smoking striped bass and/or bluefish?


 
J

Jeff Davidson

TVWBB Super Fan
Caught a bunch striped bass and bluefish today. Have shared the fish with neighbors but we still have more than we can eat over the next 3-4 days. I hate to freeze it but I wonder if I can smoke some if it in the wsm?

Anyone done this? Any recipes?

tia,
jd
 
Fillet out the fish. Flavor-brine with salt and a bit of sugar, celery seed, garlic, onion, black pepper and parsley for about 90 min, then rinse and air dry. Make a little rub blend up of garlic, onion, thyme, a little dill. Very lightly sprinkle the fillets with sugar and salt. Lightly apply the rub on top. If you have some green peppercorns either grind an apply lightly last, or crush with your fingers and apply.

Smoke in the mid-upper 200s (I get the cooker going then add the fish and let the heat diminish from higher to lower, usually 270/280 grate to start drifting down to 250 or so) with alder, citrus or stone fruit wood. Cook till desired doneness.

Here are a few ideas on serving. Both fish make excellents spreads as well.
 
thanks kevin...I grew up on Long Island catching blues. The milk referred to in that thread is a marinade to take some of the oily, strong taste out of the fish.
 
I wouldnt smoke the striped bass as they are not really oily and are much better grilled.

The blues are fantastic though smoked. I used to do over a hundred pounds of them in a refrigerator that was converted to a smoker when I lived in Copiague.
 
Hey Jeff,

I've smoked plenty of striped bass. True, it is a drier fish, but flavor brining and careful attention to internal temps are well worth the effort.

I could swear Kevin's been peeking over my shoulder, as his brine suggestion is almost EXACTLY what I do (my recipe omits the parsley). I use crushed garlic.

Air dry to form the pellicle (and here's where Kevin and I differ) then smoke plain unrubbed filets over a low heat 190?-200? to an internal temp of 145? to 150? maximum. You'll really be risking too dry if you finish higher than 150? IMO.

I use alder, but anything you like that's mild will work. Be careful, because it's easy to over-smoke striped bass.

I vacuum pack, but IMO striped bass doesn't take freezing very well, so it's best eaten fresh.

Good luck, and let us know how it turned out for you.
 
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