Methods For Smoked Fish

Smoking adds a wonderful flavor to fish

Not long after human populations learned to make a living from the sea, they began smoking fish to flavor and preserve it. The types of fish and the methods used to smoke them are as varied as the world's cultures, but there are certain attributes that are common to all.

Preparing the Fish

Fish to be smoked should be as fresh as possible. Most fish are filleted for smoking, but some are smoked whole, in which case they should be cleaned and the head, scales and fins removed. Another popular method is to split the fish open and lay it out flat with the two halves joined at the backbone. When cold smoked, a herring done this way is called a kipper.

Brining or Curing

Soaking the fish in a brine or dry curing with salt is almost always done before smoking. A typical brine uses 3 cups of salt and 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar in 1 gallon of water. Some recipes use additional flavorings like spices, herbs or even whiskey or rum. Soaking times vary from a few hours to several days. In dry curing, salt and other flavorings are rubbed onto the fish and it is left to cure for up to a day. After brining or curing, the fish is rinsed off and allowed to dry. This forms a coating on the fish called a pellicle, which helps to preserve it and hold in the smoke flavor.

Smoking the Fish

There are two methods of smoking fish: hot smoking and cold smoking. Hot smoking actually cooks the fish, with the smoking chamber reaching temperatures of 180 degrees or more. Delicate fish such as trout may be smoked in just a few minutes; larger fish may take a few hours. Cold smoking uses temperatures between 60 and 80 degrees over a period of 24 hours or more. Lox -- lightly salted and smoked salmon -- takes up to three days to smoke. A variety of hardwoods can be used to smoke fish. Fruit woods are a popular choice, as are hickory, oak and alder.

Storing Smoked Fish

Before refrigeration, the main purpose of smoking fish was to preserve it, so it was smoked until dry enough to preserve it at room temperature. Today, fish is smoked primarily for flavor and still retains some moisture, so it should be refrigerated. Cold smoked fish can keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks; hot smoked fish should be consumed within a few days or frozen to keep longer.

Tags: smoking fish, Smoked Fish, used smoke