smoking bluegills,large mouth bass

[smokerjim]

goodmorning, I am wondering if anyone has smoked freshwater pan fish,I have never smoked any fish,I always see smoked salmon,trout etc.I know they say you should use a oily fish.just wondering if pan fish or largemouth bass would be alright to use since i have a pond full of them and i wouldn't have to buy any. thanks  jim

 

[redneck69]

filet them out and treat them like salmon or trout

 

[stank56]

I did using some season salt and smoked them with apple and hickory, very tasty.

 

[smokerjim]

thanks,I'll have to go put a couple holes in the ice and catch some on a nicer day and try them out! any suggestions on brining and smoking or are the recipes basically the same.

 

[shoneyboy]

I usually smoke freshwater fish (Bass, Sac-au-lait, Bream, Catfish) not that I don’t like saltwater fish, it’s just that I haven’t had the opportunity to try them yet….To start, everyone has their own taste, but what I like to do is use fish filets, I have been wanting to do whole skin on, scaled (not catfish),like you see trout done up north, but just haven’t had the chance yet to do that either. Keeping them cool in a bowl, I season them with Tony’s seasonings…. Again it personal taste on how much Tony’s you use, I like mine a little spicy and the wife doesn’t so we have to take it a little easy on hers. I will dust them garlic and onion powder, then mix them well so the mixture is all over them. I usually like to have the smoker hot before putting the fish in, around 200 degrees…..I like to smoked fish with pecan , again really haven’t ventured out…why change something that works… I have an expanded metal grill in my smoker that 2’ x 2’. So once it hot, I will spray it with some type of cooking spray to keep them from sticking, then just lay them on the grill….I probably over cook them a bit, but I like the edges of my fish crispy and the fish to be firm….during the cooking process, I like to drizzle a little melted butter over each filet to keep them moist….I probably do that 2 maybe 3 times depending on much I have in the bowl. I really don’t do much more than that….I don’t flip them or really move them around too much because I don’t want them to fall apart. It really doesn’t take long depending on the thickness of the fish maybe 30 minutes….I always have one that “falls on the ground” that I use to judge by and its usually the guideline to doneness for the rest of them …. The hardest part of smoking fish is to know how much to fix….The last time I smoked fish, I smoked 10lbs of catfish and I kid you not, my 17 and 14 year olds ate most of it….they love smoked fish…..Lately I have been in school and haven’t had the time to fish like I would like to, so I have been forced into buying Guidry’s catfish filets…the filet weigh really close to 1lb and I can judge what to fix by that…..with my crew it two per person and depending on the weekend and what’s going on, I have seen them get up the next morning and eat it cold for breakfast and say it better today !!!!! One piece of advice is smoked fish is not going to stretch as far as fried fish....I can fry 2 lbs and they are done with fish left over...I can smoke 10 lbs and they look at me like a hungry dog asking for more......Hope this helps ShoneyBoy……

 

[stank56]

A salt brine for a few hours is also good. It doesn't take long for the gills because they are so lean.

 

[smokerjim]

thanks again to all, think i will do a bunch when i do them"hopefully next week" maybe i'll do 1/2 seasoned and 1/2 with salt brine see what we like the best,shoneyboy what's tony's seasoning, is it a regional thing?

 

[stank56]

The smoked catfish with Tony C's sounds good, I'll have to try it.

 

[leah elisheva]

As a woman who smokes everything "ocean" from octopus to smelt, whiting, (as in today's post), or whole sardines too; (that's right, I eat bait and I love it, smiles), I am excited about your upcoming smoke!

Do keep us posted, as it sounds tremendous!!!!!!!!

Cheers!!!!!!! - Leah

 

[smokerjim]

thanks, hope it goes well, have to catch them first,i will let you know how it goes.

 

[Bearcarver]

 
thanks, hope it goes well, have to catch them first,i will let you know how it goes.

Now you gotta shovel the snow off the ice before you cut the hole.

I would smoke PA Bluegills and Bass, but I love them so much they never get past my frying pan.

If you want to smoke some, you can follow the same method I use on Salmon & Trout in my Signature below. Just click on "Smoked Salmon". Follow the Step by Step.

Bear

 

[smokerjim]

hopefully next week on my day off,just to cold this week,they are great with a little butter and garlic but i want to try them smoked,i'll try different methods see which one we like the best thanks again

 

[shoneyboy]

 
thanks again to all, think i will do a bunch when i do them"hopefully next week" maybe i'll do 1/2 seasoned and 1/2 with salt brine see what we like the best,shoneyboy what's tony's seasoning, is it a regional thing?

smokerjim, Here is a picture of what I use......

Tony Chachere's.png

• shoneyboy
• Jan 21, 2014

.... It is a spicy creole seasoning   that we use on pretty much anything that doesn’t shake it off when we are cooking it……LOL.........I’m sorry I used the slang word for it here in Louisiana…… most everyone in Louisiana just calls it ” Tony’s”. I keep forgetting the vastness of this site....... It’s used in place of salt and pepper here. If you can’t find any locally PM me……….ShoneyBoy

 

[smokerjim]

ok thanks i'll let you know

 

[rlk438]

I am on low salt diet. I use mrs dash original seasoning. I use a aluminum grill pan with small holes in it. Had temp up about 280 and cooked till flaky. Had people that didn't eat fish try it and they loved it. Had it in a sampler tray. Bottom right.

image.jpg

• rlk438
• Jan 24, 2014

 

[smokerjim]

ok thanks,looks good.so many ideas on this site.shoneyboy i did find the tony c's seasoning"took 5 stores but did find it" i am going to try it,weather is not looking good for this week,below zero tonight,wed,thurs possibly.hopefully weather will break soon i'm looking forward to some smoked bluegill,and bass.will let you know how i like tony c's.

 

[shoneyboy]

 
ok thanks,looks good.so many ideas on this site.shoneyboy i did find the tony c's seasoning"took 5 stores but did find it" i am going to try it,weather is not looking good for this week,below zero tonight,wed,thurs possibly.hopefully weather will break soon i'm looking forward to some smoked bluegill,and bass.will let you know how i like tony c's.

 

[smokerjim]

think i'll have to get some chicken and try it in the oven for now. thanks again

 

[flash]

Not much chance for Freshwater fish anymore although the Suwannee River is not that far away. The Gulf of Mexico is closer some mainly Spanish Macks and Bluefish are the fish I smoke, sometimes Mullet and Jack Cravelles. I wouldn't mind trying a Freshwater Cat or Bluegills sometime though.

P1010048A.JPG

• flash
• Aug 23, 2013

 

[WaterinHoleBrew]

Dang, reading this post now y'all are makin me want to :grilling_smilie: some fish. Thumbs Up. WHB