish is whole, the belly will open.

Recipe 2: Smoked Eel in a Barrel

An option for preparing smoked eel for those who do not have a special smokehouse. You will need a large barrel, a small electric stove, and a frying pan to put sawdust in.

Required ingredients

Small acne;

Tarragon;

For smoking, you will need sawdust, juniper berries, and a piece of sugar. For hanging eels, pieces of wire.

Cooking method

1. We clean the eel from mucus, thickly cover with salt mixed with pepper and tarragon. Put a bay leaf in the cleaned abdomen. Leave the fish to salt for at least 10 hours.

2. Put a tile in the barrel, turn it on at medium temperature. On it a frying pan with sawdust, hop cones, put a piece of sugar on top.

3. We wash the eels with running water.

4. We make hooks out of wire, put on the fish, hang it in the air and dry it.

5. We hang the eels in the barrel, closer to the walls. Cover with a lid. Leave it to cook for 4-5 hours, then open it, take out one eel and take a sample. The process can be extended if necessary.

Recipe 3: Smoked Eel with Rice

One of the simplest homemade smoked eel dishes. You can use regular white rice, but if you want to add something unusual and useful to the dish, then the unpeeled brown version will do.

Required ingredients

0.4 kg of eel;

0.3 kg of rice;

3 tbsp. spoons of soy sauce;

Black pepper, spices, herbs.

Cooking method

1. We wash the rice in several waters, boil until tender in a large amount of water. Then we put the rice in a colander, let the water drain.

2. Mix soy sauce with any spices to taste, add black pepper. Mix well.

3. Add the sauce to the rice and stir. Spread out in a slide on a large and flat dish.

4. Cut the eel into thin slices and place on top of the rice. Sprinkle with fresh herbs.

Recipe 4: Smoked Eel with Egg and Bell Pepper

Smoked eel salad appetizer that has a divine aroma and taste. At the same time, it does not take much time and looks elegant. Perfect for a festive table.

Required ingredients

0.1 kg of eel;

1 PC. bell pepper;

Lettuce leaves;

20 ml each soy sauce and olive oil.

Cooking method

1. Boil hard-boiled eggs, cool and cut into cubes.

2. Put the lettuce leaves on a plate, after rinsing and drying.

3. Put chopped eggs on the salad, peeled from the insides and finely chopped pepper on top.

4. Mix soy sauce with vegetable oil, pour eggs and pepper in a thin stream.

5. Cut the eel into strips, spread on top of the pepper.

Recipe 5: Smoked eel with sauce

To prepare this smoked eel dish, you will need demi-glace fish sauce. It is better to buy it in the store, since it is rather difficult to cook it yourself.

Required ingredients

0.4 kg of eel;

Demi-glaze 0.1 kg;

3 tbsp. tablespoons of cream;

0.5 tsp turmeric;

Lemon and herbs for decoration.

Cooking method

1. In a small saucepan, heat the demi-glace sauce, add cream and turmeric to it. It is important not to bring the mixture to a boil.

2. Cut the smoked eel into beautiful long strips, dip in hot sauce and keep until completely cooled.

3. Put the appetizer on a plate, decorate with sprigs of herbs and lemon slices.

Recipe 6: Smoked Eel in Tartlets

A spectacular appetizer that will replace the classic tartlets with red and black caviar, making them more spectacular and tasty. It is not recommended to start containers in advance, it is better just before serving.

Required ingredients

0.15 kg of eel;

0.1 kg of cream cheese;

Dill greens;

50 gr. any caviar;

1 spoon of mayonnaise.

Cooking method

1. Peel the smoked eel, then cut it into small cubes.

2. We wash the dill, dry it, chop it finely and mix it with the fish.

3. Add cream cheese and mayonnaise to the mass. We knead everything well.

4. We start the tartlets with a mass of smoked eel and cheese. Decorate the top with a small amount of red or black caviar, you can put a sprig of greens.

