# Question about Smoking Fish, Can you smoke Walleye?



## mkriet (Dec 28, 2015)

Hello everyone, I live in Ohio, and there isn't a lot of salmon fishing around here unless I get over to Lake Michigan.  I know I've also heard of smoked whitefish, and was wondering if other lighter colored fish would work.  We do a lot of walleye fishing, and was wondering if anyone has ever tried smoking walleye.  If so, did it work well?  

If not, what characteristics does the fish need to have to be good for smoking?  I've heard about oily fish being better for smoking.  Any pointers would be great.  Never tried smoking fish before, but I've ate it before and it was great.


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## Bearcarver (Dec 28, 2015)

mkriet said:


> Hello everyone, I live in Ohio, and there isn't a lot of salmon fishing around here unless I get over to Lake Michigan.  I know I've also heard of smoked whitefish, and was wondering if other lighter colored fish would work.  We do a lot of walleye fishing, and was wondering if anyone has ever tried smoking walleye.  If so, did it work well?
> 
> If not, what characteristics does the fish need to have to be good for smoking?  I've heard about oily fish being better for smoking.  Any pointers would be great.  Never tried smoking fish before, but I've ate it before and it was great.


You can smoke any fish, but some oily fish might be preferred by some.

I've done Salmon, Trout, Tilapia, Perch, and Bass, and they were all very tasty.

I used the method I show in my Step by Steps below:

*Smoked Salmon*      

*Smoked Brook Trout & Tilapia*

Bear


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## pooch897 (Dec 28, 2015)

I have done walleye with great success 








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## mkriet (Dec 28, 2015)

Thanks BearCarver.  And Pooch those look wonderful.  Do you leave the skin on?  Would you care to share recipe or technique?  

Also, I have a bunch of walleye in the freezer at the moment.  Would it work to try some of those, or do I need to use fresh fish?

Thanks all.


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## thoseguys26 (Dec 28, 2015)

Walter is some of my favorite fish to eat, though I've never smoked any, but I'd imagine it would be Delicious! My brother makes a cheesey potato caseroll out of walleye, bass, etc and he swears by it. I'll have to get the recipe but I'm sure it's pretty simple.

Let us know if you smoke some Walter!


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## Bearcarver (Dec 28, 2015)

mkriet said:


> Thanks BearCarver.  And Pooch those look wonderful.  Do you leave the skin on?  Would you care to share recipe or technique?
> 
> Also, I have a bunch of walleye in the freezer at the moment.  Would it work to try some of those, or do I need to use fresh fish?
> 
> Thanks all.


Those links I gave you (above) tell all, such as I remove the skin from large fish, but leave it on for small Trout.

I like to freeze my fish below ZERO for 30 days to eliminate the parasites, if I'm not going to cook my fish.

So yes---Do the frozen ones!!!

Bear


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## pooch897 (Dec 28, 2015)

I just made a soy and brown sugar and garlic powder marinate and left it in it for 3 hours or so.   Then smoked for 2 hours. 


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## mkriet (Dec 28, 2015)

Thanks BC, was at work earlier and didn't get around to checking out the links you sent.  And pooch that sounds pretty easy.  From what I've seen so far it seems like gradually being the heat up is the best thing to do.  Am i right?


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## Bearcarver (Dec 29, 2015)

mkriet said:


> Thanks BC, was at work earlier and didn't get around to checking out the links you sent. And pooch that sounds pretty easy. *From what I've seen so far it seems like gradually being the heat up is the best thing to do. Am i right?*


My method is for a good smoke flavored snacking product that you can hold in your hand to snack on.

I like to take the temp up gradually to give it more smoking time & give it some body & snacking texture.

If you want to smoke it for Dinner, it would be better to smoke hotter & faster, to keep it more light & fluffy. Then you would eat it with a fork.

Bear


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## mr t 59874 (May 20, 2016)

mkriet said:


> Hello.  We do a lot of walleye fishing, and was wondering if anyone has ever tried smoking walleye.  If so, did it work well?


We know how good deep fried or baked Walleye is.  Simply prepare it as you normally would and hit it with smoke from a handheld smoker for a few minutes prior to serving, it is delicious.

T


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## msuiceman (May 30, 2016)

You can but it has a tendency to dry out since it's a pretty lean fish. Oily fish usually smoke better but hey, there's nothing stopping ya.


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## smokethefish (May 30, 2016)

MSUICEMAN said:


> You can but it has a tendency to dry out since it's a pretty lean fish. Oily fish usually smoke better but hey, there's nothing stopping ya.


Well, technically, the level of dryness is only because of how long and what temperature you dry it for. I've done rainbow trout fillets which are SUPER lean, and they come out delicious all the time, also, if you're cold smoking these it'll be hard like a rock but when you hot smoke walleye it actually comes out quite nice. I'd minimize the drying time and cook it out to a low temperature. Too high and itll dry up, too low and it wont cook.


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