Smoked Smelt.....the Other White Meat

       Smelt are a family of small fish present in the North Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and also available in the rivers feeding these and the Great Lakes.  They are among a select few species of fish sportsmen are allowed to dip net, using handheld dip nets.  This occurs during their late winter/spring spawning run.  They are delicious batter fried and eaten with head.  

      I grew up dip netting these in Western Washington, most notably in the Cowlitz River near Castle Rock.  They were plentiful then.  In fact, we spent more time driving the 120 miles from home and back than we ever did fishing to get our limits, and there were 5 of us. Dad and I did most of the dipping.  Mom and my sisters carried the buckets.  Back then it was a single 5-gallon bucket per person, but times have certainly changed.  They are still available to dip net and enjoy; an almost cult like following, but the limit in Michigan now is just 2 gallons per person.  It's still a lot of fish.  When they're running in the spring the action is HOT.  

      Some of my best memories are me as a young teenager trying like hell to bring in that heavy net full of fish without Dad's help.  He did always let me try.  Some of my worst memories are me and my sisters working for hours cleaning the hundreds (thousands) of these little bastards when we got home.  

      These are a small fish and as such the menu for their prep is limited.  We always floured or batter dipped and fried ours, but Dad used to also put a load or two through the smoker each spring and they were delicious.  

      I picked up 2 pounds from a local fish market on a recent camping trip the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and decided to fire up the wood pit and try my hand.  My Oklahoma Joes wood pit has both a horizontal as well as vertical chamber.  The smelt would go into the vertical chamber as the temps there run 100-150F cooler.  Additionally, the preferred wood for this is alder, but maple works well too.  I chose maple lump charcoal as this will keep the temps stable and not flare.   

      

       My smelt came frozen, and I still had to clean them once thawed.  FYI it is much easier to clean smelt when fresh.  Once the smelt are cleaned and ready, they will need to be brined.  This brine is for 1 pound of smelt, adjust accordingly.  It should cover the fish.  

2 cups apple juice

2 cups water 

2 Tbsp. coarse kosher salt

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp. Old Bay Seasoning

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. fresh ground black pepper

1 Tbsp. paprika 

      Mix together the apple juice, water, salt, sugar, and spices till dissolved.  Place the smelt in a deep dish and pour over the brine.  Wrap with cellophane and place in fridge for 4-6 hours.  Remove fish from brine and rinse thoroughly, even soak in water for an hour.  Lay on flat sheet and air out 30-45 minutes, waiting for pellicle to form.  The 'pellicle' is a thin, sheer film that will form.  This helps later when in the wood pit.  Placing under a fan will help.  

 

Ready to go in the brine

Brined, dried, forming a pellicle under a fan

3 racks 150F in the smoker for 3-4 hours or until fish reaches 145F internal

      Preheat wood pit to 150F in the vertical chamber.  Layer smelt single sided on racks and close up smoker.  Cook for 2-3 hours or until fish reaches 145F or by appearance but keep an eye on them.  They are small fish and can cook quickly.  Spray with PAM if needed.  Overcooked fish can turn into jerky.  This was a small load of small fish, and they only took a bit over 2 hours to reach temp.  The lump charcoal kept consistent temps throughout.   

      Smelt have a taste like no other fish but can be somewhat compared to smoked sardines.  Excellent served with cheese, crackers, pickles, salami, etc.  Sprinkle a bit more Old Bay over before serving.  Still crunchy goodness heads, tails and all.  I really enjoyed this batch and I know somewhere in heaven Dad is smiling (and a bit jealous) too.  

Bon appetite 

"The two best times to fish is when it's raining and when it ain't"

Patrick F. McManus 

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7 Meals You Never Thought To Enjoy When Camping

 

      Time for our mid-summer camping break from summer projects.  We love the Hessel Cedarville area near the Les Cheneaux Islands.  When planning any camping trip, even in an RV, part of the process is meal planning.  There are thousands of ideas that most campers cling to, especially when planning for kids.  It's just the two of us and Barb loves that I do it.  I love to cook and so it is a fun process; I do it weeks in advance.  One of the biggest and easiest is the OTR meals.  Meals made at home with plenty of leftovers that I label and freeze.  This allows us meals that might normally takes more prep than desired in the RV.  Then I just plug other ideas into the empty menu spots.  I try to keep with our favorites that won't take much prep.  Sandwiches and easy casseroles top the list.  

Hessel Casino Campground

      The menu for this trip has been planned in advance and as such I am sharing several of our choices for Breakfast and Dinner.  Several are OTRs, which are leftovers from home sealed and frozen for On the Road use.  All of these provide a variety of cuisines that don't require much prep and are delicious in the great outdoors.  Yes, we use a lot of venison, but we have it on hand so why not?  Not really fancy, just well planned.  Here you go:  4 dinners 3 breakfasts.  

