GraphiteZen

So I might have to take a few fish this summer as much as I hate killing the poor things. I went out for some crappie in a little pond I know, landed a tiny one that I let go and had a big one take my fly but of course he got off. Landed a ton of bluegill but they were mostly small. I kept three larger ones but stopped bonking them when I realized every fish I brought up had these black dots inside their skin... It was hard enough to bash them in the head with a club (I had to apologize to every one of them just to make myself feel better I'm such a softie about wildlife) but when I realized I had to throw them in the trash I felt like a jerk. What happened to the days when I could plug 50 sagerats in an afternoon and cackle all the way to my buddies house to go shoot some birds ... After I got home I pulled the fish out and the parasites had crept out of their skin and were sitting on the fins. Big fat white worms... Freaky.

Anyhow, I'm looking forward to some smoked crappie and bass. REALLY looking forward to it. I'm also going to try to come up with a good way to smoke carp and pikeminnow. Some people on the internet either hate the two or feel they are over looked as edible fish. Apparently if you cut the "mud vein" (whatever that is) out of a carp and bleed it out just after landing it they aren't half bad. Couldn't find much on smoking pikeminnow . but here is my plan:
I'm going to take some pikeminnow and a carp, smoke them and see what they taste like then try to come up with a brine or a rub after that.
I was told there are two ways you can smoke fish. You can either smoke them over chips and charcoal which takes about 6 hours or whatever, or you can soak the chips in water, throw them on the hot coals and that steams/smokes them and the fish is done in 20 mins or so, much like cooking.
The first thing I am going to try with pikeminnow is bleed it and soak it in a brine. Then rub in some seasoning with a little cayenne pepper and dried garlic, soak my chips in red wine or Guinness beer and then steam/smoke it.
As for carp, I'm thinking a teriyaki brine and slow smoked over cedar chips with some coffee grounds on the top.

A good recipe for trout I came up with is juice 10 oranges, mash a bunch of peanuts into a fine powder and dice up a whole head of parsley. Throw the three into a sauce pan pulp and all and bring it to a slow boil and keep it there until it starts to reduce and thicken. Put in the whole trout minus the head and fill the cavity with the sauce. Cook it slow until its done and the sauce should be about as thick as a bbq sauce. As far as proportions go, go heavy on the peanuts and really heavy on the parsley. The parsley is to add a little bitterness and it has a hard time getting past citrus, the peanuts are to add a little richness and to get the most out of them make sure they are crushed very small and are cooked long enough to bring the oils out.
Man I'm so hungry now.
Anyone have any brine secrets? I have never smoked anything before but I am really looking forward to this. They say to use salt but is there a certain kind? Lets eat!

__________________
When I die, screw some hooks into my spine and head for the deep water.

specreck

Zen, I haven't even herd of "Brine" untill I moved here to ORegon....so no, I can't help you out there. But I can help you catch some bass and crappie some time what are you doing thursday

trollin4trout

I've always used rock salt, but have heard of other kinds being used too.

My understanding is that using salt "cures" the fish in a manner which allows it to be stored for long periods of time in the fridge. Without salt- it's still great tasting and all- it just has to be consumed rather quickly because it will spoil faster.

BTW- the Ifish recipes section has a BUNCH of brine mixes if you're interested.

GraphiteZen

I ran into a guy that pulled in to chat as I was getting ready to drag my boat into the Honey Hole. He told me to try 2 cups of brown sugar, a cup of white sugar and a half a cup of salt but with no water. He says he gets a glass pan (not metal cause it screws up the reaction) and puts some of the mix in the bottom, sets the fish in, puts some on top, sets another fish in and etc. Then covers it and put it in the fridge for 24 hours. He said when you pull it out the mixture will be liquid because it will have pulled all the oils out of the fish. Then rinse and smoke it. I thought that was a great idea for carp and pikeminnow because everyone claims they are too oily.

I tried to get some fish today, caught one smaller crappie and some bluegill. I tried to get a carp but I don't have the patience to stare at a damn bobber for hours on end. I'm trying to bring myself to take a couple nice bass home but I just can't do it.
Maybe tomorrow I'll fill up my truck and then sit my boat staring at the receipt until I get mad enough to not care.

__________________
When I die, screw some hooks into my spine and head for the deep water.

JTLunker

Zen you are a brave soul to venture into eating carp and pike minnow. You should add shad to that menu.

__________________
JT

Live to fish!

http://jtbaitandtackle.oregonfishingforum.com

GraphiteZen

You just wait until I get the seasonings down. I will be credited with eradicating pike minnow from the Columbia and Willamette rivers once my brine is released.

As for Thursday specreck looks like I'm going to bed early and fishing in the morning (as opposed to my usual afternoon ) This is Tuesday right? Shoot me a PM.

__________________
When I die, screw some hooks into my spine and head for the deep water.

willfishforfood

Try this. 3 parts Kosher salt, 3 parts sugar (dark brown sugar for the most flavor,) 1 part chili powder and 1 part mix of whatever you want, I like onion, garlic, mustard, dried herbs and cayenne mixed to equal 1 part.

The beauty of this ratio is that it is variable depending on taste. To use it like a brine, rub it on the night before. It can also be used like a seasoning right before cooking, but be careful over direct heat because the sugar will burn if too hot. When smoking for long periods at around 200 degrees (thats how I do my pork shoulder) it develops a nice crust/glaze. Good luck!

__________________
Catching fish or just fishing?

cavdad45

Will you pay $4-$8 for each one I get for you?

Seriously, a smoker is great fun. Especially for the holidays when I smoke a turkey to serve cold right next to my wife's traditional turkey. Experiment with making summer sausages, too!

GraphiteZen

Well..... Today I went out with the intention of keeping some pikeminnow for smoking, landed a small one, bonked it and threw it in the box. After that, all I could smell was pikeminnow... The only way I can describe it is the most offensive and ill-thought out incense one should never be forced to smell continuously for hours on end... It got to the point where the wind would blow just right, I would suffer a total break in my concentration and think "What the hell is up with this pikeminnow!?!" sniff my hands and actually start to gag a little. I have pretty much given up on smoking pikeminnow.
I still plan on carp, but pikeminnow I'm leaving alone.

__________________
When I die, screw some hooks into my spine and head for the deep water.

Combat Chuck

hahaha... If I ever catch one Ill be sure to throw it at whoever im with!