Steelhead Versus Atlantic

[Smokeville]

Hi folks;

I'm allergic to salmon, which I think everyone is tired of me mentioning..... but I'm looking for different fish to smoke. We do Atlantic Salmon, and last week we did White Kings, which I doubt I will ever see again.

How about Steelhead Salmon? Is this a step up or step down from other salmons?? Is there a slight difference in the taste or texture? Is it more like trout? With my allergy, I can't just buy and try, although my wife could and would.

Thanks, Rich

[ArnieM]

I can't offer much advice.  Steelhead is a little like trout but there's nothing wrong with that.  I try to go with king salmon wild-caught in the Pacific northwest.  Any Atlantic salmon around here is farm raised with artificial coloring to make it look like salmon.

My butcher did some tuna but it came out pretty dry - he always gives me samples.  If you're not thinking bagels you might also try swordfish.  Any white fish will likely just fall apart.

[Caneyscud]

Ok, just saw this post.

A steelhead is not a salmon.  It is a salmonoid, but it is a trout.  The same kind of trout you have anywhere else - rainbow, brown, brookie, etc...  The one thing different is that, like a salmon, it will spend some time in the ocean and then make it's way back to the rivers.  There are stocked ones such as in the Great Lakes that spend part of their life in the Big Lakes instead of an ocean and then make a run up the rivers and tributaries.  A steelhead is a sea-run rainbow - an anadromous variety of the rainbow trout, if you will.  It is usually bigger than a common rainbow, more fit and stronger, and is more silvery - often not having the pink coloratat
ion of the normal rainbow.  If it was a brown, it is usually called a sea-run brown.  Same as a brookie - a sea-run brookie. 

Smokeville, I can't remember where you are from, but Smoked Halibut is awesome.  $$$$ but awesome.  You might try smoked catfish.  My family loves it.  When I cook for groups, if I do smoked catfish, I will usually put it in some cream cheese and make a smoked catfish spread.  Mighty tasty.  For a presentation and maybe a cool appetizer, there is a recipe for a corn husk wrapped smoked catfish dish.  Turns out very moist and tasty in it's own little overcoat.  Will also make a smoked tuna burger that contains among other things wasabi and cilantro.  Many people really like it.  Trying to develop a smoked shrimp burger, but so far the results have been less than desirable, not because of taste, but other conditions. 

There's probably, no limit on which fish can be smoked.  I've had lots of types - LM Bass, SM Bass, perch, sauger, eels, sturgeon, sable, whitefish, mullet, specks, croaker, snapper, grouper, mackerel, king mackerel, swordfish, marlin, tuna, monkfish, smelt, tilapia, amberjack, cobia, barramundi, are some I can remember.  Don't think I've had smoke cod, flounder, haddock, or pollock.