Recipe 7: Smoked Eel Rolls

Perhaps the most popular use for smoked eel is rolls. This dish has long ceased to be something unusual and many housewives cook it with pleasure at home. The recipe contains the amount of ingredients calculated for 1 sheet of nori.

Required ingredients

Nori sheet 1 pc;

Cooked rice 150 gr .;

Smoked eel 150 gr .;

Sesame seeds;

1 fresh cucumber.

If desired, in these rolls, you can replace the cucumber with an avocado.

Cooking method

1. Place the noria sheet on the bamboo mat. The rough side should be on top.

2. We spread a thin layer of boiled rice over the entire surface, stepping back from the far edge 1.5 cm. It is more convenient to do this with hands dipped in cold water.

3. Grease the rice on top with a thin layer of wasabi. The amount depends on the taste, if you don't like spicy, then you can skip this step or apply a thin strip on one side.

4. Cut the eel and cucumber into cubes. We spread it in a strip, sprinkle with sesame seeds, fold the roll. A strip of bucket elevator, left without filling, must be greased with water so that it sticks to the roll, and the roll keeps its shape.

Recipe 8: Salad with smoked eel and sun-dried tomatoes

An interesting salad that can be prepared both in a large dish and in portions. Dressed with soy sauce with honey and aromatic spices.

Required ingredients

0.2 kg of eel;

0.2 kg of sun-dried tomatoes;

0.1 kg of bell pepper;

1 red onion;

0.1 kg of canned green peas.

For the sauce:

1 tsp honey;

4 tbsp. spoons of soy sauce;

0.5 tsp ready-made mustard;

1/2 lemon juice;

A mixture of spices for fish.

Preparation

1. Cut the smoked eel and tomatoes into strips, put them in a salad bowl.

2. We clean the onion from the husk, cut into thin, transparent half rings. Pour some water, add vinegar and marinate.

3. Peel the bell peppers, cut them into strips and send them to the tomatoes and fish. Squeeze the onion from the marinade and put it in a salad bowl, add green peas.

4. Mix the soy sauce with honey, lemon juice and mustard. Add fish spices and mix thoroughly.

5. Season the food cut for the salad with sauce, mix gently, if you wish, you can add a little more salt or lemon juice.

Recipe 9: Smoked Eel and Avocado Salad

A nutritious and satisfying smoked eel salad with added avocado. It is important that the exotic fruit is ripe enough, in which case the dish will acquire an oily taste, without heavy and harmful dressings.

Required ingredients

1 avocado

2 chicken eggs or 5 quail eggs;

0.2 kg of smoked eel;

Green lettuce leaves;

1 cucumber;

1 tomato;

Vegetable oil, salt.

Preparation

1. Boil eggs, cool, peel. Cut in half, then each half into 4 neat slices, set aside.

2. Tear lettuce leaves into pieces, put them in a salad bowl, add eel cut into strips, slices of fresh cucumber and tomato.

3. Remove the bone from the avocado, cut it into small pieces and send it to the salad, add salt and a little vegetable oil, mix everything well for a minute.

4. Put the salad on a flat dish, lay the boiled egg slices around.

Recipe 10: Smoked Eel in the Ear

The smoked eel first dish, according to connoisseurs, overshadows all other recipes. The ukha has an incredible aroma, but it also cooks very quickly. In this recipe, all vegetables are laid raw, but if you wish, you can make a fry with onions and carrots.

Required ingredients

0.3 kg of eel;

2 potatoes;

1 carrot;

1 onion;

Greens, salt, bay leaf;

A handful of millet.

Cooking method

1. Put a saucepan with 1.5 liters of water on the stove and bring it to a boil.

2. Peel the vegetables, cut the potatoes into strips, three carrots on a grater, and dice the onion.

3. Salt the water in a saucepan, put onions and carrots, bring to a boil.

4. Add washed millet.

5. Put potatoes into the boiling fish soup. Bring to a boil again, remove heat to a minimum, boil for 5 minutes.

6. Cut the eel into pieces, put it in the soup, cook over low heat. We bring to readiness, at the end add bay leaves and herbs, add more salt if necessary.

