Potted Smoked Fish Recipes

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients very well until sugar is disolved.
• Split the fish into halves and soak them for about 12 hours (more or less) in the refrigerator.
• Prepare your fire using charcoal and a mix of old birch (with bark removed) or apple wood or you can use just charcoal.
• Place fish in smoker and allow to smoke for about 6-8 hours for smoking, depending on the outside temperature and how hot your smoker gets of course.

Steps:

• Make the brine: Combine water, sugar, and 1/2 cup salt. Place fish in a nonreactive dish; cover with brine. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Heat charcoal grill to medium, piling coals on 1 side to set up direct and indirect heat zones. Set a drip pan under the grill grate in the indirect heat zone.
• Soak wood trimmings in water for 30 minutes. Drain (if smoking whole trout or char, leave 1/2 cup wood in water); add to coals.
• Smoke the fish: Once smoke develops, place fish in a lightly oiled grill basket. Transfer to grill rack, and set over drip pan. Open lid vent, and position over fish. (This will direct smoke to impart maximum smokiness.) For the trout fillets: Smoke fish until cooked through but not dry, 12 to 15 minutes.For the whole trout: Smoke for 10 minutes. Flip basket. Drain remaining 1/2 cup wood; add to coals. Smoke fish until cooked through but not dry, 8 to 10 minutes more.For the side of arctic char: Smoke for 10 minutes. Drain remaining 1/2 cup wood; add to coals. Smoke fish until cooked through but not dry, 13 to 15 minutes more.

Steps:

• In a large (12-inch) skillet (use one with a tight-fitting lid), heat the olive oil over medium. If using fresh red bell pepper, add it with the onion, and cook, tossing occasionally, until tender and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, pat the fish fillets dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.
• If using roasted red peppers, add them with the garlic, anchovies, paprika and cayenne, and cook for 1 more minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Add the wine and stir to scrape up any brown bits from the pan. When the wine has almost entirely evaporated, add the chicken stock, tomatoes, olives, parsley, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
• Add the couscous, stir, then add the fish fillets, wiggling them lightly to submerge them in the sauce. Turn the heat to low, cover and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, until fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork. Carefully transfer the fish to a plate. Simmer the couscous, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until it's tender and the liquid in the pan has reduced slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Off the heat, stir in the vinegar and gently return the fish to the skillet to warm, being careful to keep it intact. Serve hot in shallow bowls garnished with additional parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.

Steps:

• If using haddock or kippered herring, pour boiling water over the fish and let it stand for 10 minutes. Remove skin and bones. Salmon or trout need not be placed in boiling water, but should of course have skin and bones removed.
• Place the fish in the bowl of a blender with the six ounces of butter. Blend until smooth, adding the lemon juice and pepper to taste.
• Place the mixture into small pots, sealing the top with clarified butter (clarified butter is made by simmering unsalted butter and skimming off the milk solids). Cover with waxed paper or foil and store in the refrigerator. Serve with brown bread or thin pieces of toast.

Steps:

• In a heavy pot over medium-high heat, brown bacon until crisp, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain.
• Spoon off all but 2 tablespoons of bacon fat from the pot. Add butter and let melt. Add leeks and a pinch of salt; cook, stirring frequently, until leeks are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in paprika; cook 1 minute. Pour in vermouth and simmer until almost completely evaporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in stock, 1 cup water, potatoes, thyme and remaining salt. Simmer until potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes.
• Add milk and cooked bacon to pot; bring to a simmer. Add fish and cook until just opaque, 2 to 4 minutes. Use a fork to flake fish into large pieces. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Remove thyme. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• If using liquid brine, place the fish fillets in a ceramic, glass or stainless-steel (not aluminum) bowl with the brine. If using dry cure, rub each fillet top and bottom with the dry mixture and place in a ceramic, glass or stainless-steel (not aluminum) baking dish. Cover and refrigerate about 6 hours, or overnight.
• Remove fillets from bowl or dish and rinse them under running water quickly to remove surface salt. If using dry cure, do not rub off all the seasonings. Place fillets on a cake rack or raised grid surface that allows air to circulate beneath them. Leave to dry about 3 hours, or until a dry shiny surface forms.
• When fillets are sufficiently dry, build a charcoal fire, if necessary (it will take about 30 minutes for the charcoal to reach the desired state). If using wood chunks, let them soak in a bucket of water for half an hour. If using an electric smoker, turn it on just before using and place sawdust or wood shavings in the smoking pan.
• Place fillets on the smoker grid. Close vents, or place lid on smoker. Regulate vents, if possible, so that heat stays at around 110 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Leave the fish 1 to 2 hours or longer, checking periodically and, if possible, replenishing fuel or smoking medium as necessary. The fish will be done more quickly at higher temperatures. At temperatures of 175 to 200 degrees, for example, fish will be done in about 1 hour.
• Remove fillets from smoker when they are dry and yellowish in color. Serve immediately, or refrigerate and serve cold or as an ingredient in other recipes.

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan or flameproof casserole over a medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and cook the onion for 10-15 mins until soft. Stir in the garlic, paprika and chorizo, and sizzle for a few minutes more until fragrant and the chorizo has released its oil.
• Add the wine and saffron, turn up the heat to medium and bubble until most of the liquid has reduced, about 5 mins. Pour in the tomatoes and the juice from the can, crushing the tomatoes a little with the back of a spoon, then half-fill the can with water and pour this in, too. Add the bay leaves, some seasoning and the sugar, then partially cover with a lid and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10-15 mins until the tomatoes have broken down and the sauce has reduced a little.
• Tip in the chickpeas and return to a simmer, then gently place the fish fillets on top of the stew. Cover and cook for 3 mins until the fish is just opaque. Scatter the prawns around the fish fillets, then cover again and cook over a medium-low heat for another 5 mins, turning the prawns after 3 mins, until pink and cooked through. Scatter with the parsley, then serve in bowls with crusty bread for mopping up the stew.

Steps:

• Put the salmon fillets in one layer in a microwaveable dish and dot with 25g/1oz of the butter, salt and pepper. Cover with cling film, stabbed several times, then microwave on High for 5-6 minutes, until the salmon is just cooked. (Or put in a frying pan, cover with boiling water, season and poach for 5-6 minutes, and add the butter to the food processor.) Leave to cool.
• Flake the salmon into a food processor, adding the juices from the dish. Chop the smoked salmon roughly and add to the processor with the lemon juice, chilli or harissa paste, salt and pepper.
• Process until finely chopped, but with a bit of texture, then turn into a 1 litre serving dish. Melt the remaining butter in a small pan, remove from the heat and allow the sediment to settle. Carefully pour the butter over the salmon, leaving the sediment behind. Leave to cool, then chill until set, about 2 hours. (The salmon may be frozen for up to 1 month.)