Steelhead candy

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idahopz

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
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Nov 9, 2015
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Rural Northern Idaho
Steelhead looked good at Costco so it was time to make some candy.  I like salmon (and steelhead) in a variety of ways, but this method preserves the fish the longest, and has a sweet smoky flavor that lingers on the palate.  Alder was the wood of choice.  Had halibut tacos to pass the time away (last pic)






Had to have some halibut tacos while waiting for the fish to be done
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Absolutely!   This is actually a recipe I use for crispy skin tacos, but adapted it for the halibut

For anyone that likes fish tacos, salmon or steelhead are both good fish of choice although this time I used halibut because I had some that needed to be cooked.

  • 1 lb salmon filet with skin on and scaled - preferably wild
  • 1/2 cup sliced cabbage
  • 1 tomato - diced
  • 1 avocado, diced, or 1/3 cup guacamole
  • 6-8 small corn tortillas
Sauce
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 tbs mayonnaise
  • 1 tbs capers
  • 1 tsp juice out of the caper jar
  • pinch of dill
  • salt and pepper to taste

  • Prepare the sauce first: combine all ingredients into a suitable container and place aside
  • Slice the fish into 1-inch wide strips
  • Heat a thin layer of oil in a skillet - when hot, add the fish skin side down.  The fish skin might stick to the pan - do not disturb it - when the skin releases from the pan, it should be crispy, and is ready.  Turn salmon once and continuing cooking until done to your liking
Building the tacos
  • Spread avocado onto corn tortillas
  • Top generously with the sauce
  • Add tomatoes and cabbage
  • Place one piece of fish on top, and enjoy while the skin is hot and crispy
     

 
 
RECIPE FOR CANDY?
I'm sure there are better recipes on the site as I'm still rather inexperienced using a smoker (spend lots of time, but not very good at it).  I mostly like it simple so fish was cut the long way to separate the thin belly from the thick flank. I like skin on because it holds the thin strips together better.  The belly strips sliced into squares and the flanks were cut into inch wide strips. Separating the thin belly allows you to take it out of the smoker first so it does not become overdone.

The marinade is equally simple - half Yoshidas and Half soy with about 1/4 cup red pepper flakes per bag

I just put whatever fish I can get into the zip-lok bag and pour in the Yoshidas until half full, then soy to fill - then add the red pepper flakes, seal and into the fridge for about a day, turning whenever I open the fridge for anything.

Into the smoker at 100F for about an hour, then to 140F for about 2 hours, and 1 hour at 175F or until it looks done.  Periodically rotating the racks may be needed depending on your smoker (my Bradley needs both rotation front to back and top to bottom). I separate the thin from thick strips on different racks so the thin strips are easier to remove. This timing method was developed by a chap named Kummok.
 
Last edited:
Looks great,,,Costco?? I thought you would be down on the Clearwater or Snake right now,,,Steelhead derby going on this weekend,,Big money for big fish

DS
 
 
Thank you, gents
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Yes, Costco has the best fish in my area.  Being inland makes it a bit more difficult to get really fresh fish.  lol, it would be nice to be on the Snake or even Salmon (Grandma has a place in Salmon), but work seems to get in the way
 
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