Crucian carp from a homemade smoking box
You don't need much to smoke a fish. A closed system and a heat source are completely sufficient. For this we have built a simple smoking box - consisting of just a cardboard box. The construction should of course only be operated under supervision (fire hazard). Better, especially for repeated use, are the smoking cabinets, smoking tubes etc. offered by the manufacturers of the equipment industry. Smoking is also possible in many closed grill systems.
The crucian carp belongs to the carp family (Cyprinidae) and is also known as the farmer's carp, stone carp or moor carp. The average size is 20 to 35 centimeters, although a length of half a meter and a weight of more than three kilograms are also possible. A delicious fish with sweet-tasting meat.
The box structure
Open the box at the top and bottom - put a stick etc. through the top third of the box - if you have a probe thermometer, place it at the height of the stick. Moisten the bottom third of the box a little and cover the top opening with a blanket or something similar.
The preparation
INGREDIENTS:
• 1 large crucian carp
• a bit of salt
• some fish seasoning
Wash the crucian carp, make a cut every 3 cm across the lateral line, salt the fish heavily and put it in the fridge for 2 hours. Then wash off the salt, rub the fish with some fish spice and hang it up to dry with a fish hook.
Now you can light a small campfire and separate some embers. Put the box over the middle of the embers - the temperature will rise immediately. Hang the fish on the hanging rod and let it cook for about 1/4 hour at 90° C. The cover seals the box at the top opening. Now you can reduce the temperature to about 60-70° C and add smoking powder. You may need to add some more embers from the campfire. Repeat the smoking process after another 1/4 hour.
After a total of 45 minutes, the smoked crucian carp is ready to eat. The dorsal fin test is used to check the doneness. A somewhat bony treat, but the interesting taste makes up for it.
