Smoke me a...

[LM600]

...kipper!

So, my Dad likes kippers (can't stand them myself) and I'd like to make him some...now, I know how to fillet fish but I have no idea how to smoke them...has anyone made these before? Good, bad or indifferent?

If and when I get these nailed and being a Norfolk Boy I *may* have a go at bloaters....

[LM600]

Hi Al,

Yeah, I'll be cold smoking the herring...just not sure if they'll need salting and/or curing first or if they can just be gutted, split and smoked.

Cheers

[All Weather Griller]

Great link Al, I just wish I liked kippers now.

[garymac]

Ah, the humble kipper. Legend has it invented in Seahouses in Northumberland after an accidental fire.

I know that the one in Seahouses, Swallow Fish, http://www.swallowfish.co.uk/ use oak to smoke with. I dropped off a couple of bags of surplus white american oak shavings and swapped them for the product they are renouned for.

There is another smokehouse in Craster, just south of Seahouses, who again have a long history of smoking fish. On their website they briefly describe the process. http://www.kipper.co.uk/about2.html

All this talk of kippers..... I know where I will be off to this weekend. Canny little pub next to the Craster smokehouse too

And at a first glance I thought this topic was going to be about Arnold Rimmer's alter ego, Ace.

[Steve]

Watch out, I'm told Mr Flibble keeps an eye on these forums and he might get very cross

[garymac]

flibble3.jpg (23.09 KiB) Viewed 8839 times

[LM600]

Ahhh, Red Dwarf...my inner nerd is now starting to break out!....I heard that a new episode or mini series is in development...not sure about this!


Cheers Al,

That is quite a bit of info. I'll read through properly (just got as few secs at the min. (if that makes sense!!!))

[ped]

Try this:

Add 2LB 4.5 oz salt to 1Gallon of cold water, stir until completely disolved (water will be clear).
Split herrings down the back so that they lay flat, discard gut, rinse.
Some people recommend a much longer soak in brine but this is how I do it, Place herrings in brine solution for 4 to 7 minutes depending on size off herring (if plump, fat and full of roe you could go to 10 mins) , at the moment they are quite thin as they have only recently bred and lack fat,so ere to the former but it also depends on how much you like the flavour of salt as well.
Remove from brine and hang to drip dry, the easiest way I found to hang them is to poke a stick or something through the eye holes (not for the squeamish ) so that the fish hangs splayed open, leave for at least an hour, then smoke at below 80-85f to make sure that you don't cook them, smoke for 6 to 18 hours depending on how much you like the smokey taste, I usualy smoke for about 12 hrs.
Once you have finished smoking, place in fridge for 24 hrs and then either grill or bake or Jug them by putting boiling water in a jug droping them in and poaching them for 5 minutes.
Butter some proper bakery bread ( not the sliced cr.p from the supermarket ) and enjoy

[LM600]

Nice One Ped, thanks Mate