How To Smoke Sockeye Salmon

03 Nov How To Smoke Sockeye Salmon

November 2013

Since Sockeye usually are smallish- around three pounds, don’t follow the brining recipe that most fish smoking advice will give, they’re usually smoking Coho even if they fail to mention the species. Check it out, you can tell by the size! I use Sockeye for my annual smoking project because A.) they’re not an endangered species (yet) and B.) this time of year, whole wild sockeye are $4.99 a pound.

The instructions:

Step 1.  Go fishing.  My proven method involves using my credit card as a lure.  I can catch up to a hundred-fifty dollars worth of fish in a few minutes with absolutely no sea sickness.  Plus I get a few other groceries while I’m there.

Step 2.  Fillet the fish.  I’ve gotten real good at asking the clerk at the fish store to fillet the fish for me.  I’m something of a master at it.

Step 3.  Brine the fish.  I use a big tupperware “keeper” tub.  It’s the kind you might keep winter socks in and store under your bed.  Blend non-iodine salt and brown sugar at a ratio of three sugar to one salt.  Use lots of garlic.  You’re going to rinse it all off later so don’t work too hard at chopping fresh garlic- garlic powder is fine.  Sometimes I use minced garlic.  It really makes no difference.  Arrange a single layer of fish pieces in the tub and cover with the sugar, salt and garlic.  I usually make a slice in each piece that goes to the skin every inch.  I like to make a few whole fillets as well as chunks.  Put the lid on the tub and set it outside in the cool air.  Maybe put a brick on the lid so your cat cant get at it.

Step 4.  Rinse the fish.  You’ve brined the fish for around 6 hours.  Dump the soupy mess into the sink and rinse the chunks well.  Put them on the smoker’s racks.  Big pieces and whole fillets on the bottom rack and little pieces and tails on the top.  Put the rack in your bathtub and turn the bathfan on.  Close the door so your cat cant get the fish because she will if she can, it’s all she’s thinking about now.  Let the fish dry and when it’s got a dull sheen on the surface, it’s ready to go into the smoker.  It’s been drying for three, four hours.  It depends on a lot of factors.

Step 5.  Smokem.  Preheat your Big Chief electric smoker for an hour.  Insert rack of fish into smoker box.  Use Alder and Apple chips.  Leave the smoker alone for three hours.  Go put some more wood chips in the tray and leave it alone for another 5 hours.  If you run the smoker overnight and its November,  maybe you’ll need to take the rack out and swap the top rack for the bottom rack and let it “cook” another hour.  Don’t use anymore chips, it’s possible to over-smoke the fish.

Enjoy.  Thanks for reading