HOT SMOKED PERCH

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Going for a pike or zander, many spinning players are faced with a pleasant “problem” - a perch. It is caught well in any weather and season. There are enough different lures: from baubles to gum. Interestingly resists fishing. It would seem that we must rejoice. However, there is an important detail - it is not clear what to do next. The average perch weighs approximately 200 grams. In addition, he is not greasy and bony. But the main "sadness" of this small fish is that it is disgustingly cleaned. For this, to put it mildly, the hostess does not like perch, flatly refusing to cook it. It's a shame, right?
There is a solution. Smokehouse! Please yourself and friends with an amazing appetizer. When smoked, this fish acquires very interesting taste shades, characteristic only for perch. You can smoke not only at home, but also in unsuitable conditions: in the country or directly on the beach. Cooking time about 1.5 hours.
The average smokehouse will require:
1. Perch. About 2.5 kg.
2. Chips.
3. Firewood. If not, coal (as in the photo).
4. Spices.

Cooking
1. Pour water into the chips and let it brew. As soon as the water becomes bronze-colored you can drain. About 40 minutes

2. Rinse the fish, put in a convenient container and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. I focus on the fact that the perch does not need to be cleaned or gutted!

3. Let the fish stand for half an hour.
4. At this time, take care of the bonfire. Firewood should be burnt so that their integrity is maintained. They must smolder.

5. Drain the perch from the liquid. And, armed with gloves, and not like I do (I think there is no need to remind real fishermen that this fish is prickly), gently wipe each fish with a napkin in the direction of the growth of scales, removing excess water. This is a necessary procedure. After all, the perch should be smoked, and not cooked.

6. Put about 1 cm thick chips on the bottom of the smokehouse.

7. Install the grill. Put the fish on its side, leaving for each the necessary space (for the availability of smoke from all sides).

8. Install the second row of grids and repeat the same.

9. Close the lid and place on the coals.

10. After 10 minutes, release the first steam by gently sliding the smokehouse lid slightly. After all, perch is not peeled and there is plenty of excess juice in them.
11. After another 10 minutes, change the grills in places (for even smoking).

12. After 10 minutes, remove from heat.
The indicator of readiness is the color of the perch and the generated chips (it should turn practically into coals).

Recommendations
1. In the photo I used bricks (cooked in the country). But you can do without them. In nature, in order to preserve the heat of the coals, I surround them with two large wet logs. They do not have time to completely "do".
2. For aesthetes, at the last stage of cooking, you can sprinkle the fish with lemon and put several branches of dill. But you need to put them on the perch, and not on the grill (otherwise it just burns).
3. An important component of the recipe is wood chips (it’s also sawdust, it’s also twigs). In the photo - she is an alder (from the store). But for gourmets, I would recommend large sawdust of any fruit tree. Suitable apricot or apple tree. And if the cook isn’t lazy, then the shavings from the “live” cherries are even better. To do this, I finely chop a twig with an ordinary fishing knife. True, you have to try. It will take at least half an hour. Categorically not suitable nut chips. I want to draw attention to the fact that it gives the dish a persistent smell of iodine and even medicines.
4. Smokehouse can not be washed, using a purely "masculine" way. Bonfire is the best detergent.

5. It is not difficult to guess that this dish will be mastered by happy fishermen. So do not spare the ground pepper. You can even under the gills. And then this striped predator will become your favorite beer snack.

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