# Today's Menu - Smoked Fish



## roadkill cafe (Dec 4, 2012)

Got to craving some smoked fish and being fresh Dolphin (Mahi-Mahi or Dorado, not Flipper) was on sale for $3.99/lb. thought I'd give it a try. Also got a couple nice pieces of Marlin for good measure as it was $7.99/lb. Found a what looked like a good brine recipe and process. Anyone tried this brine/process before? http://www.3men.com/threemen1.htm  Well anyway, here's a couple pics after they came out of the brine and were drying to form the pellicle. In the smoker with some oak in the AMNPS. I'll post the final product while they're cooling off.

*Marlin                                                                                         Dolphin*













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## kathrynn (Dec 4, 2012)

Waiting....tapping the feet!


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## roadkill cafe (Dec 4, 2012)

Well, here it is. Pulled at 147* IT. Very moist and water was dripping down the window. Pretty salty but may have left in brine a little too long. I'll make some dip with them and all will be good. Vacuum seal until I'm ready. Thanks for looking...

Steve













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## kathrynn (Dec 4, 2012)

OMG!  That looks so good!  Wonder if you could do less salt in the brine?  Just learning tho.


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## roadkill cafe (Dec 4, 2012)

Thanks Kat. Yeah, less salt for sure. It was 2 cups salt, 1 cup brown sugar for 1 gal. of water. Maybe next time do a 1:1 ratio of salt to sugar then the other spices.


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## JckDanls 07 (Dec 4, 2012)

atta boy...  looking good....  as for the salt ratio, I'm thinking 1:1 as well ...  same as you would poultry or pork ...  did you use kosher salt or table salt ?


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## roadkill cafe (Dec 4, 2012)

Thanks Keith. Used non-iodized table salt. Didn't have enough kosher. I'll just not add any salt when making the dip.


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## JckDanls 07 (Dec 4, 2012)

yea..  table salt is the problem as it is almost 1 1/2 the amount of Kosher... so If you were to use 2 cups of kosher the table salt equals out to be 3 cups..  don't know if that makes since...


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## roadkill cafe (Dec 5, 2012)

I agree Keith. This should have been a clue that the developer of the recipe didn't make any adjustment, but I didn't pick up on it.

This is from their recipe: *Salt for Brining* – Some prefer kosher salt for brining but most recently we have used regular table salt (not iodized) which can be purchased inexpensively in large quantities at the Price Club or Smart & Final.


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## go4abliss (Dec 5, 2012)

This is what I learned from doing fish...if the fish is fresh,its take the salt but if the fish was frozen it needs less salt. That what my freind Carla says. She been smoking for over 30 yr as business (Carla's smokehouse on the Oregon coast)  I perfer a dry rub instead of brine, it works for me


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## go4abliss (Dec 5, 2012)

oh, i forgot you might have soak the fish to long in the brine...


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## diggingdogfarm (Dec 5, 2012)

Sure looks good!



~Martin


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## roadkill cafe (Dec 5, 2012)

GO4ABLISS said:


> oh, i forgot you might have soak the fish to long in the brine...


I think I did. The smaller pieces should have been pulled sooner.


DiggingDogFarm said:


> Sure looks good!
> ~Martin


Thank you Martin.


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## fpnmf (Dec 5, 2012)

Looks tasty!!


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## roadkill cafe (Dec 5, 2012)

Thanks Craig. Didn't you mention in a post that you like the "scorching" hot sauces and stuff?


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## smokinhusker (Dec 5, 2012)

Looks great! I love smoked fish and yours sure is pretty!


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## roadkill cafe (Dec 5, 2012)

SmokinHusker said:


> Looks great! I love smoked fish and yours sure is pretty!


Thanks Alesia! Will probably do some more later this week.


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## dirtsailor2003 (Dec 5, 2012)

Looks really good, I really like Mahi-Dorado-Dolphin fish!! Back when I was fishing I used to smoke a bunch of the rockfish that we catch here on the West coast and through experimenting I found that the salt needed to be cut back quite a bit in order to end up not to salty. I have smoked the Dorado too and have found the same thing. I usually cut the ratio of salt in half ( I use kosher) from what I'd normally use on salmon. I also really like to take the light meat fish and turn it into jerky. You can get a really good texture out of it. Cut into strips across the grain use whatever concoction you want to brine. Smoke on low heat until you get the texture you want, or if you have one after smoking for a few hours, put in the dehydrator.


