Smoking Whole Fish? Like Haddock or Trout?


 
M

Matt Pantaleoni

New member
I've tried searching the forums here, but not had much luck in finding info on smoking (hot smoking, I should say) whole small fish like haddock or trout. Has anyone tried this? How long does it take? Temperature? Wood recommendation?

I would like to get a nice, smokey flavor in the fish and would appreciate any information or advice.

Thanks,

Matt
 
I smoke Kokanee, which I think are a type of salmon technically, but close enough to trout. I clean them, then soak them in a cold brine of salt and molasses (and sometimes also some brandy) for about an hour in the fridge, then rinse them and dry them under a fan for a good long time. Until they're sticky. Then I put toothpicks in them to hold them open, and set them skin side down on Pam sprayed racks. The smoker has already been going for about a half hour (one chimney, four chunks of wood) before the fish go in. I keep the temp at about 225 to 250. The fish usually take around an hour and a half. I flip them half way through and mop out some of white substance that forms (I used to know the name for it). I find it's best to peal the backbones out while they're still warm. Gets more bones. Then refrigerate. They're best sorta cold. Good luck!
 
Oh, I forgot wood. Alton Brown says it makes no difference, except for woods with bite like mesquite and hickory. I don't know, so I always use a combination. Most often alder and apple, or maybe teak and cherry.
 
Just did some salmon on Monday, not whole, chunks of fillets, each of them weighing probably a pound or so. I used my usual rub but added more sugar to it. They sat for about 2 hours with a thick coating of it, got rinsed, dried for an hour or so under the ceiling fan, then got a light sprinkle of run, and went to the smoke. I used apple wood, ran the smoker at 240-250, promptly fell asleep on the couch, and remember to take them off at about 11:00 p.m. They were on the smoker for about 4 hours, and actually came out damn good! For smaller fish like little trout, naturally I would go for less time, but wood wise, I think anything mild is good, I used hickory once, and it was pretty strong.
 
I just brought home a small chinook salmon from a fishing trip. We gutted it and removed the gills. I rinsed it really well and just coated it with 2 parts maple sugar to 1 part kosher salt. I figure I'll letit cure that way until sunday when I'll get a chance to smoke it. I'll try to post some pics.
 
Matt,

Time and temp are somewhat arbitrary based on the size of the fish and how you want it smoked. The higher the temp, the faster you cook it. As you are probably aware, fish will cook very quickly. I would recommend smoking at a low temp; 200-250 and use a mild wood. I use birch, many use alder. Most fish is fairly delicate and doesn't require a lot of smoke. I would think trout @ 225 would be done in a couple of hours. You can always flake off a piece and sample for smokiness. Be aware that a lean fish like haddock or trout will dry out faster than an oily fish like salmon.

Paul
 
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