Smoking fish has been a long standing tradition that has been a part of many different cultures over the centuries. It was a common method to preserve food for long winters or for being out at sea. One of the things I look forward to on Dogbark is Graeme’s smoked fish. It’s such a treat! Since we were catching cod and char left and right, Graeme fired up the smoker and I decided to ask him to share a few pro tips of how we smoke fish while underway.
There are several ways to smoke fish, depending on how long you want to be able to store it. In our case, it’s never more than a couple days because a crew of 6 eats more fish than you think! You can either hot smoke a fish, which means cooking it at a low temperature (120°F–180°F) till it is fully cooked, and then there is cold smoking, which cures the raw fish temperatures belong 85°F.
Today, we’re hot smoking with Graeme. He’s been perfecting his process since his early thirties so I think he has it dialed in. No measurements, just eyeballing it. The process is fairly simple, though can be messy when working in a small space. Absolutely worth it in my opinion.
Step 1: Prepare the fish and the smoker
Graeme starts with cutting the fillets into small pieces, trying to keep the sizes the same relative thickness so that they cook evenly in the smoker. The skin also stays on for this. There is a lower section of the smoker that he fills with water to work as a steamer and the woodships are spread across the upper layer. He will light the small woodchip shavings to create the smoke. Graeme used Alder woodchips for the cod and Mesquite for the char. The whole smoker goes right on top of the stove.
Step 2: Add fish and seasonings
Using seasonings from Janna’s brother, David, who developed Ava Jane’s kitchen, Graeme added the seasonings directly to the fish while it was on the smoker.
Step 3: Check the smoker
In just about 20 minutes, the first batch was ready! It was a quick way to fix up some smoked cod burritos for lunch!
Wet Brine vs Dry Brine
One of the most important parts of smoking fish is the brining process, which helps determine texture and flavor of the fish.
Graeme prefers to do a dry brine when it comes to smoking fish, but that usually requires letting the seasonings soak in for 8 hours and more seasoning volume. Since we’re limited on time and seasonings, Graeme decided to go with a wet brine for the char. This entails seasoning the fish with salt and brown sugar and adding water to a bag to let the brine work its magic and cure the fish a bit more quickly.
His pro tip is to check the firmness of the fish as it cures. When it’s a little bouncy, take the fish out, pat dry, season, and add to the smoker when ready!
I almost forgot:
Step 4: Eat the fish!
We like to have the fish in wraps, burritos, on rice, open face breakfast sandwiches, in soup, with crackers, it goes with everything! Pro tip: pickled veggies like capers or red onions compliment the fish and give it a burst of flavor.