The bulk of the fat is contained in the skin of smoked eel, so it is advisable for people who monitor their weight to remove it when cooking.

If there are difficulties with cleaning the fish from mucus or there is simply no time, then you need to fill it with salt and rub it after a while. It is better to do this with gloves. The mucus will lag well behind the carcass, it remains only to rinse it with running water.

Useful substances are found in both sea and river fish. They are rich in small and large carcasses. The taste of an adult and a young eel is also not very different. Therefore, you should not go for the tricks of the sellers, buy the fish that you liked.

Smoked eel salads are not very fond of fatty and mayonnaise sauces, it is better to give preference to lighter dressings. But on the other hand, such dishes love spices, in any quantity, including spicy and Korean ones.

Eel is a freshwater fish. It is appreciated for its taste and rich composition of nutrients. It has a unique taste and is widely used in cooking all over the world. Smoked eel is used to prepare especially savory dishes. It is added to delicious salads, sushi and rolls. Smoking eel at home is a feasible process. The main thing is to have a hot or cold smoked smokehouse, desire and a little time.

Calorie content, composition of smoked eel

In addition to its excellent taste, the fish has a very healthy composition. Rich in iodine, phosphorus, iron, potassium, and high quality protein and fat. Vitamins E, A, B, D, contained in large quantities, prevent the development of many diseases, which include cancer.

Including such a product in the diet, the thyroid gland is regulated, vision improves, and the aging process of the body slows down. Due to its qualities, the use of smoked eel is recommended for improving men's health. The fish is high in calories, so it is better to eat it in small portions.

100 g of smoked product contains:

• Protein - 17.9 g;
• Fat - 28.6 g;
• Carbohydrates - 0.0 g;
• Caloric content is 326 kcal.

Hot smoked eel

To cook hot smoked eel, it is best to choose fresh, not frozen fish. Then the meat will be tastier and more aromatic. The smokehouse can be any - purchased or made with your own hands. You also need to stock up on firewood and wood chips. Oak or beech wood is perfect.

The carcass itself must be well-fed, at least 4 cm in diameter. If the fish is alive, saline will help kill it quickly. To do this, you need to make a strong saline solution, place live eels in it. After a while, they will die, then you can clean them.

There is a lot of mucus on the skin of the fish. You can remove it with an iron dish brush or coarse salt. It is necessary to rub the carcasses thoroughly with salt, then rinse under running water. If the mucus is poorly removed, the product will be spoiled.

Also, the fish need to be gutted, while the head does not need to be touched. Make an incision from the lower abdomen to the jaws and remove all the insides, especially the kidneys. Rinse the carcasses thoroughly again. Next, you need to prepare the brine: mix 5 liters of water with 1 kilogram of salt. The carcasses will not be salted for long, and it is enough to hold them in brine for 20 minutes, then rinse with water.

After that, they need to be blotted with a towel, put on a skewer or an iron rod, dried in a draft, about an hour. Insert wooden spacers inside the abdomen. When smoking, this will allow the smoke to penetrate evenly into the depths and will not allow the edges to dry out.

While the fish is drying, you can prepare for smoking. Make a fire, let the wood burn out so that the heat is not strong. Pour 2-3 handfuls of wood chips into the smokehouse, cover it with foil or place a pallet. Load the eels into the smokehouse, close the lid, put on fire. On low heat, the fish should be dried for about 2 hours.

After 2 hours, the temperature inside the smokehouse will rise to 50 degrees, so the fish should be cooked for another 30 minutes. Then you need to bring the temperature to 75⁰ and leave the carcasses for another hour. After that, remove the smokehouse from the fire, let it cool down along with the fish. Finished eels should be dark golden in color. As soon as they cool down, you can immediately treat yourself to a delicious dish.

