category: food/groceries: fish: fish products

Smoked fish

Smoked fish are fish products, made from different fish or fish parts treated with fresh smoke. The used fish or fish parts may be fresh, frozen or salted.

Production and storage of smoked fish

Fish may be hot-smoked or cold-smoked. To smoke fish wood pieces, chips, sawdust or briquettes are used. The type of wood determines colour and aroma of the smoked fish.

During smoking the fish meat absorbs substances of the smoke that prevent or slow down the growth of micro-organisms. The shelf life of smoked fish is therefore comparably long. Cold-smoked fish generally has a longer shelf life than hot-smoked varieties. If stored properly and at cool temperatures cold-smoked fish may be kept for 14 days. Hot-smoked fresh fish should be consumed within 4 to 8 days. Vacuum packed smoked fish may even be stored for up to 6 weeks.

Hot-smoked fish products include:

• buckling
• buckling fillets
• boneless smoked herring
• boneless smoked mackerel
• smoked roe
• smoked sturgeon
• hot-smoked porbeagle steaks
• smoked eel
• smoked trout
• hot-smoked mackerel
• smoked rollmop
• smoked sprats
• hot-smoked spiny dogfish
• Schillerlocken
• Speckfisch
• Stremel-salmon

Cold-smoked fish products include:

• bloater
• smoked salted herring
• smoked salted mackerel
• kipper
• Lachsbückling
• cold-smoked herring
• cold-smoked mackerel
• smoked salmon trout
• smoked salmon

Quality markers of smoked fish

Smoked fish products of good quality should in general show the following characteristics: Depending on the type of fish the surface colour should be evenly golden to brown. The skin should be undamaged and have a silky shimmer or shine or be transparent. The colour of the meat depends on the type of fish but should be as light and firm as possible. Smell and taste should be mild, juicy and smoky and feature the typical aroma of the type of fish used. Cold-smoked fish products may also taste slightly salty.