Smoked Rainbow Trout

 

 

Got fish? Here are four smoked trout recipes we have created to share with our friends and families. Gently smoked with alder, apple and Pacific Blend.

We are fortunate to live in a place where we can catch some amazing rainbow trout, weighing in at between 5 - 10 lbs each. Unbelievable fun for us to go fly fishing with friends in the late winter and early spring, mostly finding success with a Woolie Bugger trout fly. But you have to be warmly dressed and ready for rain. No "fair weather fishing" here! Once the lake warms up in the summer, the fish are too soft to use. 

The rainbow trout we have been catching are more like salmon than trout for size, but has the delicate flavour of rainbow that you just don't want to lose through too much seasoning, or improper handling. The size of the fish, and the need to process them quickly presents an opportunity to be very creative so as to not waste a morsel of food. We gut the fish as soon as they are caught and keep them in a cooler with ice, even on the lake.

As soon as we get home, I sharpen my knife and fillet the fish for eating, smoking and sharing. (I make broth from the heads, bones and fins, and when I strain the broth, I grind the solids together with oats, apples, eggs and flour to make dog cookies. Recipe to follow)

In order to have evenly cooked fish, it should be consistent thickness and size. The fillets of these trout have a variety of thicknesses, with the tail and rib areas being half the thickness of the top of the fish. Separate these, and you will have an easier time. 

I sharpen my knife again (important) and then cut the tail & rib areas into 3 - 4" square slabs, and after removing the pin bones along the thickest part of the flesh, cut the rest into 1" cubes for smoked nuggets. I prefer the nuggets skinned, but leave the skin on the slabs and fillets.

Each recipe uses a different, but similar method for brining the fish. The first two are dry brine and the last two are a liquid brine. Once you have your fillets or nuggets cut, rinsed and patted dry, choose the recipes that suits your tastes.

 

#1 Salt & Pepper Smoked Trout

2-3 lbs trout or salmon fillets, rinsed and patted dry.

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

1 cup kosher salt

1 Tbsp pepper

Mix the sugars, salt & pepper to make the dry brine. In a bowl or container, layer the fish fillets, coating with the rub as you fill it up. Cover and refrigerate for 8 - 10 hours.

Drain. Rinse very well. Pat dry and place on racks or cookie sheets far enough apart that they are not touching. Allow them to dry in the refrigerator for several hours, or overnight to develop a pellicle.* When the weather is cold, like it was when I made the last batch,  I put the dehydrator in the window, turned it on fan mode and air-dried the fillets for a couple hours to get the same effect.

*"Pellicle (cooking), a skin or coating of proteins on the surface of meat, fish or poultry, which allow smoke to better adhere the surface of the meat during the smoking process." (Wikipedia)

Preheat your smoker to 180F. Arrange the pieces skin side down on greased smoker racks and add a mild smoke like alder, apple or your own preferred flavour. Checking every half hour or so, smoke for about 3 - 4 hours or until the internal temp is about 140F. 

 

#2 Smoked Trout Nuggets

3-4 pounds thick portion of trout cut into 1" cubes

3-4 cups brown sugar

2 cups coarse kosher salt

2 Tbsp garlic powder

1 Tbsp black pepper

1 tsp cayenne pepper

Rinse and pat dry your trout nuggets. Mix sugar, salt and spices to make your dry brine. 

In a bowl or container, layer the fish fillets, coating with the rub as you fill it up. Cover and refrigerate for 8 - 10 hours.

Drain. Rinse very well. Pat dry and place on racks or cookie sheets far enough apart that they are not touching. Allow them to dry in the refrigerator for several hours, or overnight to develop a pellicle.*

Preheat your smoker to 120F. Arrange the pieces skin side down on greased smoker racks and add a mild smoke like alder, apple or your own preferred flavour. 

Every hour raise the temperature in the smoker by 20 degrees until it's 180 F. 

Checking every half hour or so, smoke for about 4 hours. 

 

#3 Maple Orange Trout

3 pounds trout fillets, cut into portions, rinsed and patted dry

2 cups cold water

1 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup demerara sugar

1/4 cup coarse kosher salt

zest of one fresh orange (best not to use dried peel)

Glaze:

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup orange juice

Mix the water, syrup, sugar, salt and peel in a big bowl. Mix to dissolve the sugar & salt. Submerge the trout fillets in the brine, mix and refrigerate 8-10 hours depending upon how thick they are. 

