Smoked Amberjack for Fish Dip

[Florida Chris]

A friend gave me some AJ to smoke for dip. Probably around 10 lbs. I've smoked AJ/Kings a few times and I've had good results but I'm wondering if anyone out there has something new and interesting for me to try. Something with a jolt of heat would be nice! And by "jolt" I mean borderline rethinking life choices! Here's the brine I used that last couple batches and I was happy with it.

6 cups water
1/2 cup salt
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp. pepper
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 cloves garlic crushed

This obviously isn't the quantity for 10 lbs. and I'll adjust to make enough to cover all the fish.


I thought about adding some citrus zest but I'm not sure about juice. He wants firm smoked for dip, not ceviche.

Can heat be introduced in the brine, should it be added to the rub before smoking, or should the heat be "fashionably late" and come in only when mixing the dip?

The last time I made dip I used 3 Habaneros and 4 Serranos after the smoke when mixing the dip. This was a 1 quart batch and the heat level was..... meh....

I guess the cream cheese, sour cream, and mayo dialed down the heat more than I expected.

He's giving me 1/2 the fish in return for smoking it for him. I'm not a huge fan of AJ so the experiments will be using my half. If there's a recipe that turns out great I'll pass that batch along to him.

Let's see what you got, guys!!!

 

[jcam222]

I can't offer advice but man I love a good smoked fish dip

 

[luvcatchingbass]

I think you are almost best off to figure out your heat at the time of making the dip. Especially if you like to light your hair on fire, mostly because like you stated after the creamy components the spice level will get tamped down.

 

[WaterRat]

I don’t t have direct experience here but I doubt you can get enough heat into the fish itself to fully make the dip hot. My thought is post-brine, but pre-smoke a good dusting of sarrano/habanero powder, or whatever you choose, would go a long way in carrying the flavor through though you’ll still likely need to supplement the dip itself. Let us know what you decide and how it turns out, good luck!

 

[luvcatchingbass]

I don’t t have direct experience here but I doubt you can get enough heat into the fish itself to fully make the dip hot. My thought is post-brine, but pre-smoke a good dusting of sarrano/habanero powder, or whatever you choose, would go a long way in carrying the flavor through though you’ll still likely need to supplement the dip itself. Let us know what you decide and how it turns out, good luck!

I got some Frag Out Flavor Fitty that is a Mango Habanero. Haven't used it much because it has been almost too hot for me but also because it made things way to hot for everyone else. So like you are suggesting this would be a good way to add heat post brine plus could add as needed to dip I suppose.

 

[Gonna Smoke]

I'm not a huge fan of AJ

Me neither, I can't get past the worms. But I love smoked fish dip. Maybe not the heat level you're looking for, but I add ground arbol chiles to the dip. Gives it some color and is almost too much for my wife, so I don't go any hotter...