Andy Loops Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 Hey there raiders I know this topic has been done to death on here but wanted to put it back on the radar as its so easy and I know that my family and I really enjoy our smoked seafood and others might too. With the purchase of two new stainless steel smokers I have been experimenting with all kinds of stuff in the last couple of months. The big hits have been (in order of success) - large pacific oysters, side of atlantic salmon, beef sausages, bonito fillets and chicken legs. The not so goods have been strips of rump steak and kangaroo - just come out too tough but maybe could make it work with less salty brine and shorter smoking time. I couldnt get out for a fish this weekend so there were no bonito - the kind of fish I have been catching quite a few of and smoking in the last couple of months. Surprise surprise I saw some rainbow trout in the local fresh food ppl (NOT! I hate these places! ask Browney1 haha) that were undeniably fresh. I bought two for $7.50 and took them straight home and into the brine for an hour to prepare for smoking. The method is simple and by no means scientific; handful of peach woodchips (or apple, ironbark, hickory etc...) - I buy my woodchips from the local fishing tackle shop just coz its easy even if a little expensive. soak the fish in a brine (same for everything pretty much) - I put quite a bit of salt (about 4-8 tablespoons) into enough water to cover the fish. leave it for half an hour to overnight.. As a guide they say seawater is good as a brine but I go a bit saltier than this... take it out and pat dry, then I cover it in raw sugar (tastes so good...) a few drops of soy sauce and anything else you want to try. the sugar really is the key I think. sprinkle the woodchips in the bottom tray of the smoker - thinly fill the burner half full with methylated spirits you dont need much. stick the fish in and set a timer for 15 minutes if delicate flesh - this is where the finess comes in but as a rule dont cook it for longer than you have to. 10 minutes on the heat and 10 minutes off is pretty good for most things. see the pics below for finished product (lasted about 10 minutes before the kids had eaten both fish to the bone!) if you have young ones it really is a fun thing to do with them and gets them interested in what you do with the fish in the esky - catching them is fun but spending half an hour with the kids in the garden cleaning smokers and putting woodchips in etc is alot of fun too! Also teaches them not to kill what you arent going to eat something I am a big believer in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arpie Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 YUM!!! My favourite method of cooking fish!! You can smoke trout, mullet, tailor, flatties, Aussie salmon ...... pretty well anything! Give it a go! Roberta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donjuarez Posted August 29, 2009 Share Posted August 29, 2009 YUMMM!!!! Recently tried smoking some fish after always hearing roberta speak of this... Firm favourites to date have been Bonnies! (caught on a charter with Ross Hunter)... they came out so soo well!!! Been meaning to give trout a run in the smoker too... you've just convinced me it's a must! p.s if you ever need company chasing some bonnies.. i'm just a PM away *winks* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adkel53 Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Try letting the trout cool down then eat it with pumpernickel (black) bread, those little mini toasts you can buy at the supermarket or some lightly toasted bread of your choice. Add a dollop of sour cream and some capers. Sensational!! Kel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gretsch Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 It's a little bit fancy!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rehab Posted December 21, 2010 Share Posted December 21, 2010 I did a heap of bonito on the weekend and also a couple of australian salmon. Even the salmon were delicious. I dont have a smoker, I just used the bbq - even though it has gaps all around it 1. I filleted and brined the fillets overnight in salt and brown sugar and water 2. Dried them and covered them again in brown sugar 3. I put the wood chips in an aluminium bag which i placed on top of one of the burners 4. Once it started smoking I turned heat to low, shut the lid, put the fish on either side of the lit burner, then smoked for 1.5 hours Lovely Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoki Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 hey andy i talked to friend and he said that sweep fillets are good smoked also haven;t tried it myself yet but i will try it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arpie Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 .......Even the salmon were delicious......... Aussie Salmon (smaller ones) are great to smoke!! They are available in NZ in Coles/Woollies type supermarkets & I started making my Smoked Fish Pie with these exact specimens!!! Unfortunately, the bigger ones don't smoke as well! Most fish smoke well. I have smoked flatties, bream, luderick & bonnies! All lovely!! If you haven't tried it, give it a go!! You might even enjoy it!!! Cheerio Roberta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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