You can store such a product for no more than 3 days, at a temperature from 0 to + 2⁰. You can extend the shelf life by vacuum packing or deep freezing (-30⁰). This will keep the fish edible for up to 30 days.

The cold smoke smoking process is long enough, but worth it. In this way, you can save a large amount of caught fish, and the taste and aroma of the dish will turn out to be excellent.

A prerequisite for cold smoking is a special smokehouse. At home, any small outbuildings are suitable, in which it will be possible to make a fire: a shed, a pantry. Under field conditions, you will need a hole for the firebox and a closed canopy above it: a tent, a tent, a hut. You will need a lot of firewood, so stocks should be made in advance.

You will also need wood chips, oak or alder chips. It will be convenient to build a fire in a grill, barrel or iron box. Hanging fish in the smokehouse requires poles or ropes with hooks. If there is a commercial smokehouse, this will greatly speed up and facilitate the process.

Before smoking, eel needs thorough preparation:

• Fish to clear of mucus and entrails (as with hot smoking).
• Rinse thoroughly, place in lightly salted water for 15 minutes to wash out the blood.
• Pour a layer of salt (coarse) on the bottom of a suitable container.
• Rub each carcass with salt, spices (chopped bay leaves, tarragon, herbs, pepper).
• Place in a container, sprinkle generously with salt on top.
• Cover the container, keep in a cool place for 2 days.
• Rinse salted carcasses, hang in a draft for drying (2-3 hours).

Then prepared and dried eels can be loaded into the smokehouse. The fish should be smoked with cold smoke 30-35⁰. The fire must be kept continuous, but not intense. Hang the carcasses in the smokehouse at a distance of 1 meter from the fire, constantly make sure that the smoke at the bottom of the smokehouse does not heat up very much. Maintain constant fire for the first 8 hours. Then you can take breaks.

In this way, the fish will be processed with smoke for 4-5 days. Do not immediately remove the cooked smoked meats from the smokehouse, let them hang there for several hours. Then eels need to be hung out in a draft to ventilate for about 12 hours. After that you can taste it.

The delicacy can be stored for up to 3 weeks at a temperature of 0 + 2⁰. When deep-frozen, the eel will last up to 5 months. Bon Appetit!

Smoked eel - general cooking principles

Eel can be sea and river. Both types have a pleasant taste and are actively consumed in food. Smoked fish is used to prepare salads, snacks and other dishes. You can also find fresh, frozen and chilled eels in stores. For home smoking, it is better not to use a product that has been frozen.

It is important to remove all mucus from the surface of the eel before smoking. It spoils not only the taste, but also the appearance, and during the cooking process it can give the product a gray color and an unsightly appearance. Slime can be removed with a knife, newspaper, coarse sand or salt.

Like any other food, the eel must be marinated before cooking. For this, spices and salt are used. It is advisable to salt the fish well so that no ichor remains inside.

Eel can be smoked both cold and hot. At home, you can use both conventional and electrical units. The fish is hung on hooks or laid out on wire racks. Cooking time depends on the temperature and size of the fish. You can cook whole carcasses, but at home it is better in small pieces.

Recipe 1: Smoked eel at home

Eel has a rather soft meat that passes smoke well, absorbs odors. The main difficulty that can be faced is the ridge along the ridge. Therefore, it is not recommended to smoke large fish whole.

Required ingredients

Bay leaf;

Peppercorns.

You will also need a smokehouse, wood chips or sawdust from fruit trees, alder or oak.

Cooking method

1. Prepare brine from water, salt, spices. For 1 liter of liquid there is 100 gr. salt. Bring to a boil, cool.

2. Prepare the eel. We clean off the mucus from the surface with a knife, then sprinkle it with salt. After a few minutes, together with it, we remove the remnants of mucus, thoroughly clean the gills. Unpick the belly and remove the insides. If necessary, cut the carcass into several parts.

3. Soak the eel in the brine, let stand for at least 5 hours. It is better to leave the fish for two days to marinate well. In this case, even if it does not smoke, it will still be ready.

