This Smoked Trout recipe is a fantastic way to cook trout! You can use fresh trout if you are lucky enough to get some, or freshly frozen trout, which is sometimes more readily available. Once you have smoked the trout, you can serve it in many different ways! This recipe will help bring out the best tastes of your trout.
Trout is such a versatile fish you can smoke it, grill your trout, or pan-fry it in some butter! It doesn’t matter which way you cook it, it tastes delicious! Try our amazing Whole Grilled Trout.
I used to go fishing locally quite a bit. We would always pan-fry our fish, usually the same day that we caught them. I loved that fresh taste! Since I don’t get out fishing anymore, it’s nice to be able to find both fresh and frozen local fish in our local grocers and butcher shops.
Although you can cook trout in a number of different ways, smoking the whole fish offers a unique way to serve this delicacy to friends and family.
HELPFUL ITEMS FOR THIS RECIPE
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small portion from qualifying purchases at no extra charge to you.
WHAT DO I NEED TO MAKE smoked TROUT?
This is one of the most straightforward recipes you can make. Quite frankly, the smoke does all the work and the flavors of the fish really get a chance to shine.
INGREDIENTS
- Whole rainbow trout, scaled, gilled, and cleaned
- Kosher salt
- 1-gallon cool water
- 1 bamboo skewer
You can use just about anything in place of the bamboo skewer, a wooden chopstick, or even a small piece of wood or a stick. As long as you have 2 pieces about 3 – 4 inches long, you are good to go.
HOW TO PREPARE TROUT FOR smoking
Start by mixing the Kosher salt with the water. Stir until the salt is completely dissolved. Submerge the whole trout into the salt water and cover it with a lid or plastic wrap.
Place the pot or bucket in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. You can allow it to remain in the brine up to overnight.
Remove the trout from the brine and pat it dry both inside and out with paper towels; discard the brine.
Take the bamboo skewer and break or cut it in half. You want the length to be about 3 – 4 inches, depending upon the size of your trout. Wedge the sticks into the trout so that the cavity is exposed.
Stand the trout on a rack or lay it on a baking sheet and refrigerate uncovered for another 2 hours or up to overnight. This will ensure that the trout is dried thoroughly inside and out and is ready to be smoked.
Smoking yOUR WHOLE TROUT
Preheat your smoker to 175 degrees F. I like to use cherry wood to smoke my trout; I find it adds the perfect flavor of smoke to the fish.
Once it is preheated, place the trout with the wooden skewers in place onto the grates of your smoker or hang it on a rack in the smoker. Smoke the trout for 2 – 3 hours.
You need to make sure that your smoker temperature doesn’t rise above 200 degrees F. Remember, you don’t want to cook your trout just smoke it.
If you are having trouble keeping the temperature in the 175-degree range, you can place a tray full of ice cubes on the grate of your smoker. This will help to keep the temperature from rising too high.
SERVING YOUR smoked TROUT
Once you have smoked your trout, the really special part of the process begins! You get to serve and eat it!
Pro TIps:
- Make sure that your fish is cleaned and gilled before you place it in the brine.
- It is very important for your fish to dry after brining. Keep in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours uncovered before smoking.
- You can use any type of hardwood to smoke as you like. Play around with different types, and maybe even mix a couple together to get a different smoky flavor.
This recipe is the perfect elegant appetizer for any party. Or, if you prefer, serve it as the main course with some tasty veggies. The perfect meal for two!
You can serve it right out of the smoker warm or you can chill it and serve it later; either way, you and your family and friends are going to love this recipe!
Pin it HERE!!
Pin it HERE!!
Smoked Trout
Ingredients
- Whole Rainbow trout scaled, cleaned and gilled
- 1/2 cup Kosher salt
- 1 gallon of cool water
Additional equipment:
- 1 bamboo skewer broken in half about 3-4 inches long
Instructions
- Mix the Kosher salt into 4 litres (1 gallon) of cool water. Stir until all the salt is dissolved.
- Submerge the trout into the salt water, cover with the lid of the pot or with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. You can allow it to remain in the brine up to overnight.
- Remove the trout from the brine and pat it dry with paper towels; discard the brine.
- Take 1 of the 1/2 bamboo skewers and wedge it into the trout so that the body of the fish is open; do the same with the second 1/2 skewer.
- Stand the trout up on a rack or lay it on a baking sheet and set it in the refrigerator uncovered for at least 2 hours, up to overnight. This allows the trout to dry.
- Preheat the smoker to 175 degrees F.
- Put the trout into the smoker on the grate or hang it on a rack. And smoke for 2-3 hours.
- Be careful not to allow the temperature in the smoker to rise above 200 degrees F. You want to smoke the fish, not cook it. If the temperature does start to creep up and you are having trouble keeping it below 200 degrees F., place a pan or tray of ice cubes in the smoker. This will help to keep the temperature in the correct range.
- Once smoked, you can eat your rainbow trout either warm right out of the smoker or place it in the refrigerator and serve it later chilled.
- Enjoy!!
Leave a Reply