Smoked fish isfish that has beencured bysmoking. Foods have been smoked by humans throughout history. Originally this was done as apreservative. In more recent times, fish is readily preserved byrefrigeration andfreezing and the smoking of fish is generally done for the unique taste and flavour imparted by the smoking process.
According to Jeffrey J. Rozum, "The process of smoking fish occurs through the use of fire. Wood contains three major components that are broken down in the burning process to form smoke. The burning process is calledpyrolysis, which is simply defined as the chemical decomposition by heat. The major wood components arecellulose,hemicellulose andlignin."[2]
"The major steps in the preparation of smoked fish are salting (bath or injection of liquid brine or dry salt mixture), cold smoking, cooling, packaging (air/vacuum or modified), and storage. Smoking, one of the oldest preservation methods, combines the effects of salting, drying, heating and smoking. Typical smoking of fish is either cold (28–32 °C) or hot (70–80 °C). Cold smoking does not cook the flesh, coagulate the proteins, inactivate food spoilage enzymes, or eliminate the food pathogens, and hence refrigerated storage is necessary until consumption.[3]
Asmokehouse is a building where fish or meat is cured withsmoke. In a traditionalfishing village, a smokehouse was often attached to afisherman's cottage. The smoked products might be stored in the building, sometimes for a year or more.[4] Traditional smokehouses served both as smokers and to store the smoked fish. Fish could bepreserved if it was cured with salt andcold smoked for two weeks or longer.[4] Smokehouses were often secured to prevent animals and thieves from accessing the food.[4]
Today there are two main methods of smoking fish: the traditional method and the mechanical method. The traditional method involves the fish being suspended in smokehouses over slowlysmouldering wood shavings. The fish are left overnight to be naturally infused with smoke.[5]
In the mechanical method smoke is generated through the use of smoke condensates, which are created by the industrial process of turning smoke into a solid or liquid form. The flow of smoke in the mechanical kiln is computer controlled and the fish generally spend less time being smoked than in a traditional kiln.[2]
Laminar air-flow technology allows mechanical kilns to achieve a higher production rate, while the use of micro-processors has allowed mechanical kiln smokers increased sensor coverage within the kiln.[2][6]
High-quality smoked fish is a high-end product sought after by restaurants.[5][7]
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The most common types of smoked fish in the US aresalmon,mackerel,whitefish andtrout, although other smoked fish is also available regionally or from many ethnic stores. Salmon, mackerel andherring are universally available bothhot-smoked and cold-smoked, while most other fish is traditionally preserved by only one of the smoking methods.
A commonly used name for cold-smoked salmon islox, which is actually a different cured fish product of Jewish origin. The ingredients of true lox featuring just salt cured salmon belly. Cold smoked salmon has many different types available, usually identified by point of origin (e.g., from Scotland, Norway, Holland, the Pacific, and Nova Scotia, Canada—the latter usually identified as "Nova lox" or just "Nova"). Traditionally, "lox" designates brined rather than smoked salmon,[8][9] "Gravad lax" orgravlax and traditional Jewish lox remain the only two types that are unmistakablynot smoked fish. Most commercial labels still identify most smoked products as "smoked salmon" rather than "lox".
Most other smoked fish in the US is hot-smoked, although cold-smoked mackerel is always available in East-European delis, along with cold-smokedsturgeon,sea bass,halibut orturbot and many other varieties.Jewish delis often sell, in addition to lox, hot-smoked whitefish, mackerel, trout, andsablefish (also sometimes referred to as black cod in its fresh state). Along theMississippi River, hot-smoked locally caughtsturgeon is also available. Traditionally, in the US, cold-smoked fish, other than salmon, is considered "raw" and thus unsafe to consume without cooking. For this reason, in the US, cold-smoked fish is largely confined to specialty and ethnic shops.
In the Netherlands, commonly available varieties include both hot- and cold-smoked mackerel, herring andBaltic sprats. Hot-smokedeel is a specialty in the Northern provinces, but is a popular deli item throughout the country.
Smoked fish is a prominent item inRussian cuisine,Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine, and Scandinavian cuisine, as well as several Eastern and Central European cuisines and thePacific Northwest cuisine.
InIsraeli cuisine, smoked trout is traditionally eaten as part ofmeze, especially at breakfast. Sometimesrosemary leaves are added. Trout can be found in streams and rivers across the country as well as in theSea of Galilee.[10]
English,Scottish andCanadian cuisine incorporate a variety of stronglybrined, smoked herring that used to be known as "red herring". With the increased use of the idiomatic expression "red herring", references to the smoked fish product in this manner declined. A more common current name for it iskippers, or kippered herring. Kippered herring traditionally undergoes further processing (soaking and cooking) before consumption.Arbroath Smokies (haddock) andTraditional Grimsby smoked fish (haddock and cod) have both receivedProtected Geographical Indication status from theEuropean Commission,[11][12] which restricts use of the name to fish that is processed using specific methods within a defined geographical area. Other smoked fish products from the UK includefinnan haddie andbloaters.
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| Shellfish | |
| Other seafood | |
| Processed seafood | |
| Seafood dishes | |
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