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Smoked Blue Fish
Ingredients:
blue fish fillets
kosher salt
coarse ground pepper
fennel
Instructions:
Here in Virginia, Bluefish took over the Chesapeake Bay about 20 years
ago and ate up all of the good fish. They were fun to catch but then
we had to figure out how to make them palatable. The answer was smoking.
We also found that fennel compliments blue and other oily fish. This
is the tall herb that grows wild around here and tastes like licorice;
not the Florence fennel with the big root. The association of oily
fish and fennel goes back for centuries. The French would use the
herb, then put the stalks on the cooking fire for more flavor. Scale
and fillet blue and freeze. Freezing ruptures cells and the fish smoke
better. When ready to smoke, thaw and layer fillets in a glass baking
dish covering each layer with kosher salt. Leave at room temperature
for 1 to 4 hours, rinse briefly, and allow to air dry for about an
hour while you prepare the smoker. Place skin side down on wire racks
and sprinkle liberally with coarse ground pepper. Also sprinkle liberally
with either oregano or fennel (leaves or seeds, fresh or dry) or with
both. Smoke for 6 to 10 hours at 170F. If you have access to the whole
fennel plant, try using the dry stems to supplement your wood smoke.
Check for doneness: The outside should have a dark bronze glazed look
and the meat should flake easily. Cooked fish freeze well. Serve as
appetizer with sharp cheese, crackers and white wine (sorry 'bout
that, Bear). |
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