SMOKING FISH AT HOME - A STEP BY STEP GUIDE

Why Smoke Fish?

It's inevitable--people everywhere will soon be eating more fish.

The world hunger problem has created an urgent need for animal protein--a need increasing so rapidly that land resources are being depleted. The sea's riches, however, are comparatively untouched. In fact, it is estimated that 90 percent of the world's animal protein lies in the ocean. Thus, people everywhere will soon be eating more fish.

As they appear more frequently in meals, the usual baked or fried fish entrees may get tiresome. The search for new ways to prepare fish has led to one very old method--smoke curing.

Smoking helps preserve fish by reducing moisture content, thereby retarding the growth of bacteria. Smoked fish acquire a wine-sweet flavor and coarser texture. Some people compare the taste of smoked fish to ham.

Smoking Techniques

The smoking technique is surprisingly easy to perform at home. There are both cold and hot-smoking techniques. Cold-smoking requires a heavier brine and a smokehouse temperature under 90°F, in which fish are smoked from one to five days. Cold-smoked fish are completely dried during

Hot-smoking (kippering) requires a lighter brine and a smokehouse temperature of 120-200°F, in which fish are smoked from one to five hours. Hot-smoked fish are cooked; they do not, however, have good keeping quality and must be refrigerated, frozen, or canned if not eaten immediately. The hot-smoking technique is more often used and is therefore outlined in this article.

The best fish to smoke are those with high fat (oil) content, like carp, catfish, salmon, smelt, herring, whitefish, bluefish, trout, suckers, mackerel, mullet, shad, sturgeon, and eels. Lean fish tend to become coarse and dry when smoked. Either fresh of frozen fish (properly thawed) may be smoked.

The smoking process consists of five basic steps--cleaning the fish, brining the fish, drying the fish, building the smoker, and smoking the fish.

Step 1. Cleaning the Fish

Depending on the species to be smoked, fish may be: (1) dressed in the round (whole); (2) gutted, split, and beheaded; (3) filleted; (4) halved; or (5) cut into pieces with or without the skin. For smoking in the round small fish are best. Large fish like king mackerel do well when filleted. Mullet can be halved at the backbone, and catfish are best smoked with the body skinned but intact. Fish should be cleaned and scaled immediately after removal from water. They may also be cleaned and frozen for later smoking.

Step 2. Brining the Fish

Step two, brining the fish, means steeping fish in a solution of salt, water, and spices. Brining is important for two reasons--it helps firm and preserve fish by removing moisture, and it adds flavor to fish flesh. Fish may, however, be smoked without salt curing, in which case they are cooked but have no keeping quality. (That is, they are cooked and have good smoke flavoring but must be

I

II

III

Mix ingredients well. Place cleaned fish in an enamel, earthenware, or glass container large enough so fish lie flat and straight. Submerge fish in brine solution and refrigerate 12 hours. Remove fish from brine and freshen under running water for 10 minutes.

Step 3. Drying the Fish

After brining comes step three, drying the fish. Pat fish dry with a cloth, then place them on a racking the refrigerator and drain one to three hours. Drying increases keeping quality and promotes development of the Apellicle, a glossy finish of dissolved proteins on fish surfaces which gives them the desired appearance, retains natural juices, and helps spread smoke evenly.

Step 4. Building the Smoker

A simple smokehouse may be designed from a large cardboard box, a metal oil drum, a wooden barrel, an old refrigerator, or even plywood.

The cardboard box is perhaps easiest to obtain; it should be 30 inches square and 48 inches high. Here are the construction directions:

a. Remove one end of box to form bottom of smokehouse.

b. Unfasten flaps at opposite end so they fold back and serve as a cover.

c. Strengthen box, if necessary, by tacking 0.75 inch strips of wood on outside of vox--vertically at corners and horizontally across sides.

d. Cut a door 10 inches wide and 12 inches high in bottom center of one side. Make one vertical and one horizontal cut, so uncut side serves as hinge.

e. Suspend several rods or sticks (iron or wood) across top of box. Cut holes through box, so rods rest on wooden strips. A rack of wire mesh (0.5" or 0.25" mesh hardware cloth) may replace rods. Refer to diagrams below.

Cardboard Smokehouse. Courtesy of U.S. Department fo the Interior Fishery Leaflet 209.