4. We wash the fish with running water. We hang the whole carcass on a hook, lay the pieces on the wire rack. Let the eel dry well.

5. Refuel the smokehouse, lay out the chips. If they are too dry, they should be slightly moistened to avoid fire.

6. We put the fish in the smokehouse, bring it to readiness. It is determined by the appearance of the carcass. Transverse folds should appear on the skin. If the fish is whole, the belly will open.

Recipe 2: Smoked Eel in a Barrel

An option for preparing smoked eel for those who do not have a special smokehouse. You will need a large barrel, a small electric stove, and a frying pan to put sawdust in.

Required ingredients

Small acne;

Tarragon;

For smoking, you will need sawdust, juniper berries, and a piece of sugar. For hanging eels, pieces of wire.

Cooking method

1. We clean the eel from mucus, thickly cover with salt mixed with pepper and tarragon. Put a bay leaf in the cleaned abdomen. Leave the fish to salt for at least 10 hours.

2. Put a tile in the barrel, turn it on at medium temperature. On it a frying pan with sawdust, hop cones, put a piece of sugar on top.

3. We wash the eels with running water.

4. We make hooks out of wire, put on the fish, hang it in the air and dry it.

5. We hang the eels in the barrel, closer to the walls. Cover with a lid. Leave it to cook for 4-5 hours, then open it, take out one eel and take a sample. The process can be extended if necessary.

Recipe 3: Smoked Eel with Rice

One of the simplest homemade smoked eel dishes. You can use regular white rice, but if you want to add something unusual and useful to the dish, then the unpeeled brown version will do.

Required ingredients

0.4 kg of eel;

0.3 kg of rice;

3 tbsp. spoons of soy sauce;

Black pepper, spices, herbs.

Cooking method

1. We wash the rice in several waters, boil until tender in a large amount of water. Then we put the rice in a colander, let the water drain.

2. Mix soy sauce with any spices to taste, add black pepper. Mix well.

3. Add the sauce to the rice and stir. Spread out in a slide on a large and flat dish.

4. Cut the eel into thin slices and place on top of the rice. Sprinkle with fresh herbs.

Recipe 4: Smoked Eel with Egg and Bell Pepper

Smoked eel salad appetizer that has a divine aroma and taste. At the same time, it does not take much time and looks elegant. Perfect for a festive table.

Required ingredients

0.1 kg of eel;

1 PC. bell pepper;

Lettuce leaves;

20 ml each soy sauce and olive oil.

Cooking method

1. Boil hard-boiled eggs, cool and cut into cubes.

2. Put the lettuce leaves on a plate, after rinsing and drying.

3. Put chopped eggs on the salad, peeled from the insides and finely chopped pepper on top.

4. Mix soy sauce with vegetable oil, pour eggs and pepper in a thin stream.

5. Cut the eel into strips, spread on top of the pepper.

Recipe 5: Smoked eel with sauce

To prepare this smoked eel dish, you will need demi-glace fish sauce. It is better to buy it in the store, since it is rather difficult to cook it yourself.

Required ingredients

0.4 kg of eel;

Demi-glaze 0.1 kg;

3 tbsp. tablespoons of cream;

0.5 tsp turmeric;

Lemon and herbs for decoration.

Cooking method

1. In a small saucepan, heat the demi-glace sauce, add cream and turmeric to it. It is important not to bring the mixture to a boil.

2. Cut the smoked eel into beautiful long strips, dip in hot sauce and keep until completely cooled.

3. Put the appetizer on a plate, decorate with sprigs of herbs and lemon slices.

Recipe 6: Smoked Eel in Tartlets

A spectacular appetizer that will replace the classic tartlets with red and black caviar, making them more spectacular and tasty. It is not recommended to start containers in advance, it is better just before serving.

Required ingredients

0.15 kg of eel;

0.1 kg of cream cheese;

Dill greens;

50 gr. any caviar;

1 spoon of mayonnaise.

