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| Use only fresh fish that have been kept cold. If you will be catching your own fish, make sire to pack them in ice for the trip home. Different fish species are prepared differently. Salmon are split (backbone removed), bottom fish filleted, herring headed and gutted and smelt are usually dressed. The following preparation steps can be applied to any fish: |
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| COLD-Smoking Fish |
| Continue to the smoking section you prefer: |
| smoked salmon smoked fish cold smoking hot smoking salmon lox |
| Preparing Your Fish! |
| 1. Remove scales by scraping against the grain with the dull edge of a knife. 2. Remove head, fins, tail, viscera. 3. Wash body cavity with cold water until clean. 4. Split the fish by cutting through the rib bones along the length of the backbone. 5. For larger fish, remove the backbone. 6. For large fish, cut into smaller, equal sizes, about 1 1/2 in. thick and 2 in wide. |
| Preparing Brine |
| Prepare a brine of 3 1/2 cups table salt in one gallon of cold water in a plastic, stainless steel, or crokery container. Red or white wine can be substituted for a portion of the water, if desired. Stir the salt until it cannot dissolve any more. Spices such as black pepper, bay leaves, seafood seasoning, or garlic, as well as brown sugar (recommended) may be added. Use one-gallon of brine for every four pounds of fish. Soak the fish in your refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap. |
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