My husband and I developed this recipe when we lived in the Haute Mauricie region in Quebec. It was an employee of a large hunting and fishing store who convinced us to buy an electric smoker. We then discovered the pleasures of smoking our trouts caught during our fishing trips.
This hot smoking technique is accessible to everyone, thanks to electric smokers and bags of wood chips available in stores. There are insulated smokers and non-insulated smokers. For the latter, it is preferable to smoke during the slightly cooler temperatures of spring and autumn.
Trout may have been frozen and thawed before smoking. For those who are not fishing enthusiasts or if the fish has not bitten enough, do not hesitate to buy trout from your fishmonger to smoke some.
You can also smoke salmon fillets. It is important to respect the soaking time in the marinade to prevent the fish from absorbing too much salt during this step.
For 12 trouts
Preparation:10 minutes
Cooking: 10 minutes
Smoking: 6 to 10 hours
In a large saucepan, put 4 cups (1 liter) of water, the whole allspice, whole peppercorns, bay leaves, maple sugar and coarse salt. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly, and cook until the sugar and salt have dissolved.
Remove the pan from the heat and add 4 cups (1liter) cold water. Cool to room temperature.
Put the trout in the marinade, cover and refrigerate for 8 hours not more.
Place newspaper or paper towel on 3 cookie sheets and place the smoker racks on the paper.
Remove the trout from the marinade, let it drain and lay side by side on the racks. Let stand for one hour at room temperature.
Place the trout in the smoker, fill the receptacle with chips and smoke for 2 hours. Fill the receptacle with chips again and smoke another 4 to 8 hours until the flesh is stiff when pressing with your fingers in the thickest part. Smoking time may vary by device.
Ingredients
Directions
In a large saucepan, put 4 cups (1 liter) of water, the whole allspice, whole peppercorns, bay leaves, maple sugar and coarse salt. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly, and cook until the sugar and salt have dissolved.
Remove the pan from the heat and add 4 cups (1liter) cold water. Cool to room temperature.
Put the trout in the marinade, cover and refrigerate for 8 hours not more.
Place newspaper or paper towel on 3 cookie sheets and place the smoker racks on the paper.
Remove the trout from the marinade, let it drain and lay side by side on the racks. Let stand for one hour at room temperature.
Place the trout in the smoker, fill the receptacle with chips and smoke for 2 hours. Fill the receptacle with chips again and smoke another 4 to 8 hours until the flesh is stiff when pressing with your fingers in the thickest part. Smoking time may vary by device.