wet or dry brine before smoking. The 

 basic brine is a salt and sugar mixture. 

 If it's wet, water is added. 



Limieux also adds mixtures of 

 herbs, spices and other seasonings to 

 the brine to create distinctive smoked 

 products. The list of additives includes: 

 maple syrup, lemon or orange zest, 

 minced fresh ginger, herbs (thyme, dill, 

 rosemary, sage), minced garlic, black or 

 red pepper, or spices such as star anise 

 or aniseed. 



After absorbing the flavors of the 

 brine for several hours, the seafood is 

 ready for smoking. Limieux uses 

 hickory wood chips to create his smoke, 

 but other hardwoods such as maple, 

 apple, cherry, birch, oak and ash also 

 produce flavorful smoke. Even peach 

 wood and grapevines can be burned. 

 But commercial smokers and home 

 cooks avoid using pine or other woods 

 that contain large amounts of pitch. 



The majority of Limieux's seafood 

 is hot-smoked, meaning the product is 

 cooked and smoked. Cold-smoked 

 seafood is smoked but not cooked (see 

 sidebar below). Gravlax, a Scandina- 

 vian specialty, is the only cold-smoked 

 product Limieux produces. 



Smoked seafood is not cheap — 

 but neither is fresh seafood. Limieux's 

 prices range from $3.50 a pound for 

 smoked mullet to $30 per pound for 

 smoked shrimp. Smoked bluefish is 

 $8.50 per pound; king mackerel, $13. 



Prices and products vary, Limieux 

 says, according to what species are 

 available and how much they cost at 

 the docks. But he recommends that 

 customers buy smaller quantities of 

 smoked fish per person than fresh fish. 



Taylor recommends 8 ounces of 

 fresh fish per person. Limieux say 6 

 ounces of smoked fish will do. The 

 richer, fuller flavor of the smoked 

 product is more filling than its fresh 

 counterpart. 



If you develop a smoked fish habit, 

 then you may want to learn to smoke 

 your own. You can smoke seafood with 

 a home smoker or grill. It's easier and 

 faster than smoking red meat and most 

 poultry. 



The goal for smoking any meat is 

 to cook it as slowly as possible at a low 

 temperature. When hot-smoking fish, 

 you want to keep the temperature 

 between 175 F and 225 F. Lower 

 temperatures mean longer smoking 

 times, more intense flavor and less 

 moisture loss. 



If you plan to make smoked 

 seafood a mainstay in your mealtime 

 repertoire, then invest in a home 

 smoker. They come in a variety of 

 styles and sizes, so choose one that fits 

 your needs and budget. 



Vertical smokers offer several 

 advantages over gas grills or kettle 

 grills. First, the seafood is placed on a 

 rack that sits a foot or more (rather than 

 just inches) above the heat. This allows 

 for slow, indirect distribution of the 

 heat and holds the key to a flavorful 

 final product. 



Continued 



Hot or Cold? 



Two distinct processes can 

 be used to smoke fish. The 

 difference is temperature. 



Cold-smoked seafood — 

 such as the familiar salmon lox 

 — is smoked but not cooked. 

 Hot-smoked seafood is cooked 

 during the smoking process. 



Cold smoking takes place 

 at temperatures between 70 F 

 to 90 F for six to 1 6 hours. The 

 heat source is separated from 

 the chamber holding the 



seafood, and the smoke is trans- 

 ferred from the heat to the seafood 

 via a heat-resistant duct. The 

 smoke cools as it passes through 

 the duct, preventing the transfer of 

 heat. The result is smoke that 

 flavors the seafood but doesn't 

 cook it. 



Although this process pro- 

 duces moist, flavorful seafood, the 

 final result is still raw. 



Hot smoking occurs at tem- 

 peratures between 175 Fand 225 F 



for up to 1 2 hours — hot enough 

 and long enough to cook the 

 seafood. 



Does one taste better than 

 the other? 



It's a matter of preference. 

 Both methods yield products 

 that are flavorful and palate- 

 pleasing. The difference comes 

 in the texture. Hot-smoked 

 seafood is more firm and dry, 

 sometimes less rich than cold- 

 smoked products. 



-Kathy Hart 



COASTWATCH 1 1 



