Smoking Tips - Tiffany Haugen

   

Whether enjoyed warm, straight from the smoker, or out of a vacuum sealed bag several days later, smoked fish is a treat for everyone. Since fresh fish has a relatively short shelf life, smoking it will preserve it up to a week under refrigeration and even longer if vacuum sealed. Freezing smoked fish will extend storage even further and is a great add-in to soups, chowders, pasta dishes, crab cakes and more. Fish is an incredibly versatile protein as it’s quick cooking allows for simple, fast meals on the grill, in the oven or fried up in a skillet. Mild flavored fish such as trout pairs well with many different herbs and spices making it adaptable to any global cuisine. When smoking fish there are many options, be it a simple salt/sugar wet or dry brine for hot or cold smoking or seasoning fish for baking and setting a smoker to higher temperatures in order to both infuse smoke flavors and speed up cooking time.

    

   

   

Smoking fish not only adds a layer of flavor in the choice of chips you use, such as alder, apple, cherry, hickory or mesquite to name a few, it changes the texture of the meat, too. If you desire a moist end product, fish can be smoked at a lower temperature for a longer period of time; keep in mind many salmon taken this time of year have a high oil content, meaning more cooking time is needed for a drier end product. Some folks like a drier, chewier fish and may choose a hotter smoking temperature. Smoked fish can even be “candied” and served as an appetizer or used as a topping like bacon bits. Beyond the smoke flavor, brines, both wet and dry, can add incredible diversity to smoked fish. When feeling creative, be sure to take good notes on the changes you make to favorite recipes. Once you develop that perfect recipe, you want to be able to recreate it.

1. Get to know your smoker, read manufacturer instructions, read company blogs, watch product videos, and be aware of the difference in the performance of propane, electric, and pellet smokers.
2. Take ambient temperature conditions into consideration. In colder climates, smoking times can increase and smokers may run hotter on summer days.
3. Wet brines work better on fresh fish and dry brines are better for previously frozen fish.
4. When adding extra spices and flavorings to brined fish, be sure they are salt-free.
5. If the smoker isn’t full, add vegetables like onions and peppers as these will benefit from time in the smoker, making a flavorful addition to salsas, soups and stews.
6. If your smoker can reach temperatures of 250º-450º think about using it as an oven to make a quick fish dinner or even a smokey casserole or side dish.
7. With many smokers, cold smoking is also an option. Once chips are smoking, turn off the heat source and smoke cheese, hard boiled eggs, seafood or even chocolate.
8. If your smoked fish is overcooked or over salted, dice it up and use as a topper in place of bacon bits.