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## cfarley (Dec 6, 2012)

What do you make with the smoked fish? Just eat it plain, or mix it up like a lox spread?


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## roadkill cafe (Dec 6, 2012)

dirtsailor2003 said:


> Looks really good, I really like Mahi-Dorado-Dolphin fish!! Back when I was fishing I used to smoke a bunch of the rockfish that we catch here on the West coast and through experimenting I found that the salt needed to be cut back quite a bit in order to end up not to salty. I have smoked the Dorado too and have found the same thing. I usually cut the ratio of salt in half ( I use kosher) from what I'd normally use on salmon. I also really like to take the light meat fish and turn it into jerky. You can get a really good texture out of it. Cut into strips across the grain use whatever concoction you want to brine. Smoke on low heat until you get the texture you want, or if you have one after smoking for a few hours, put in the dehydrator.


Thanks DS. I will definitely be making some changes next fish smoke. Will be using Kosher and a 1:1 ratio to sugar, less brine time...especially for the smaller pieces.


cfarley said:


> What do you make with the smoked fish? Just eat it plain, or mix it up like a lox spread?


Make dip, put a little mayo on a cracker and add a small chunk, plain in a meal is good too. I like the dip with come Cuban crackers best though. I like the Cuban crackers because they don't have very much salt and the smoked fish flavor comes through and they're sturdy enough to hold up to scooping the dip without breaking.


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## fpnmf (Dec 6, 2012)

Roadkill Cafe said:


> Thanks Craig. Didn't you mention in a post that you like the "scorching" hot sauces and stuff?



Yup!!!


   Craig


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## roadkill cafe (Dec 6, 2012)

Well, looks like sitting vacuum sealed in the fridge for a couple days helped out. The Marlin wasn't too salty but the Dolphin was still a little bit. Made them into dip and was able to salvage the Dolphin. The Marlin was absolutely killer. Here's a couple pics.

*Smoked Marlin Dip*













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## dirtsailor2003 (Dec 6, 2012)

Looks great!!!

A friend and I used to commercial crab for Dungeness. His mom made a killer dip, the bad part was if she made it you had to pick the meat! It's really hard to pick the meat and not eat it! Which smoked crab, oysters, and mussels are awesome too!


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## roadkill cafe (Dec 6, 2012)

dirtsailor2003 said:


> Looks great!!!
> 
> A friend and I used to commercial crab for Dungeness. His mom made a killer dip, the bad part was if she made it you had to pick the meat! It's really hard to pick the meat and not eat it! Which smoked *crab, oysters, and mussels* are awesome too!


Thanks DS. That sounds delicious!!! Love all of them. Have only had the oysters smoked though. I know what you mean with the Dungeness. It's soooo good.


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## kathrynn (Dec 7, 2012)

oooooo...that looks so good!


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## JckDanls 07 (Dec 7, 2012)

damn..  I believe I woulda had to have 2 or 20 of those at the gathering...  looks delish


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## tjohnson (Dec 7, 2012)

Crazy Good!

TJ


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## roadkill cafe (Dec 8, 2012)

JckDanls 07 said:


> damn.. I believe I woulda had to have 2 or 20 of those at the gathering... looks delish


Thanks Keith. I'll have to keep this in mind for the next gathering. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	






TJohnson said:


> Crazy Good!
> 
> TJ


Thank you, Todd. Next time will be even better. There used to be a fish smoking place here in S. FL that was in business for many, many years but closed back in around 2005. He had the BEST smoked fish and dips around. I found a guy that knew the former owner and has his brine & dip recipes and will be sending them to me.


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## thoseguys26 (Dec 12, 2012)

yah, looks great!

What's in the dip?


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## go4abliss (Dec 12, 2012)




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## roadkill cafe (Dec 12, 2012)

GO4ABLISS said:


>


Thank you, Bliss


thoseguys26 said:


> yah, looks great!
> 
> What's in the dip?


Well, I could be a smarta** and say fish...just kidding. Simple and fairly basic:

Approx. 3/4 lb. smoked fish (run through a food processor)

1/2 cup mayo

1/2 cup sour cream

2T sweet onion - finely chopped

3T fresh dill weed - chopped

2 tsp lime juice - fresh squeezed (lemon may be substituted)

dash of Old Bay

Don't limit yourself to just these ingredients. Add whatever you like. Garlic powder, Paprika, Cayenne for a kick, Coriander, whatever you enjoy.

Forgot to mention...cover and let sit in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours so the flavors can combine. Overnight is better.

Steve


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