Smoked fish

I smoke salmon in the summer for some beer money, and in winter do halibut, cod, black cod, trout, and shellfish. I am not familiar with the smoking properties of albacore, but take a look at my dry brine recipe over on the Andi...Fish Fillets? thread. Might work for your fish...

Apple Smoked Tuna Steak with Herbed Mayonnaise

1/4 cup fat-free mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 (6 ounce) tuna steaks

Combine first five ingredients in a small bowl; stir well, and set aside. Sprinkle salt and pepper over tuna. Using 2 tablespoons of apple chips, smoke tuna steaks for twenty minutes over medium heat. this should leave the steaks medium-rare. Do not overcook. Serve with the herbed mayonnaise sauce and a tossed salad on the side and you have a tasty, healthy dinner.

This is from Cameron.

Andi
Thanks for info, never tried a dry brine before, what does it do different than wet. With wet I don't rinse before drying (drying is critical, I use a fan). I have been afraid to try salmon because it seems so delicate ( I know everyone does it, but I figure I would screw it up). I have done Yellowtail and Bluefin tuna, both were great but limited quanities.

Thanks for info, I'll try dry

Balboajohn,

I have smoked quite a bit of tuna, however I never brine it. I just sprinkle it with seasoning and smoke/cook to an internal temp of 160. Love it with Cookshack Spicy BBQ Sauce...

BalboaJohn, Welcome. Appreciate the Tuna info, we get lots of requests for fish here at the forum, but sure to post more info when you can. Unfortunately we don't get as much seafood in OK, we're limited. But I have a killer Tequila Salmon that I smoke for Mrs. Smokin' (she doesn't like the strong Salmon taste, and the Tequila...well what can I say).

Okay Andi, caught you on this one

quote:

...Using 2 tablespoons of apple chips, smoke tuna steaks for twenty minutes over medium heat.

I don't have a "medium" setting on my CS, wonder what this recipe was cooked on? Don't forget to "modify" recipes for the CS, since we're not using chips nor smoking on a grill :P

Given your experiences in the CS, how would you modify that?

But you're our FISH expert. I like all your posts, I'll be moving a bunch of posts soon into the fish archive forum and you're at the top of the list. Fish is a popular subject.

Keep them coming!

(I'm also going to create a copy of this over in Recipes, what works good for me is to create the recipe there, and this show a link here to that one, I'll show you shortly)

p.s. When do you want some briskets?

Here's my email:
AskSmokinOkie@thebbqzone.com

Here's a link to the above recipe in the Recipe section:

Andi's Apple Smoked Tuna Steak with Herbed Mayonnaise

That recipe is for a tabletop smoker, but I see no reason a Cookshack can't be used. I have many smoking devices! LOL! In the Cookshack, I'd use just a couple ounces wood, if that. Tuna is mild. I'd go 175 for and hour or so. Test by pressing with a finger. If your finger comes out wet, go a little longer. The fish should not be hard to the touch, but should "spring" back for rare. I do my salmon at this low temp. and I start the smoke going first. Comes out moist and still holds together. I smoke skin-on.

The thing about smoking fish and especially salmon, is it is extremly forgiving and can be as simple as you want, or as complex as you want. Alaskans can talk at great lengths about fish smoking, and frankly, it all tastes the same to me! Alder is always used, and the same ole brines. This is why my salmon is loved, I think outside the box!

The forgiving parts is in the Cookshack you can smoke for 20-30 minutes and have a lovely, light-smoked kipper. You take it longer for a drier product...all the way to completely dried for Squaw Candy. Hot smoked Squaw Candy tends to be flaky and is good in dips and spreads and filling omelettes where you will partially hydrate it. So, if you go too long or two short on time, no matter. Each is a different product. Does that make sense?

Right on Stuart....We do a lot of tuna here on the coast and the approach is more like a lightly smoked rare steak.....I like some Cajun seasoning and only to 150�-155�.

I enjoy reading all of the great fish recipies. i'm new to the forum as of today. one of my favorites is to take a salmon, trout,walleye etc.with the skin on, Cut a stick of butter in half leingth waysand lay in the body cavity. then take about 1/4 cup of your favorite dry rub and sling it up the middle of the fish. Smoke at about 250 for 1 hr. i prefer pecan wood. Serve with warm melted garlic butter.
This is a quick and simple recipie and I have yet to serve it that anyone disliked it.

Whoooeeee, Renagade! Yum! I'm gonna try that one. Yowza, that sounds good!