Venison Patty Melt

This one is a favorite for me at least.  Double stacked venison burger with melted cheese and plenty of fried onions and grilled.  You can make this single stacked, my wife requests hers that way.  

Grilled Bologna & Cheese

This simple yet delicious recipe encompasses all of the flavors and culture of the south.  Thick cut bologna is best but layered with melty sliced cheddar and grilled is delicious. 

Chilaquiles Verde

This delicious breakfast casserole could also make a dinner.  A bed of tortilla chips covered with browned sausage, green sauce, Mexican blend shredded cheese, and your choice of chopped or sliced avocados, jalapenos, etc.  Add an over easy egg and top with sour cream or SW Crema Sauce.  Garnish with cilantro.  

Venison Breakfast Casserole

This is delicious as a, but doesn't have to limited to, breakfast.  This one will easily last 2 days.  Top and bottom are Pillsbury Croissant Dough with a layered filling of spinach, venison burger, pork sausage, mozzarella cheese and an egg/milk mixture.  Be sure not to overcook as the bottom dough layer can darken easily.  You can even skip the bottom dough layer, just PAM spray the bottom liberally.

Boudin Cheese Omelot

Delicious and easy to make.  Consists of egg, cheddar or jack cheese and skinned, browned boudin sausage.  Boudin is a Cajun rice and pork sausage stuffed casing.  The sides of biscuits and gravy are nice as the gravy can be on the side, on the biscuit, on the eggs, or all over.  

Venison Manicotti

Large pasta tubes stuffed with venison burger, herbs n spices and plenty of rich Ricotta Cheese

Tuscan Venison Pork Meatballs with Tortellini

This recipe uses the best of ground venison and pork sausage to make meatballs accompanied by pasta.  These little bites Tortellini often filled with a variety of meats or cheeses are similar to ravioli.  Their unique shape and sturdy structure make them a great fit for soups but can be used to further accent a filling meal.  In fact, one meatball and some pasta might be enough.  It is filling, but delicious.  

      There are many others of course such as Impossible Cheeseburger Pie, Shepard's Pie, Charcuterie, Chili, Fish Tacos, Queso Fundido, and Super Nachos to name a few.  This menu is typical of our road trips, even the mini ones.  Barb was able to enjoy a bit of casino time and we all got a bit of walking on the beach time in as well.  My job was the easy part.  A labor of love.  Heading back to the farm now.  Trips to Wisconsin and the UP-State Fair are still on the horizon.  Still so much more summer to enjoy.  

"When you're down on your luck and lost all your dreams there's nothing like a campfire and can of beans"

Tom Waits

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The Narly Whale, Cedarville, MI

 

      Cedarville, MI is located about 31 miles east of the Mackinac Bridge in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  We camp all over the UP, but at least once a year at Hessel, just west of Cedarville.  It is our nearest town for supplies, gas, and Barb loves the small casino.  Last year we bought several pounds of perch and walleye to vacuum seal and freeze for our winter sojourns.  She LOVES the perch and so do I, but how can anyone love perch more than walleye?   

      

      Although we planned to do the same this year, especially in light of my not drawing a bear tag we wanted to top off the freezer with fresh Lake Huron fish fillets.  The store is The Narley Whale, an unassuming little shop on the main street in Cedarville, most identifiable by its bright blue exterior.  This is primarily a fish market, but while exploring their website about ordering in advance I discovered they also offer take out fried fish and pasty orders for dinner.  Pastys are only available fresh on Wednesday, but available frozen all the time.  

      We always try and keep one night a week on our trips for dining out to explore the local cuisine.  narleywhale.com     Again, because this is a fish market, there is no seating.  

Fish dinners of walleye or perch

Family fish dinners

Pastys

The quintessential UP argument

      They also have a good collection of souvenirs, craft beers, and wine.  We did pick up 7 pounds of fresh lake perch to vacuum seal and freeze for this winter as well as a couple pounds of smelt to smoke later this summer.  

   

7 pounds of fresh lake perch

Smelt for smoking later

      On our 'dine out' night I picked up an order of perch dinner with redskin tater salad, coleslaw, hushpuppies, and tartar sauce to go while Barb had he whitefish with sides.  We found the fish to be tasty fresh but needed some seasoning.  The Red Skin Tater Salad was delicious as was the Creamy Coleslaw. Some of the best we've ever had.  The Tartar Sauce cured all of my seasoning concerns.  Cost for these was $32.  I picked up our fresh fish order on Thursday in order to get it vacuum sealed and frozen.  Another good trip to the UP in the books, next trip we'll be sure to not only pick up more fish here but dine on some tasty meals as well.  We rate this place:

 

"I used to like fishing because I thought it had some larger significance.  Now I like fishing cause it's the one thing I can think of that probably doesn't"

John Gierach

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