Cooking method

1. Peel the smoked eel, then cut it into small cubes.

2. We wash the dill, dry it, chop it finely and mix it with the fish.

3. Add cream cheese and mayonnaise to the mass. We knead everything well.

4. We start the tartlets with a mass of smoked eel and cheese. Decorate the top with a small amount of red or black caviar, you can put a sprig of greens.

Recipe 7: Smoked Eel Rolls

Perhaps the most popular use for smoked eel is rolls. This dish has long ceased to be something unusual and many housewives cook it with pleasure at home. The recipe contains the amount of ingredients calculated for 1 sheet of nori.

Required ingredients

Nori sheet 1 pc;

Cooked rice 150 gr .;

Smoked eel 150 gr .;

Wasabi;

Sesame seeds;

1 fresh cucumber.

If desired, in these rolls, you can replace the cucumber with an avocado.

Cooking method

1. Place the noria sheet on the bamboo mat. The rough side should be on top.

2. We spread a thin layer of boiled rice over the entire surface, stepping back from the far edge 1.5 cm. It is more convenient to do this with hands dipped in cold water.

3. Grease the rice on top with a thin layer of wasabi. The amount depends on the taste, if you don't like spicy, then you can skip this step or apply a thin strip on one side.

4. Cut the eel and cucumber into cubes. We spread it in a strip, sprinkle with sesame seeds, fold the roll. A strip of bucket elevator, left without filling, must be greased with water so that it sticks to the roll, and the roll keeps its shape.

Recipe 8: Salad with smoked eel and sun-dried tomatoes

An interesting salad that can be prepared both in a large dish and in portions. Dressed with soy sauce with honey and aromatic spices.

Required ingredients

0.2 kg of eel;

0.2 kg of sun-dried tomatoes;

0.1 kg of bell pepper;

1 red onion;

0.1 kg of canned green peas.

For the sauce:

1 tsp honey;

4 tbsp. spoons of soy sauce;

0.5 tsp ready-made mustard;

1/2 lemon juice;

A mixture of spices for fish.

Preparation

1. Cut the smoked eel and tomatoes into strips, put them in a salad bowl.

2. We clean the onion from the husk, cut into thin, transparent half rings. Pour some water, add vinegar and marinate.

3. Peel the bell peppers, cut them into strips and send them to the tomatoes and fish. Squeeze the onion from the marinade and put it in a salad bowl, add green peas.

4. Mix the soy sauce with honey, lemon juice and mustard. Add fish spices and mix thoroughly.

5. Season the food cut for the salad with sauce, mix gently, if you wish, you can add a little more salt or lemon juice.

Recipe 9: Smoked Eel and Avocado Salad

A nutritious and satisfying smoked eel salad with added avocado. It is important that the exotic fruit is ripe enough, in which case the dish will acquire an oily taste, without heavy and harmful dressings.

Required ingredients

1 avocado

2 chicken eggs or 5 quail eggs;

0.2 kg of smoked eel;

Green lettuce leaves;

1 cucumber;

1 tomato;

Vegetable oil, salt.

Preparation

1. Boil eggs, cool, peel. Cut in half, then each half into 4 neat slices, set aside.

2. Tear lettuce leaves into pieces, put them in a salad bowl, add eel cut into strips, slices of fresh cucumber and tomato.

3. Remove the bone from the avocado, cut it into small pieces and send it to the salad, add salt and a little vegetable oil, mix everything well for a minute.

4. Put the salad on a flat dish, lay the boiled egg slices around.

Recipe 10: Smoked Eel in the Ear

The smoked eel first dish, according to connoisseurs, overshadows all other recipes. The ukha has an incredible aroma, but it also cooks very quickly. In this recipe, all vegetables are laid raw, but if you wish, you can make a fry with onions and carrots.

Required ingredients

0.3 kg of eel;

2 potatoes;

1 carrot;

1 onion;

Greens, salt, bay leaf;

A handful of millet.

