Tag: Fish and Seafood
Herb Rubbed Smoked Mackerel
Herb Rubbed Smoked Mackerel
Mackerel happens to be my favorite fish. It is extremely strong in flavor; some may call it fishy. Mackerel is very oily, being high in omega-3 fatty acids. It is highly perishable and should be eaten with 2 days of being caught if buying fresh. You can find a large abundance of good quality frozen mackerel at just about every Asian market. The ones that I purchased came whole, frozen in a pack 3 for $1.99/lb. It was less than $6. That inexpensive. If you don’t know how to clean and fillet whole mackerel, I recommend watching YouTube videos. If you are grossed out, you can find boneless fillets for a few more dollars per lb. The fillets will only require 2 hours of brining time. The brine is just sea salt and a few bay leaves. Pat them dry once you’re finished brining. Let them dry out for another hour. They are then ready to smoke. If you want to add additional flavors to the mackerel, do so now. I seasoned mine with cracked black pepper and a mix of chopped fresh herbs.Since mackerel is very strong in flavor, it can take on stronger flavored woods when smoking. I did a 50/50 mix of pecan and cherrywood. Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees. Through in the mackerel. Once the wood chips start smoking, turn the heat down to 215 degrees. Smoke the mackerel for 1 hour. Let cool completely before serving. The smoked mackerel will be good in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Equipment
- Electric Smoker
Ingredients
- 6 mackerel fillets or 3 whole mackerel; cleaned and filleted
- 3 tbsp fresh sage chopped
- 3 tbsp fresh oregano chopped
- 3 tbsp fresh rosemary chopped
- cracked black pepper
Brine
- 4 cups water
- 1/4 cup sea salt
- 3 bay leaves
Wood Chips
- 1/2 pecan wood chips
- 1/2 cherrywood chips
Instructions
- Mix the brining ingredients together. Add the mackerel fillets and the brine to a gallon sized storage bag. Brine for 2 hours.
- Place the fillets on a rack. Pat dry with paper towels. Let dry out for an hour before smoking.
- Season the mackerel with cracked black pepper. Mix the chopped herbs together and rub each mackerel fillets with them.
- Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees. Throw the mackerel in the smoker. Once the wood chips start smoking, turn the temperature down to 215 degrees.
- Smoke the fillets for 1 hour.
- Let the mackerel completely cool before serving.
Smoked Salmon Candy
Smoked Salmon Candy
When I used to run a meat and seafood department, we would make our own salmon candy and sell a ton of it. We brined salmon bellies in a simple salt and sugar mix. The bellies would then get smoked and brushed with maple syrup during the process. This stuff was so damn good. We could barely keep it in stock. So now that I own a smoker, I thought that I’d recreate the recipe and save you about $15/lb.I had purchased 2 large sides of farm raised salmon for smoking. I cut off the whole bellies for the candy. You can use salmon portions if you want. I also used the first couple of inches on the head side of the fillet and chopped them up into nuggets. They brined for 4 hours. Pat them dry with paper towels, then rub them with brown sugar. Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees, then turn it down to 225 degrees. Smoke the salmon for an hour. At that point, brush on maple syrup and smoke for 30 more minutes. Let cool before eating. The salmon candy is good for up to a week in the refrigerator. But I guarantee to you that it won’t make it for more than a day or two.
Equipment
- Electric Smoker
Ingredients
- salmon bellies
Brine
- 1/2 gallon water
- 1/2 cup sea salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
Glaze
- brown sugar
- maple syrup
Wood Chips
- alderwood chips
Instructions
- Mix together the brining ingredients.
- Brine the salmon bellies for 4 hours.
- Place the bellies on a rack. Pat dry with paper towels. Let cool at room temp for an hour before smoking.
- Rub the bellies with brown sugar.
- Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees. Turn down the smoker to 225 degrees. Smoke the salmon for an hour.
- Brush maple syrup on the bellies. Smoke for 30 more minutes.
Alder Wood Hot Smoked Salmon
Tips For Smoking Salmon Farm raised salmon works best for smoking. Cut a whole fillet into 4-6 oz portions to allow for faster smoking time. Brine salmon fillets for 4 hours, max. Pat dry fillets with paper towels. If adding additional seasoning, do so now. …
Smoked Rainbow Trout
Tips For Smoking Rainbow Trout Brine the rainbow trout for 3 hours. It takes a little more time for the brine to penetrate whole fish. Pat the rainbow trout dry inside and out with paper towels. This allows the smoke to stick to the fish. …