Drain. Rinse very well. Pat dry and place on racks or cookie sheets far enough apart that they are not touching. Allow them to dry in the refrigerator for several hours, or overnight to develop a pellicle. 

Preheat your smoker to 160F. Arrange the pieces skin side down on greased smoker racks and add a mild smoke like alder, apple or your own preferred flavour. After the first 15 minutes, brush with the glaze every half hour. Smoke for about 3 hours or until the internal temp is about 145F. 

 

#4 Maple Candy

2-3 lbs trout nuggets cut in 1" cubes and rinsed

1 cup demerara sugar

1/2 cup coarse kosher salt

1/2 cup dark maple syrup 

2 cups water

Glaze

1/2 cup dark maple syrup

Mix the liquid brine in a large bowl or covered container, and add the trout nuggets, stirring to submerge. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours. 

Drain. Rinse very well. Pat dry and place on racks or cookie sheets far enough apart that they are not touching. Allow them to dry in the refrigerator for several hours, or overnight to develop a pellicle.* 

Preheat your smoker to 220F. Arrange the pieces skin side down on greased smoker racks and add a mild smoke like alder, apple or your own preferred flavour. After the first 15 minutes, brush with the maple syrup glaze every half hour. Smoke for about 3 hours or until the internal temp is about 140F.

 

PLEASE NOTE: The rainbow trout we are catching are not native, but escapees from the local fresh water fish farm. Whenever we catch a native cut-throat trout, we release them.

mango icecream

 With the kind of dietary issues Will has, we have been unable to buy commercial ice cream for quite a while, but I bought this very easy to operate and fast little ice cream maker, and started the experimentation to perfect an ice cream that doesn't include the many forbidden ingredients. 

With lactose intolerance, low FODMaP's diet,  and low Histamine diet we cut out most dairy, sugars, fruits and berries that you normally get in ice cream. But this recipe not only works, it's delicious as well. 

1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch
pinch of salt
1 can coconut milk
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 Tbsp coconut oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 ripe mango, peeled and chopped

Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in saucepan. Slowly add coconut milk, stirring with a whisk. Heat to a boil over medium heat. Boil for one minute.
Mix egg yolks in small bowl. Slowly add the hot pudding mixture in a thin stream, whisking constantly until well blended. Pour back into the saucepan and reheat over medium. Boil one minute. Remove from heat and stir in the coconut oil and vanilla.
Chill custard mix until cooled. Stir in finely chopped mango.

Now to turn this delicious custard into ice cream!

I have a low tech Cuisipro ice cream maker that does the job in about 20 minutes, but you can just put your bowl of mango custard in the freezer and stir it up every couple hours until too thick to stir. 

I thought this blog's solution's were pretty spot on as well https://www.saveur.com/make-ice-cream-without-a-machine/

fall harvest cake

I have to admit that the hazelnuts & honey are from last year, but the applesauce, blueberries and blackberries are this year's crop. This is a lovely dense cake, definitely not sweet!

• 1 cup Gluten-free flour
• 3/4 cup light buckwheat flour
• 3/4 cup hazelnuts roasted and finely chopped
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup yogurt or mayonnaise
• 1 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup honey
• 3/4 cup melted butter
• 4 eggs (beaten until light)
  
• 1 Tbsp lemon or orange zest
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup blackberries
• 3/4 cup blueberries
  

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9" spring-form pan with parchment paper. 

Whisk together the flours, hazelnuts, baking powder and salt. In large mixer bowl combine the yogurt, applesauce, honey, butter, beaten eggs, lemon zest and vanilla and beat until creamy. Add dry ingredients and mix only until combined. Pour into spring-form pan and top with the berries. Keep most of the fruit towards the outer edge as they seem to creep to the middle of the cake while cooking!

Bake in centre of 350 F oven for 55 minutes.

cornbread with fresh corn

Fresh corn from local farmers is in the stores again! I just had to try adding fresh corn to my corn bread recipe. (I heard about this on Season 5 of Queer Eye) So delicious!

1 cup gluten-free flour

1 cup medium cornmeal

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup Silk coconut milk mixed with 1 tsp cider vinegar

2 eggs

1/3 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar kernels of fresh corn cut from one cob (about 3/4 cup)

Mix the coconut milk with cider vinegar and set aside. Melt the butter in a cast iron frying pan. Cut the corn kernels from the cob.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another. Stir together until completely mixed but no more. Pour into the still warm cast iron frying pan, and place in the middle of the preheated oven.