Cooking method

1. Put a saucepan with 1.5 liters of water on the stove and bring it to a boil.

2. Peel the vegetables, cut the potatoes into strips, three carrots on a grater, and dice the onion.

3. Salt the water in a saucepan, put onions and carrots, bring to a boil.

4. Add washed millet.

5. Put potatoes into the boiling fish soup. Bring to a boil again, remove heat to a minimum, boil for 5 minutes.

6. Cut the eel into pieces, put it in the soup, cook over low heat. We bring to readiness, at the end add bay leaves and herbs, add more salt if necessary.

Smoked eel - tricks and tips

The bulk of the fat is contained in the skin of smoked eel, so it is advisable for people who monitor their weight to remove it when cooking.

If there are difficulties with cleaning the fish from mucus or there is simply no time, then you need to fill it with salt and rub it after a while. It is better to do this with gloves. The mucus will lag well behind the carcass, it remains only to rinse it with running water.

Useful substances are found in both sea and river fish. They are rich in small and large carcasses. The taste of an adult and a young eel is also not very different. Therefore, you should not go for the tricks of the sellers, buy the fish that you liked.

Smoked eel salads are not very fond of fatty and mayonnaise sauces, it is better to give preference to lighter dressings. But on the other hand, such dishes love spices, in any quantity, including spicy and Korean ones.

If you want to learn how to turn an ordinary eel into a delicacy, first of all you need to familiarize yourself with the basic principles of cooking, and then master the intricacies of the matter. Smoked eel, although it is cooked in a smokehouse in the same way as other fish, has its own characteristics. But first about the equipment. You will need a smokehouse. Today, a wide variety of models are on sale. There are even models that allow you to smoke fish in an ordinary city apartment. Manufacturers offer various modifications, some of them will be optimal for home use, others will allow you to start your own business. But if you love smoked eel and want to eat healthy and delicious meals, you will have to purchase this equipment.

Types of smoking fish products

Smoked eel can be prepared in three ways:

• Hot eel processing. The processing temperature should exceed +80 degrees C, the cooking time can last for 4 hours.
• Cold processing of fish. In this case, the fish is cooked at a temperature not higher than +30 degrees C. The process takes place within 2-4 days.
• Semi-hot smoking. Cooking takes place in the temperature range from +35 degrees C to +50 degrees C. Depending on the preparation method, smoking can take up to half a day.
• Hot and humid cooking method. This is a specific smoking method that is applied exclusively to eels. The fish is cooked at a temperature of more than +90 degrees C for half an hour. Then the temperature is lowered to +60 degrees C and the fish is kept in the smokehouse for another 1.5-2 hours.

How to cook cold smoked eel

Cold smoked eel can be prepared in a variety of ways. Let's talk about the most popular methods among lovers of this delicacy:

• The carcasses are salted, laid out in size, and then soaked. Then the carcasses must be completely dried. Then they are entirely put on hooks and smoked in smoke at temperatures up to +35 degrees C. The time can vary from 1 day to 4.
• The second method involves cutting the eel carcass into 2 halves. Next, the pieces are soaked in 20% brine. Salting time depends on the weight. For example, halves of 1 kilogram need to be kept in brine for 4-5 hours. Then the pieces must be soaked in water for 2-3 hours. Then the carcasses are hung on hooks and smoked at temperatures up to +30 degrees C for 1-3 days.
• If the fish was previously frozen, then it must be kept in the brine for longer - up to 5 days, and it is also soaked longer - more than 6 hours. Smoking directly lasts up to 4 days at a temperature of +35 degrees C.

If you want smoked eel to last longer, you can dry it for 24 hours after smoking.

How to cook hot smoked eel

Cooking hot smoked eel is a less time-consuming procedure. First, the fish is cleaned, gutted and washed. Then either simply salted or kept in a saline solution. Then the carcasses should be dried, hung on hooks and sent to the smokehouse. The optimum smoke temperature is from +55 degrees C to +80. In this case, it must be understood that excessively rapid heating of the oven will lead to the formation of steam, which can cause the product to soften and break off the hook. It is also necessary to check the readiness regularly. It is determined by the condition of the meat at the fin. When the smoked eel is done, the meat should not be glassy, ​​but white. The smoking time depends on the size of the carcass, so the smaller fish should be hung closer to the door as they will cook earlier.

