Smoked Fish Were Smokin

Smoked fish

notyourmomma 15 years ago

love the stuff, what do you use for your flavoring?

We usually use lemon pepper, seasoned salt, paprika as our rub. Then baste the fish fillets with a bit of melted butter, worchestershire sauce. Really low smoke, and very low heat. I don't like mesquite wood with fish, too bitter. I also use a disposable aluminum pan with an equal measure of water, cider vinegar and wood chips as a baffle between the fire and the fish. It cools the smoke as it is pulled to the chimney on the other side.

I'm interested in your method for all things with fins.

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jimrug1 15 years ago said:

On our yearly fishing trips to Michigan, I usually end up with a freezer full of salmon. My friends all leave part of their catch with me. I smoke it and give it back to whoever caught it. By far, the recipe they like the best is also one of the simplest and very close to chefs method.

I cut the larger fillets in half, scale them well and leave the skin on.

I brine the salmon over night in 1 cup salt & 1 cup light brown sugar per gallon of water....

I don't use a rub for this recipe.
Instead of wine and sugar (which I am going to try) I use one part Scotch and one part Honey.. Warm it in a saucepan until the honey melts.

Rinse off the brine and pat the fillets dry. Pour some of the Scotch and honey into a long baking pan, dip the fillets, and set them on a rack with a fan blowing on them.

I return the unused Scotch and Honey to the saucepan and reduce it down by half.

After the fillets are dry and have a nice sheen. I put them on the smoker for about 6 - 10 hours removing the smaller pieces when they are done. I mop them about every 1 - 1 1/2 hours with the Scotch Glaze whenever I add chips. The end result is a nicely glazed piece of salmon that melts in your mouth.

My cousin lives in Washington and sends me alder wood. It imparts a wonderful flavor to the salmon. Sometimes I mix it with apple or cherry wood

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jimrug1 15 years ago said:

I wrote this on another BBQ group so I just pasted it here also.. This same recipe could be done with any kind of fish.

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ronnymarcus 15 years ago said:

Thanks for all the info'.
Gotta try it.

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notyourmomma 15 years ago said:

Ohmigod. Jim, that sounds absolutely awesome. We generally have thin mackeral fillets from the gulf and I don't think they could stand up to scotch and honey. But salmon sounds delightful. We use our little fillets after they are smoked in a dip. The mackeral is generally oily and strong flavored so the lemon is the key to taming the oily flavor. I'll try to brine it and see what it does. Never thought of brining the fish, I brine pork and chicken all the time.

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jimrug1 15 years ago said:

I love smoked mackeral. When I lived in Marathon, Fla, there was a little place there that would smoke Mackeral, Grouper, Mullet. Actually they would smoke about anything that came off the boats. They had the best smoked fish dip there. I know they had some kind of peppery rub but also they would get this glaze on there smoked fish that just took it over the top.

If they are thin fillets just dont brine them as long. Brining is a curing process that is a "must do" if you are cold smoking because it actually preserves the fish. I think you will be happy with the resuts. Instead of the Scotch and Honey, you may want to try a semi dri white wine with either honey or sugar.

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