Wood For Smoking Fish Nz

Cooking salmon on soaked cedar planks allows the salmon fillets to absorb some of the flavors of cedar directly from the salmon planks.

Wood for smoking fish nz. However fattier fish will absorb more smoke flavor so fish such as salmon and trout are perfect for smoking. Orchard trees or nuts are fine. Almond is similar to pecan. An alternative for salmon is maple wood.

The only fish worth buying and smoking in my view is salmon as it can be bought for 25 to 30 per kilo while cold smoked salmon sells for 100 a kilo and hot smoked is not much cheaper. The wood often comes as wood chunks wood chips or pellets wood chunks allow a steady slow release of smoke while wood chips and pellets are quicker to smoke. Almond give a nutty sweet flavor that is good with all meats. Cedar wood chips are one of the best wood chips for smoking fish especially fatty salmon.

Put a layer of manuka wood chips in a metal tray and place it over a single burner. Alder has a light flavor that works well with fish and poultry. Almost any kind of wood will work but you might wish to use woods like alder or fruit woods. Maple burns hot and quick which is good for smoking fish as they tend to smoke for shorter times.

Generally you re ok with trees you eat fruit or nuts from. It also forms a bark or crust on the meat. Some woods aren t suitable for smoking and could be harmful eg pine fir spruce redwood cedar cypress elm eucalyptus sassafras sycamore liquid amber and redwood. Once the chips start to produce some smoke put the fish in the barbecue turn the heat to low so the chips don t catch fire and close the lid.

In general mild woods are good for fish and poultry medium fruit woods are best for poultry or pork and strong woods hold up against dark red meat flavors. So with knowhow and a bit of work you can have a luxury food treat at a fairly affordable price. Smoking wood plays a role in the flavor and the color of the meat. Indigenous to the northwestern united states it is the traditional wood for smoking salmon.

Use a fish smoker or set up a gas barbecue for hot smoking as follows. You can use whole fish or parts but fillets with the skin still on are better than other cuts.