Use of spices

Eel belongs to those types of fish that have a specific smell in their raw state, therefore, various herbs and spices are often used in the process of smoking it. These are common spices that every housewife has. Seasonings should be chosen according to personal tastes and preferences. You can also use fresh herbs from the garden. Spices are either added to a saline solution, or the carcasses are rubbed with them together with salt. Commonly used are nutmeg, cumin, curry, savory and sage. Basil or coriander is used to give the finished product a special aroma.

Content and calorie content of smoked eel

Smoked eel is not only a delicious dish, but also very healthy. It contains many very valuable components:

• high quality fats - over 30%;
• proteins - more than 15%;
• vitamins of groups A, B1, B2, D and E;
• trace elements: sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, selenium, iron, zinc, copper and others.

Eel is a source of Omega-3 acids, which are vital for the human body, especially in childhood and old age. The calorie content of the product is about 390 kcal per 100 grams of the product.

Beneficial features

The high content of protein and fatty acids leads to the benefits of acne for people with cardiovascular insufficiency, atherosclerosis and various nervous diseases. Due to the presence of "Omega-3", the use of this fish normalizes metabolic processes, reduces the intensity of oxidative processes, and, consequently, rejuvenates the body. Fats reduce the risk of rickets and increase immunity. In Japan, the use of eel is increasing progressively towards the summer, as it helps to withstand heat stress more easily and relieves fatigue. The significant content of vitamin A strengthens vision and prevents skin aging.

If you have experience in smoking eel or have interesting information, share your experience in the comment section.

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Eel is an unusual fish from the eel family. It has a long, cylindrical body compressed near the tail. In its appearance, the fire is very similar to a snake. The head of the fish is small with a small mouth, in which sharp, small teeth are located.

The eel lives both in rivers and seas. This fish has a unique vitality, it can be on land for quite a long time. The eel easily overcomes obstacles on its waterway, crawling along the shore like a snake.

The eel feeds on snails, crustaceans, fry, eggs, worms and small fish only in the warm season.

An interesting fact from the life of this amazing fish is that the eel is capable of spawning only once in its life, and after spawning, the fish dies.

The eel grows up to 2 meters long. Weight ranges from 2 to 5 kg.

Delicious, tender and healthy eel meat has earned worldwide fame. Dishes prepared from the meat of this fish will please any gourmet. But smoked eel is considered the most delicious delicacy.

Of the trace elements, the content of potassium, magnesium, calcium, sodium, phosphorus, iron, selenium, copper, manganese, zinc should be noted.

Eel meat is considered more fat, because it contains 12% fat. In this case, the amount of protein is 18.4%. Sea eel contains practically no fat at all - only 1.9%. The proteins in conger eel contain 19.1%.

Beneficial features

Eel meat contains a large amount of protein and fatty acids, therefore the use of this product is recommended for people with atherosclerosis, cardiovascular and nervous diseases.

Omega-3 rejuvenates body cells, improves metabolism. Important for all people, especially those with skin, nail and hair problems.

Vitamins and microelements of this fish increase vision, prevent premature skin aging, have a positive effect on diseases of the vascular system and heart, strengthen bone tissue.

The fat, which is found in large quantities in the meat of the river eel, is an excellent remedy for the prevention of rickets and increasing immunity. And conger eel, which is low in fat and high in protein, is recommended for various diets.

Eel meat is rich in iodine and helps in the functioning of the thyroid gland.

Application

A large number of delicious dishes are made from eel meat. It can be boiled, fried and baked. But still the most favorite dish is smoked eel, which, by the way, belongs to delicacies. This product is very popular in eastern countries, especially in Japan. There it is used in the preparation of rolls and sushi.

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