Smoked Lake Trout

There are many things I can confidently say I’m REALLY good at, but let me just brag for a minute and say I’m REALLY good at fishing. Not because I’m lucky, but because I’ve spent thousands of hours with a fishing rod in my hand. There aren’t many freshwater species I haven’t caught, and I even own a remote float plane fishing lodge on the barrenlands of the Northwest Territories Canada. I know how to catch fish, and this smoked lake trout recipe is one of my favourite ways to prepare fresh trout.

Step One – Go Catch a Fish!

The best smoked fish is fish you’ve caught your self. This recipe works especially well for lake trout. If you have access to this fish, and you know how to catch them, go catch a few and then come back to this recipe.

Don’t know how to catch them? Send me an email… I’m confident I can help!

Another option is to buy the fish from your local grocery store or market. If you’re buying fish, ask how it was caught. Wild, line-caught trout is the best, and the only type of fish I would buy. Farmed fish are a poor substitute for their wild counterparts. The meat is of lesser quality because the fish don’t have to move like wild fish do.

How to Brine Trout or Salmon

You can brine your fish in a dry brine, or a wet brine. Everyone has there own preference, but mine is a wet brine for fish. There are just a few ingredients you need to make the wet brine:

This lake trout brine and smoking recipe adds hints of peach, subtle sweetness from the syrup and a flakey-firm texture to your fish. This recipe also works with steelhead trout and salmon.

20 lbs of total skin on fillets.

Note: If you have less trout simply cut the recipe in half.

The Trout Brine:

Add all ingredients to a pitcher and stir until salt and sugar have dissolved.

• 8 cups water
• 2/3 cup kosher salt
• 2 cup light dark sugar
• 1 cup peach brandy

Directions:

1. Fillet trout and cut each filet in half. Brine skin side up in a plastic or glass dish. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 10-12 hours.
2. Wash trout under cold water, pat dry and place skin side down on wire rack in a cool place. Let sit for 2 hours.
3. Brush trout with Vermont Maple Syrup and add ground black pepper.
4. Remove trout from smoker and let sit for 1 hour to cool before vacuum-sealing.

Smoked Fish Pellicle

I could go into detail about what the pellicle is, but you probably don’t care. This next step is the step most people completely skip over, and it’s the difference in perfect smoked lake trout, and average smoked lake trout.

After the trout has been brined, rinse each of the fillets thoroughly, and then pat dry. Place the fish on a rack, and then put the rack on the sheet pan you were using before, and back in the fridge!

If you don’t have room in the fridge. The fish will need to sit out for at least three hours.

This step produces a tacky film on the surface of the lake trout, this is called the pellicle. The pellicle will help your trout hold more of that smoke flavour you’re looking for, and keeps the fish from cooking too quickly.

Time To Smoke the Trout 

Hopefully, you’ve taken the time to properly brine the fish, and form a nice pellicle on the surface of the flesh. Now it’s time to put your fish in the smoker!

Set your smoker up to cook with indirect heat at around 140 or 150 degrees, and then place your trout fillets on the grill grates. After two hours, increase the temperature in your smoker by 20 degrees. Repeat this process every two hours.

What’s That White Stuff Oozing Out of My Smoked Fish?

You can start your smoker out at 225 and just keep it there, but you’ll notice a white substance ooze out of the fish called albumin. Gradually increasing the temperature helps the fish firm up at a slower rate, thus reducing the albumin appearance, and giving you much better flavour!

Small trout fillets only take a few hours to smoke, but larger trout can take several hours. Check the temp of your fish with a good meat thermometer after a few hours, and when the fish has reached an internal temperature of 140 F, your smoke lake trout is done.