Smoked Fish
Submitted by jgranse
Fish brined overnight in soy sauce, white wine, sugar, and spices then smoked over hickory or apple-cherry wood for up to 12 hours. Includes an oven-dried alternative.
YIELD
1 batchPREP
20 minCOOK
12 hrsREADY
1 daysGood smoked fish starts the night before. A soy sauce and white wine brine spiked with sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and a dash of hot sauce works its way deep into the flesh during an eight-hour soak.
From there, the fish goes into the smoker over your choice of wood: hickory for bold flavor, alder for something gentler, or a mix of apple and cherry for a fruity, mellow smoke.
The low-and-slow drying can take up to 12 hours depending on thickness, but the result is deeply flavored, silky smoked fish worth every minute of patience.
Pro Tips
- Keep all pieces fully submerged in the brine and refrigerated. Uneven brining means uneven flavor and texture.
- Place the thickest pieces closest to the heat source so everything finishes at roughly the same time.
- No smoker? No problem. Add liquid smoke to the brine and dry the fish in your oven on the lowest heat setting. It won’t be identical, but it gets you close.
Ingredients
Directions
Mix the above brine ingredients well, ensuring that all dry ingredients are well dissolved.
Soak the fish in the brine for 8 or more hours, keeping all pieces covered with brine and refrigerated.
Smoke in your favorite smoker over Hickory, Alder, or a mix of ⅔ Apple and ⅓ Cherry wood.
Should take 2 to 3 smoker pans full.
Leave in the smoker until drying is completed. This may take 12 hours, depending on the thickness of the fish.
Place largest and thickest pieces closest to the heat/smoke source.
If you don’t have a smoker, add 2 tablespoon of liquid smoke to the above brine mix.
Soak a previously described.
Place on racks and put into your oven set on lowest heat setting.
Drying should take up to 12 hours depending on thickness of fish.
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