My take on a classic. I never use to eat Trout until I made it this way and now I am very conflicted on the matter of Catch and Release.
Ingredients for smoking:
400g – 500g freshly caught trout gutted with head on
1 cup rock salt
2 cups brown sugar
2L cold water (do not use hot water)
2 cold craft beers
Method:
• Mix salt, sugar and water together and stir until all is dissolved (not all the salt will dissolve)
• Place your fish in a plastic container that seals tightly and pour salt/sugar mixture over fish. Do NOT use a metal container as the fish will pick up a metal taste while going through the brining process. Make sure you have enough salt/sugar mixture to cover all the fish.
• Open the beer and take a sip because this is hard work.
• Place your container in the fridge
• Leave the fish in the brine for two days moving them around regularly
• After two days – drain the mixture and rinse the fish with cold water removing all the brine thoroughly
• In a Weber or similar smoker – smoke the fish slowly over 4 hours using a low heat smoking method. Make sure to use a good quality wood chip or shavings. In my opinion the Weber brand wood smoking chips works best and gives your fish that "next-level" taste
• After 4 hours – remove the trout from the smoker and remove skin and bones.
• Place back in fridge to cool down
• Open the second beer and enjoy – it is Saturday after all.
Trout Pâté
~ Paul van der Merwe
50 SeriousFun@JFFC SEPT 2018
Catch &
Cook