Another 8lb fish yesterday evening to Geoff Handleyand two lost. Other fish seen.
Reliably informed that the algae on the lower river is no longer present.

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Some of you may not have seen this picture before
Record Wye salmon????    Found dead and somewhat decomposed.  Length 57"  girth 26" and weighed 42 lbs.   Estimated to have weighed between 65 and 80 lbs in real life

                                            SMOKING FISH.

Mentioned recently Chew valley lake and other Midland reservoirs and the excellent  trout fishing they can provide.  I was sent a picture recently of five lovely fish from Chew all between 2.1/2 and five pounds, as bright as a fresh salmon

Not everyone likes trout but many like smoked trout and it’s a fairly simple matter to turn a basic trout into a luxury item by cold smoking them.   I used to do this years ago with Wye salmon for various people around Erwood and also for reservoir trout I caught.   I have to say towards the back end of the season I was given some pretty disgusting salmon to smoke by people who should have known better, but that’s another story.

It’s a pretty simple exercise.  First of all you need something to contain the smoke..Something like a 6ft tall object a couple of feet square.  Built mine from breeze block lower half and wooded top section with a door top and bottom but you could convert the corner of a shed or some other building.  This is so you can hang the fish away from any vestige of heat.   It had a concrete block base where you could creat the smoke.   This was done by using fine oak sawdust.  I stress oak though some other British hardwoods can be used but many woods can give a tainted taste so be careful.   Many sawmills will supple you sawdust free of charge.   Simply put a good pile, about a bucket full into the base and light the leading edge with a gas blowtorch.   When it's glowing really well close the door and check for a while until you are happy its going well.  The pile will slowly burn back and if done in the evening will last all night.  You don’t need masses of smoke and a few small holes near the top of the smoker will ensure it does not  get too heavy.  The dust does not give off much heat and the fish must on no account be subjected to any heat whatsoever.  Fit a couple of poles across the smoker as near the roof as you can on which you can hang some butchers hooks.

Next to fillet the fish.  A fairly simple task contrary to some chefs you see farting about.  First gut the fish and remove stoumach contents and clean out the blood along the bottom of  the spine.    Lay the fish down and with a good sharp knife insert it into the flesh just where it joins the tail.   Lay the knife flat, keep it pressed  against the back bone and with a sawing action cut towards the head.  On reaching the anal fine you may need to lift and hold  up the belly flap to continue unhindered to the head.  Go past the gill bone but do not under any circumstances remove this.  Do the same on the other side.

You now have two fillets.  With scissors cut away the pectoral, anal and dorsal fins including the bone to which they are attached. With the sharp knife remove the rib bones on both side.

Next you will need some sort of container or bin in which to place the fish during the curing process.  This is done by using salt, dry or wet.  I always used the wet brining system where you dissolve 2lbs 10ozs of salt in a gallon of water.  Simply put the prepared sides into the brine and move them around from time to time.  How long to do this brining is the question.  Bear in mind that really rich flesh will take longer for the brine to penetrate than something more insipid so a lot is trial and error and personal taste.

I used to soak fresh salmon in the brine for three hours and good quality trout for about  2 ½.   You then hang them up to dry somewhere and this can take some time depending on conditions but they must be dry to the touch before putting in the smoker. To hang them up I used strong wire, bent into a horseshoe shape then turn up the ends into another horseshoe shape and these legs could be inserted into the fish underneath the gill bone hopefully still attached .  Then hang them on the hooks in the smoker.  You can also do your own kippers this way too, plus other things such as bacon, hard boiled eggs cheese etc  although the latter are not salted of course, simply smoked.  In the latter case use a wire mesh rack to rest the food on.

How long you smoke the fish is a matter of personal choice.  I used to think overnight was long enough but it’s really up to you.  The only other task is to remove the pin bones on both fillets  with a small pair of flat nosed plies –they make a pair specially for doing this.

Only other task is to eat it yourself or  wrap them in cling film and give them to your friends having turned a basic trout into an item that compares very well to smoked salmon –god knows what a farmed one is like.

I never had any complaints and as mentioned some of the back end fish I was asked to smoke I was hesitant to do so. I wouldn’t have given them to a cat. One well to do guy used to give me some crap to do and seeing him later asked how was his smoked salmon.  Lovely he said.  Im not sure he had ever had decent stuff.   A back end fish is not a ‘smoker’ as they used to say but a fresh one certainly is.

May sound a lot of trouble, its not really and the end result is worth it.

 G

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