Smoked Fish

The good news is you don't have to rush out and buy a smoker. If you already have one, this article is probably not for you because you will simply follow the manufacturer's instructions

But if, like me, you have better things to do with your money than buy something with such a limited application, here's a way to smoke fish without the expense.

A smoker is simply a box in which smoke is created through heating wood chips or similar, and into which (or beside which in the case of a barbecue) you place the object to be smoked.

So, once you grasp that, it becomes obvious that any box that can be heated sufficiently can be a smoker. For example, a wok, a large saucepan, an electric frying pan or a cast iron casserole.

The reasons for smoking fish are four-fold: it preserves the fish, it adds flavor, it retains nutrients and it turns oily fish such as slimy mackerel* into something edible.

I'll illustrate the method by describing how I do it with an electric wok, but the principle is the same for any vessel you care to use. Use for whole fish only, or very large fillets such as salmon.

Method

Line the wok and its lid with foil. This is very important as it prevents the wok or the sugar from burning.

In the base of the wok put two cups of rice mixed with one cup of sugar and scatter over this a tablespoon of jasmine or other exotic tea.

If you prefer, you can replace all of the above with soaked wood chips, but with my way you will probably have the ingredients to hand.

Place a rack over this mixture in such a way that there is a gap between it and the rice.

Make diagonal slashes in the fish about one thumbspan apart and half the depth of the flesh. Place the fish on the rack, close the lid and heat to high.

The time taken to smoke a fish will obviously depend on the size of the fish. A medium sized trout, for example, will take about 30 minutes.

Cooking is complete when the inner cavity of the fish is completely opaque. The flesh will still seem to be moist, thanks to its oil content, but will still be ready for eating hot or cold.

*Slimy mackerel is a medium-sized fish with a high oil content found in Australian waters. It is not, as far as I know, related to the mackerel of the Northern hemisphere.

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First published on Qassia