Salmon belly A.K.A. Toro!

[Smokeville]

Kummok says he calls this Salmon bacon!

These are actually Rainbow trout. Usually each fillet is about 14oz, but for some reason the fish market received cases of these things which were just shy of 2lb each!

Four fillets cut and getting ready to go .....



And the bellies. Or is that bellys....





They are almost ready to go into the smoker for the afternoon...

Rich

[Mr Walleye]

Some great lookin' rainbows Rich!

I live about 1.5 hours away from Diefenbaker Lake. Although we mainly fish walleye there, there is an abundance of big rainbows as well. Here's a link to a site about 2 brothers (twins) from Saskatoon SK. They have a number of World Record Catch's including the current World Record Rainbow at 48 lbs.

http://www.fishinggeeks.net/records

Mike

[Smokeville]

Hey Mike!

Those fish were almost scarey! I never knew they got so big.

These 2lb fillets I've got are really rare since here in Southern Ontario all rainbows sold are commercially farmed. I can't figure out why they weren't sold at a premium, like salmon is. I'm not complaining -- with the Bradley square footage is important so a nice thick piece of fish makes me happy.

Rich

[Smokeville]

Here's the result.... Could probably used another couple of hours but they were really good....

[Mr Walleye]

They look excellent Smokerville! 

Mike

[Smokeville]

Thanks, Mike.

Kummok mentioned in the salmon thread that for salmon belly, he brines them longer and smokes them longer. That's what I'll do next time. Sounds the same as doing Sablefish because of the high fat content.

Regards, Rich

[Kummok]

That kinda "white" on the bottom of the meat makes me salivate...I haven't seen trout with that kind of fat on them...looks like you scored Smokeville!!

[Smokeville]

That kinda "white" on the bottom of the meat makes me salivate...I haven't seen trout with that kind of fat on them...looks like you scored Smokeville!!

Yes, they were a big surprise.

I also turned two of the fillets into gravlax and with the thickness they are a real treat to slice.

Rich

[Smokeville]

Well, we just got back from the first Farmers' Market of the season -- only 25 more Saturdays to go!



It was a cold foggy day, with very few vendors set up, but the "Salmon Bacon" was a smash success! My wife prepared some scrambled eggs and added the salmon bacon, kept it warm in a slow cooker, then as people walked by she said "would you like to sample some scrambled eggs with salmon bacon?" and people did a double-take.

Then they bought some. My wife says it was like shooting fish in a barrel.....

So, thanks to Kummok for calling it that!

Rich