Bake 25 minutes.

Serve warm and crispy! Will smothers his with maple syrup!

zucchini fritters & ranch dressing

There are so many recipes for zucchini fritters on the internet but I usually just go with a variation of potato latkes, potato pancakes. DELICIOUS!

Even on the low FODMaP diet and low histamine diet, Will can get away with these if he opts for crab-apple jelly instead of ranch dressing on top.

1 medium zucchini (about 8")

1/2 tsp salt

1 green onion (opt)

1 egg

2 Tbsp GF flour

1/2 tsp thyme or mild herb

a little pepper

2 Tbsp oil for cooking

Grate the zucchini and sprinkle on the salt, mix a bit & wrap in a tea towel or cheese cloth. Let sit a few minutes in a bowl, then wring all the liquid out of the zucchini. It's amazing how wet those suckers actually are. Discard the liquid.

Drop the zucchini in a bowl and add the onion, egg, flour, seasonings and pepper.

Heat oil in a fry pan and drop tablespoons of the zucchini batter in, flattening them out a bit with a damp spoon.

Cook at medium high until nicely browned and flip. Cook the other side and serve with either ranch dressing if you are a normal human being or with crab apple jelly if you are Will.

:-)

Ranch Dressing YUM!

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup cream

1 tsp dill weed

1 tsp  parsley

1 tsp chives

1 clove garlic, very finely chopped

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

pepper to taste

Blend all these ingredients in a 500 ml jar and enjoy!

Crab Apple Jelly (also yum)

I use this recipe from Canadian Living: https://www.canadianliving.com/food/recipe/crab-apple-jelly

vanilla cupcakes with buttercream icing

We have been working really hard around here during the last three months isolation, renovations, gardening, landscaping... and we deserved a treat! so I made coconut milk ice cream last night and these delicious cupcakes this afternoon.
Easy and delicious, and with the butter cream icing, they are the best I've made.

Vanilla cupcakes

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cup GF Flour mix
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 cup milk (or alternative)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F and place liners in 12 medium cupcake pan.
In a large bowl, beat the sugar with coconut oil until well incorporated. Add eggs. Beat another minute. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and xanthan gum, and add to the bowl. Add the milk and vanilla. Mix for another minute.
Divide the batter between the 12 cupcake liners. Bake 20 minutes at 350F until lightly browned and centre springs back when touched.
Cool 5 minutes, remove cupcakes from pan and cool on a rack before icing.

Buttercream Icing

2 1/2 cup GF icing sugar (Typically Canadian icing sugar is GF)
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 to 2 Tbsp milk (or alternative)

Mix icing sugar with butter on low speed. Add vanilla & 1 Tbsp milk. Gradually add enough of the milk to make it smooth and spreadable. Add more milk if too thick, more icing sugar if too thin.
I piped the icing sugar onto the muffins for a nicer finish.

Spaghetti Squash Soup

The past few years we have been growing a very prolific spaghetti squash that are perfect size for small families, the Small Wonder from West Coast Seeds. About half the size of regular spaghetti squash, the big ones get to as big as 4 lbs, but most are between 2-3 pound. We planted six seeds last spring and ended up with 50 squash!
Our neighbours and friends have been helping us go through this bounty, but by March or April our spaghetti squash in the cold room start to fail. We are now working to freeze the 25 squash remaining. I have made biscuits, cake and soup from these and the rest have been baked, chilled, scraped, drained and frozen in one meal bags, or blended and frozen in muffin tins.
This is the fabulous soup I made for lunch yesterday.

1 small spaghetti squash, cut and split lengthwise, seeds removed
1 pound home made sausage meat
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms (I used chantrelles we fried and froze last fall)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes, with liquid
1 cup sun-dried (or oven dried) tomatoes, chopped
2 carrots, grated
2 quarts stock: poultry or veggie is good
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon Thai pepper flakes, or to taste
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Bake the squash halves face down in a glass pan with about 1/2 inch of water for 35 minutes at 375F. Cool and shred with a fork.
Cook the sausage meat until browned in your favourite soup pot. Add onions, mushrooms, garlic and cook until soft. Add the rest of the ingredients including the cooked squash and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
Serve with a biscuit! so delicious!