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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