Post by Crabman on Jan 14, 2011 23:21:11 GMT -5
After 20 years of trial and error, here is my recipe and thoughts on smoking our native salmon. No sermons here, but a couple of my thoughts. I hate to over due the brine. If you want to flavor the fish, you can do that with sauces or spices after you have smoked the fish. Remember, if you over season before you smoke, the whole batch is screwed. If you make a bad sauce, throw it out and make a good one. You still have great smoked fish to play with.
1-Go catch some fish.(Please refer to the "Fishing Reports" section for the 'how to' on this subject.
2-Fillet the salmon, skin on, scales on. Rinse in cold water, dry with paper towels. Don't gut and clean the fish, it is not necessary.
3-Mix 25% brown sugar, 25% white sugar and 50% kosher salt. Grind in to taste, fresh ground pepper.
4-Lay a sheet of aluminum foil on a counter top. Cover the foil with a piece of plastic wrap. Sprinkle the dry brine you just mixed up on top of the plastic wrap. Lay one fish fillet on top of the sprinkled brine. Put a layer of brine on the exposed flesh of the same fillet. Put the second fillet (rebuild the fish) on top of the first. Sprinkle the skin side of the second fillet with the dry brine. Now, carefully wrap the rebuilt fish in the plastic wrap, seal the package with the foil so that you have the brined fish tightly sealed at the top and sides. Leave the tail end open. So now you should have a foil wrapped fish that is sealed at the top and around the body, with an open bottom where the tail used to be. Do this to all off the fish you caught and intend to smoke.
5-Put these packages in a broiler pan or roasting pan, side by side or stacked. Place some sort of weight on the packages. A foil wrapped brick, big cans of water, a log...you just need weighted pressure on the packs at this point. Put the pan on an angle, so the juices will run away from the fish and gather on the bottom of the pan.(The salt will pull out the fishy taste from the fillets.) Let this process go on for about 2 hours. Three hours if you have really big fish. More than that and you will have smoked salt. One hour in, turn the fillets so the pressure is even.
6-Merry Christmas! Unwrap your packages. Rinse each and every fillet in cold running water. Remove any trace of the brine. Don't worry, the flavor is in the flesh, not on top. Pat each fillet dry with paper towels and place them, skin side down on the grates you plan to grill them on. Oil the grills so the fish doesn't stick.
7-Place the fish out in cool open air for about an hour. Fall is great, because the bugs are gone, the air is cool and the fish dry out nicely. If you have spring or summer fish, put them inside in front of a fan. Works great!
This process adds a patina to the smoked fish. It also seals in the moisture. This is a very important step.
8-Time to smoke the fish. Use apple wood or cherry. A little maple mixed in is great. No hickory here. You want sweet fruit woods to maintain the delicate flavor of the fish.
Make a low fire, or if you are able set the temp of you smoker at around 165. Our salmon require very little time to smoke. So unless you are smoking a 21 inch shootout winner, smoke the fish for about 3 to 3 1/2 hours. The thicker the fillet, the longer the smoke.
9-Check the fish after 3 hours. You are looking for cooked fish. Not shoe leather, not jerky. It should be moist, but completely cooked. The temp of your fire will determine the amount of time needed. Like all smoked foods, it is done when it is done.
10-Eat it! Vacuum seal it(it will last for months this way).
Sauce idea that works well for me. I serve this at dinner parties and it always kills.
Take2 tablespoons of mayonnaise and place it in a ramekin or very small bowl. Add a teaspoon( or more if you like it) of horse radish to the mayo. Grate in some rind of an orange. About a teaspoon or less. Mix and let set about 10 minutes.
Toast up thinly sliced french bread. It gets crispy and cracker like. Spread a little of the sauce on the bread, then a piece of the fish.
Bite on that and let me know what you think.
1-Go catch some fish.(Please refer to the "Fishing Reports" section for the 'how to' on this subject.
2-Fillet the salmon, skin on, scales on. Rinse in cold water, dry with paper towels. Don't gut and clean the fish, it is not necessary.
3-Mix 25% brown sugar, 25% white sugar and 50% kosher salt. Grind in to taste, fresh ground pepper.
4-Lay a sheet of aluminum foil on a counter top. Cover the foil with a piece of plastic wrap. Sprinkle the dry brine you just mixed up on top of the plastic wrap. Lay one fish fillet on top of the sprinkled brine. Put a layer of brine on the exposed flesh of the same fillet. Put the second fillet (rebuild the fish) on top of the first. Sprinkle the skin side of the second fillet with the dry brine. Now, carefully wrap the rebuilt fish in the plastic wrap, seal the package with the foil so that you have the brined fish tightly sealed at the top and sides. Leave the tail end open. So now you should have a foil wrapped fish that is sealed at the top and around the body, with an open bottom where the tail used to be. Do this to all off the fish you caught and intend to smoke.
5-Put these packages in a broiler pan or roasting pan, side by side or stacked. Place some sort of weight on the packages. A foil wrapped brick, big cans of water, a log...you just need weighted pressure on the packs at this point. Put the pan on an angle, so the juices will run away from the fish and gather on the bottom of the pan.(The salt will pull out the fishy taste from the fillets.) Let this process go on for about 2 hours. Three hours if you have really big fish. More than that and you will have smoked salt. One hour in, turn the fillets so the pressure is even.
6-Merry Christmas! Unwrap your packages. Rinse each and every fillet in cold running water. Remove any trace of the brine. Don't worry, the flavor is in the flesh, not on top. Pat each fillet dry with paper towels and place them, skin side down on the grates you plan to grill them on. Oil the grills so the fish doesn't stick.
7-Place the fish out in cool open air for about an hour. Fall is great, because the bugs are gone, the air is cool and the fish dry out nicely. If you have spring or summer fish, put them inside in front of a fan. Works great!
This process adds a patina to the smoked fish. It also seals in the moisture. This is a very important step.
8-Time to smoke the fish. Use apple wood or cherry. A little maple mixed in is great. No hickory here. You want sweet fruit woods to maintain the delicate flavor of the fish.
Make a low fire, or if you are able set the temp of you smoker at around 165. Our salmon require very little time to smoke. So unless you are smoking a 21 inch shootout winner, smoke the fish for about 3 to 3 1/2 hours. The thicker the fillet, the longer the smoke.
9-Check the fish after 3 hours. You are looking for cooked fish. Not shoe leather, not jerky. It should be moist, but completely cooked. The temp of your fire will determine the amount of time needed. Like all smoked foods, it is done when it is done.
10-Eat it! Vacuum seal it(it will last for months this way).
Sauce idea that works well for me. I serve this at dinner parties and it always kills.
Take2 tablespoons of mayonnaise and place it in a ramekin or very small bowl. Add a teaspoon( or more if you like it) of horse radish to the mayo. Grate in some rind of an orange. About a teaspoon or less. Mix and let set about 10 minutes.
Toast up thinly sliced french bread. It gets crispy and cracker like. Spread a little of the sauce on the bread, then a piece of the fish.
Bite on that and let me know what you think.
