Hi ! :D We got some mackerel two weeks ago and I decided to try coldsmoking them. I had them in a bucket with coarse salt for two weeks. I could have had some sugar in to. They make their own brine - salt draws out liquid from the fish. Then from early evening yesterday to late morning in fresh water to draw out salt.
Drying:
(http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss3/trond_c/IMG_0584.jpg)
Ready for smoke:
(http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss3/trond_c/IMG_0603.jpg)
Just checking :) :
(http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss3/trond_c/IMG_0608.jpg)
Finished after 12 hours smoke, alder and hickory!
(http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss3/trond_c/IMG_0634.jpg)
(http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss3/trond_c/IMG_0636.jpg)
They tasted nice - my first time coldsmoking fish. The two weeks in salt I don't think is necessary, some receipts says so, other one/two days, both is probably OK, maybe some difference in the end? Next time I'll catch more mackerel, to even out the amount of smoke and fish :)
Fish is OK, mackerel is nice, meat isn't bad either - I just had to show the nice peace of meat I smoked some weeks ago, tasted very nice and looks good in pictures :D
(http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss3/trond_c/IMG_5318.jpg)
And, this boat passing here earlier this summer was very nice :)
(http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss3/trond_c/IMG_5339.jpg)
The fish looks good.
You may have solved a problem I have. A friend of mine was talking about white fish lox she use to eat as a child, but she didn't know what white fish was used. I may try the mackerel.
Yes, the fish was good, now wife and daughter has tasted too, and agree. We had a visit of this little one here under, maybe he smelled nice food - but he did not like the smoked mackerel when we gave him some :) it's called a marten, european type, in English, according to google :)
(http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss3/trond_c/IMG_0651.jpg)
The Mackeral looks like it turned out good. My favorite way to eat Mackeral is raw...as in sushi ;D
Spanish Mackerel is pretty good but my favorite is Japanese Mackerel. I never had cold smoked Mackerel but would be more than willing to give it a shot after seeing your pics. ;)
That is some nice looking fish. Maybe you could cold smoke some lutefisk before cooking it at Christmas. ;D ;D
Quoteit's called a marten, european type, in English,
We've got lots of those little guys here in Switzerland - called Marder's in German.
The meat looks great! Why the skin didn't get that nice golden color?
I hot smoke my mackerel and I get the golden color. Looking to do cols smoking too.