"This is a recipe that is so simple but tastes fantastic. Even our kids love it!", Chris Webb.


Hot Smoked Trout

This recipe is simplicity itself.


Preparation
Clean, scale and fillet your fish. For easier eating, after filleting, use a small pair of pliers to remove all the pin bones.

The fish can be cured slightly before smoking. This is not essential but does allow the fish to take on a slightly deeper smoked flavour. If the fish is cured, don’t add salt before cooking.

For one fish you will need:
2 Old 15” frying pans.
Cooling rack.
Non-metallic dish, large enough to hold both fillets.
Untreated wood chips - oak, apple, hickory etc. available in the barbeque section of most garden centres.


Ingredients: For The Cure:
Sea Salt
Light Brown Muscovado Sugar
Fresh Thyme
Fresh Bay Leaves

Ingredients: To Cook:
Optional: A jar of Jamie Oliver’s Szechuan Pepper, Chilli And Ginger Salt.


To Cure (Optional):
Mix 2 table spoons of sea salt with 1 tea spoon of sugar, strip the leaves from 3-4 sprigs of thyme and add to the mix then add 2 - 3 crushed bay leaves. Mix well until combined. Sprinkle about a third of the cure over the bottom of a non-metallic dish. Lay the fillets skin side down into the dish then sprinkle the rest of the cure over the fillets. Put in a cold place for 30 to 40 minutes. The longer they are left, the saltier the finished dish will be. After 30-40 minutes, the fish will be perfect for normal taste.

Remove the fish from the cure, rinse thoroughly under running water then pat dry kitchen roll.


To Cook:

*Close the kitchen door and open all the windows.* Seriously!!!

DO NOT PUT ANY OIL OR LIQUID IN THE PAN. Place about 2 good handfuls of wood chips into one of the pans along with some sprigs of thyme and some Bay leaves. Spread evenly over the base of the pan. Put onto a medium high heat. As wisps of smoke start curling up from the pan, lay the cooling rack on the top of the pan. (1). Lay the fillets, skin side down, onto the cooling rack, top to tail side by side. (2). Lightly grind the pepper, chilli & ginger salt over the fish then cover with the second frying pan. (3). After a few minutes a fair amount of smoke will start to curl round the edges of the pan, this is normal. If the smoke stops at any time, you may have a hot-spot, try turning the pans around a little on the hob. (4).

After 8-10 minutes, depending on the size of the fish, lift the top pan and check the fish is cooked.

Serve hot with steamed spring vegetables or can be served cold with a dressed green salad.

ENJOY!