Smoking is the final hurdle before tasting that anxiously awaited fish treat. Here are the simple steps to follow:

a. Arrange fish on rods or rack so they do not touch. Fish may be hung on "S"-shaped hooks, strung through gills by rods, split and nailed to rods, or simply laid on rack. Use regular nails, 8 or 10 guage steel wires, S-shaped iron hooks, or round wooden sticks. (Refer to diagrams below).

b. Build fire on level gound with nonresinous (hickory, oak, maple, apple) wood chips or sawdust to produce light, constant volume of smoke. Soft (resinous) wood gives an acrid flavor and odor to fish. Never use wood containing pitch, such as pine. Liquid smoke is also less satisfactory.

c. Center smokehouse over smoldering fire and close flaps. Danger of fire is minimized if ventilation is controlled to promote smoke rather than flames. Alternate method: fire may be built in covered pit or trench outside chamber. Smoke is conducted into bottom of smoking chamber via tile or stovepipe.

d. Put fish in smoker at inside air temperature of 100°F, where fish flesh will be about 180°F. (Monitor fish temperatures by inserting meat thermometer into fleshiest part of fish.) Maintain this temperature for well-kippered fish.

e. Smoke four to five hours. Don't overcook fish. Fish well-smoked have a glossy, brown surface. Flesh will flake easily from bones and be moist and tender. Allow fish to cool a few hours before eating or storing. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate or freeze for later use.

Step 6.

Smoked fish can be a hazardous product if sufficient care is not taken after the smoking process. The heat treatment applied during smoking substantially reduces many microorganisms naturally present on the fish. However, heat resistant microorganisms capable of causing food poisoning, like Clostridium botulinum, survive the smoking process and are able to grow unless proper refrigeration is provided. In order to keep smoked fish a safe and wholesome product, it should be refrigerated at, or below, 38°F at all times.

Smoked fish delicacies are enjoyed all over the world. Smoked salmon, prepared almost exclusively from king salmon, are found extensively in Germany, England, and Scandinavia (particularly in Norway). The largest market, however, is in urban areas of the eastern U.S., especially in large Jewish centers, where smoked salmon ("lox") are part of the daily diet.

The British traditionally eat sprats and kippers. (Kippers are herring which have been split open and smoked.) Scots prefer smoked haddock (finnan haddie). West Africans smoke sea catfish and shad. And the Japanese enjoy smoked bonito sticks.

In 1945, nearly 30 million pounds of fishery products, valued at more than eight million dollars, were smoked in the U.S. and Alaska. Nowadays, Maine does large scale canning of smoked sardines. Kippered salmon (using king or chum) are popular in the Pacific Northwest. And lake herring, especially cisco, are smoked near the Great Lakes.

Not only are some unusual fish and shellfish (like anchovies, oysters, and razor clams) delicious when smoked, but nearly all games meats (dear, elk, bear, waterfowl, muskrat, racoon, and beaver) may also be improved by smoking.

Here are some popular recipes using smoked fish:

Broiled Smoked Fish

Wash, clean, and refresh the smoked fish in cold water for one hour. Drain, dry, and sprinkle well with butter or cooking oil. Preheat broiler. Place fish on rack flesh side up. Broil three minutes, then turn and broil four minutes. Serve with lemon butter or melted butter and pepper. (Larger fish need longer broiling time.)

Wash, clean, and refresh smoked fish in cold water for at least one hour before cooking. Dry and place in a greased baking pan, flesh side up. Sprinkle with cooking oil. Sprinkle with finely diced onions and carrots. Cover with milk. Bake 20 minutes to one hour in a 300°F oven, according to the thickness and length of time fish have been smoked. Baste occasionally as milk evaporates. Remove to platter and garnish with parsley.

Creamed Smoked Fish 1.5 cups cooked flaked fish
1 cup milk
1 cup fish stock
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce salt and pepper

Make a medium white sauce of flour, oil, salt, pepper, and liquids. Stir until smooth. Add flaked fish and heat through. Variations may be made by adding eggs, carrots, pears, parsley, etc.

References

"Home Smoking and Pickling of Fish." University of Wisconsin Sea Grant, Madison.

Knight, Jacqueline E. The Cook's Fish Guide. New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1973, pp. 38-44.

Kramer, Mat, and Roger Sheppard. Smoke Cooking. New York: Hawthorn Books, Inc., 1967, pp. 9-38.

Rawson, G.C. A Short Guide to Fish Preservation. Rome: U.S. Food and Agriculture Organization, 1966, pp. 42-58.

Rust, Walter A. "A Cardboard Smokehouse." Fishery Leaflet 204. Washington, D.C.: GPO, 1957.

Wyatt, Larry. "Smoke Fish in Your Own Back Yard." Texas Trawler, March-April 1977, pp. 7-8.

Related Publications

Other related FST Notes which may be obtained free of charge from the VPI&SU Department of Food Science and Technology, or from local Extension offices, are:

"Foods and Facts: A Consumer's Guide to the Code of Federal Regulations," by John W. Long.

"Salting Fish," by Sharon R. Turner;

"History of Colonial Foods in Virginia," by William R. Hess, Jr;

"Homemade Cultured Buttermilk and Sour Cream," by P.M. Large and W.K. Stone;

"Homemade Frozen Dairy Desserts," by P.M. Large and W.F. Collins;

"Making Cottage Cheese in the Home." by P.M. Large;

"Making Butter in the Home," by W.F. Collins and P.M. Large.

Credits

Camera-ready typescript by Joy C. Compton. Front page drawing by Jackolyn Richards. Editorial assistance by Mary C. Holliman and Sharon R. Turner.