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In spite of the number of smokers here, I don't recall seeing a thread on smoked fish so I guess I will start one.
I love smoked salmon and trout. Most smoked salmon you purchase has been cold smoked. Traeger now makes a cold smoking attachment that I am really interested in, but have not purchased yet:
http://www.traegergrills.com/shop/de...3#.Ud2Tuz5ATtw
This would be great for not just fish, but bacon also.
In spite of that, regular smoked fish is also delicious and extremely simple to make. First of all, you need to make a brine:
BRINE
4 C water
1/4 C salt
1/4 C brown sugar
Put the filets in the brine for 6-8 hours. Then take the filets out and put them on a cookie sheet and let them dry for 2 hours. I am not sure how important this step is, but they say it forms a layer on the outside of the filets called a "pellicle" that allows the smoke flavor to attach more easily. I put them in the fridge to dry, but they say that you can leave them at room temp if you wish as the salt helps preserve the fish and keep it from spoiling.
The next step is to throw the filets on the smoker at the lowest (smoke) setting and let them smoke until done. You can test for doneness by the color (changes from a pale color to a darker orange hue) or by touch (becomes firm to the touch). Typically takes 1.5 - 2.5 hours (maybe longer for salmon). I will pull filets off as they finish and leave others on. Some filets are thicker and require more time. I highly recommend ALDER pellets.
I like to vacuum seal the filets we can't eat immediately and freeze them. We like to mix with mayo and relish/pickles and eat with crackers or on sandwiches. Fabulous flavor.
A few photos (trout):
I love smoked salmon and trout. Most smoked salmon you purchase has been cold smoked. Traeger now makes a cold smoking attachment that I am really interested in, but have not purchased yet:
http://www.traegergrills.com/shop/de...3#.Ud2Tuz5ATtw
This would be great for not just fish, but bacon also.
In spite of that, regular smoked fish is also delicious and extremely simple to make. First of all, you need to make a brine:
BRINE
4 C water
1/4 C salt
1/4 C brown sugar
Put the filets in the brine for 6-8 hours. Then take the filets out and put them on a cookie sheet and let them dry for 2 hours. I am not sure how important this step is, but they say it forms a layer on the outside of the filets called a "pellicle" that allows the smoke flavor to attach more easily. I put them in the fridge to dry, but they say that you can leave them at room temp if you wish as the salt helps preserve the fish and keep it from spoiling.
The next step is to throw the filets on the smoker at the lowest (smoke) setting and let them smoke until done. You can test for doneness by the color (changes from a pale color to a darker orange hue) or by touch (becomes firm to the touch). Typically takes 1.5 - 2.5 hours (maybe longer for salmon). I will pull filets off as they finish and leave others on. Some filets are thicker and require more time. I highly recommend ALDER pellets.
I like to vacuum seal the filets we can't eat immediately and freeze them. We like to mix with mayo and relish/pickles and eat with crackers or on sandwiches. Fabulous flavor.
A few photos (trout):
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