Smoking Fish for Fish Dip

[Harry]

I have some nice-sized (way too big to fry) Amberjack fillets and would like to smoke them on my Big Green Egg, then make dip from the meat. Does anybody have any idea what temperature is best for this purpose? Also, how do I know when it's done? I have never smoked fish so any information on this topic would be highly appreciated. Also, if you have a good recipe for fish dip you don't mind sharing I'd love that as well. My usual method is to flake the meat, then mix it with a little mayonnaise (thinned with lemon juice or vinegar), some capers, a little salt, and a lot of black pepper. Thanks in advance for any help you may be able to offer concerning smoking fish and/or fish dip.

Harry

Edited August 13, 2008 by Harry (log)

[Andrew Fenton]

When I smoke salmon, I typically cure or marinate the fillets for a few hours or overnight, then smoke it at as low a temperature as I can. In my Char-Griller, that means I keep it as far away as I can from the smoke box; I don't know what temperature that is, exactly, but my guess is that it averages around 200 degrees. Every so often, I'll mop the fish to keep it from drying out; once it starts to flake, it's ready.

Never made a dip with it, but your recipe sounds tasty!

[saturnbar]

Alton Brown had an episode recently on smoking fish. He used a cardboard box and a hot plate. You should do better with the BGE. As Andrew suggested, he cured the meat with salt and sugar, if I am not mistaken, in tinfoil and added some weight, a brick I believe. Check around foodnetwork for times and internal temps. ch

[dls]

I've never hot smoked amberjack, but I do a lot of king salmon. Following a citrus and spice brine of around 5 hours, I rinse and pat dry it then put on a cooling rack over a plate in the refrigerator for a few more hours to develop a pellicle. I then apply a honey based glaze and smoke it at 160F for approximately 2 hours, checking and reglazing a couple of times along the way to make sure that it doesn't dry out.