smoking crappie or bass fillets

dannylang · Dec 29, 2014

HELLO EVERYBODY, Has anyone ever tried to smoke any crappie or bass fillets? or would it be better to leave the fish whole. I am a avid crappie angler and am getting tired of the fried and baked fish, please help me find another way to cook the tastee criters

biteme7951 · Dec 29, 2014

Neither one has any fat in the meat so they tend to be a drier smoked fish, but still plenty tasty as is or in a cream cheese spread. watch your brine time as they are thinner fillets and can get too salty with extended brine time.

Barry.

daveomak · Dec 29, 2014

White fish has a delicate flavor.... I recommend a very light smoke to start with, to check the flavor profile...
Filet, leave the skin on.... brine with spices... about 2% salt... form a pellicle... warm smoke like kippering to retain moisture, as white fish "usually" has little intramuscular fat....
Personal preference will dictate smoking temps and time.... Overcooking will dry the fish pretty fast....

There's my 2 cents... Dave

dannylang · Dec 29, 2014

can you tell what temp to smoke at and what temp the fish needs to be when it done.

biteme7951 · Dec 29, 2014

I smoke at 180. 145 internal to be at a safe finished temp. Hard to get a probe in a thin fillet, but generally if it will flake when bent it is done. I go a little past that to get a drier snack. they will get a little leathery similar to jerky.

doubles shooter · Dec 29, 2014

I just did some bass and pike a few weeks ago. I followed Bearcarver's step by step for smoked salmon.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/91264/final-smoked-salmon-with-recipe-instructions-and-qview

Fabulous results. 3 hour brine was perfect.

kc5tpy · Dec 29, 2014

Oh well. Guess I'll throw in my 2 cents. Was raised on a the banks of a big lake in Tx.. Crappie, Bass and Catfish was always on the menu. As others have said white fish has a very delicate taste. One poster even said leave the skin on. Why? Because the taste of those fish is that delicate you would need the skin to add flavour. In my humble opinion I would not smoke those fish. Just my opinion.

I'll bet you roll your crappie in seasoned flour and fry in oil or even butter? If you know this already I apologise. Fillet your FRESH fish and remove the skin. Place in ice water in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Shake off excess water and roll in seasoned ( salt and pepper ) cornmeal. Deep fry till light golden brown. Light fish taste and the crunch of the cornmeal. If you smoke those fish you will end up with smoked something. It could be smoked cardboard. In my opinion delicate fish like that will be lost in the smoke. Keep Smokin!

Danny

mr t 59874 · Dec 29, 2014

KC5TPY said:
Oh well. Guess I'll throw in my 2 cents. Was raised on a the banks of a big lake in Tx.. Crappie, Bass and Catfish was always on the menu. As others have said white fish has a very delicate taste. One poster even said leave the skin on. Why? Because the taste of those fish is that delicate you would need the skin to add flavour. In my humble opinion I would not smoke those fish. Just my opinion.

I'll bet you roll your crappie in seasoned flour and fry in oil or even butter? If you know this already I apologise. Fillet your FRESH fish and remove the skin. Place in ice water in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Shake off excess water and roll in seasoned ( salt and pepper ) cornmeal. Deep fry till light golden brown. Light fish taste and the crunch of the cornmeal. If you smoke those fish you will end up with smoked something. It could be smoked cardboard. In my opinion delicate fish like that will be lost in the smoke. Keep Smokin!

Danny

Ditto Danny, some things just don't need smoke. Bite my tongue, did I say that? If you do though, use Dave O's advice. Just a hint of smoke would suffice. Start by using a heavier smoke for a short duration, adjust from there.

Tom

Tom

shaggy91954 · Dec 29, 2014

I wouldn't waste my chips, pellets, chunks, etc... on ruining those delicious fillets. Batter - Fry - Enjoy. If it ain't broke don't fix it. Just my 2 cents.

crazymoon · Dec 30, 2014

Here's a brine recipe for crappie(from the totem smoker co)

1qt water

1/2 cup non-iodized salt

1/2 cup white sugar

3 ozs rum

1 oz lemon juice

3 cloves garlic

3 TBSPN pickling spice

1/4 tsp lemon pepper

3 bay leaves

Fillet the crappie(skin removed) and remove rib bones,brine about 4 hours for fillets that size. Put toothpicks in the tail section and hang on your rack by the toothpick,let air dry one hour for pellicle. Smoke at low temp for an hour or so( I use alder) and then continue cooking w/o smoke until done . I have used this recipe many times and it is awesome !

roller · Dec 30, 2014

I tried both and did not like either one..Saltwater smoked fish for me...

roller · Dec 30, 2014

Rainbow trout is good..

andrius · Oct 2, 2023

I will disagree with most comments here. I have fished a northern WI big private lake yearly for 30+ years. Our friends who owned a resort there for 60 years smoke panfish, crappies especially. Smoked they are absolutely amazing. Clean them but don't fillet them as they'll be too thin and dry out. Smoke few hours at LOW Temps and raise temp for last 30 min or so. Brine basic salt, brown sugar, garlic cloves, lime or whatever seasonings float your boat. Found alder and apple wood to be best. Sure crappies are amazing fried but if you got 100 of them they'll be way better smoked than frozen and cooked later. I lived out west in Sierras for decade+ with a river in my back yard with wild trout fishery. Trout is more oily fatty fish that's absolutely amazing smoked but crappie done right is very good too. Plus it's nice to do one batch and have great food for couple weeks. Nice to share too.

crazzycajun · Oct 3, 2023

Tried smoked catfish from a restaurant outside of kc didn’t care for it that much. Maybe being a creature of habit had something to do with my opinion

smoking crappie or bass fillets

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