At certain times of year Whiting can be an absolute menace. They are, like many fish, a shoal fish and sometimes those shoals can be huge. On many occasion I have been fishing big worm baits on pennel rigs and had a fish on each hook. Whiting can grow to over seven pounds, with the British boat caught record 7lb 6oz and the shore record of 4lb 8oz.

Shore caught fish are often quite small and range from a couple of ounces to around the pound mark. The size limit that you can legally take home is currently 27cm and is an ideal size for making a delicious tender fish sandwich.

fish sandwich

On a recent autumn trip to the Essex coast, I managed to catch half a dozen fish over this size and knew exactly how I was going to cook them.  If you’ve been to the States then you’ll know that a lot of restaurants have a fish sandwich on the menu.  Usually Grouper, Snapper or Mahi Mahi.  At this moment in time we haven’t been allowed to travel to the USA for nearly eighteen months due to Covid restrictions and was longing for a fish sandwich.

Coming to the terms that I wasn’t going to see that side of the pond for at least another six months I decided to take matters into my own hands. Could I produce something that replicates it? 

Firstly you need the correct bread. Brioche Burger Buns.  Brioche is a sweeter, tastier bread and has added ingredients like eggs and butter.  It is a delicate bread but still holds together well. I’ve used burger buns but they seem to disintegrate as you are eating them.

Most supermarkets sell them and my recommendation is to get the best you can afford. Its not expensive buy worth every penny. I’d put a lot of effort catching the fish so why spoilt it to save 50p on the bun.

Fish Preperation

You will need approximately one minimum size Whiting per sandwich. As the fish are so small I leave the skin on. This helps keep the flesh together and adds a little crispy texture to the pallet. First of all gently descale the fish under fresh running water. Because of there size I use the back of a knife rather than my descaler tool. At this point you can remove any pin bones by using some tweezers or small pliers. Voila! You’re now ready to season your fillets.

What I like to do is nothing more than give the fish a dusting of seasoned flour. I like a little flour added to the mix as it helps bond the delicate fillets together. You can just use seasoning but the fillets will break apart too easy. If you have a go using Grouper or Snapper you will only need to use the seasoning and not the flour as the fish is much firmer.  The recipe is nothing complicated just some Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and some blackened Cajun Swartz seasoning to add a little kick. 

Mix together

• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 2 heaped teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons Swartz Blackened Cajun seasoning
• For extra kick you can add some chilli flakes or chilli powder

Take your fillet and lay it on it in the seasoning mix. Gently move it around for a second or two then flip it over and repeat the process.  Then gently shake off any residue and place on a dry plate ready for cooking.

Because the fillets are so small they do not need long in the pan. Set a large frying pan on a medium heat with a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil. Once it has reached temperature, carefully lay the fillets in the pan and cook for ninety seconds then flip over for another minute.  Lay them on a paper towel to remove any excess oil and they are ready for your sandwich.

The sauce

For me there is no tastier and easier to make sauce than Florida Style Fish Sauce.  Its easy and quick to make and enhances the taste of the fish perfectly.  All you need is some Mayonnaise, Ketchup and some Cajun seasoning.

Mix together three heaped tablespoons of Mayo and two heaped tablespoons of tomato ketchup. I like to mix them together until they have turned an orangey colour.  Then keep add some Cajun seasoning that suits your pallet. You can also add some chilli for more heat or some finely chopped gherkins for a little crunch. It’s a simple but a really tasty sauce that can also be used with beef and chicken burgers.

Additions

Take the bottom of you brioche bun and add some of the fish sauce. If you like cheese you can add a little cheddar on top of the sauce.  Then lay a leaf of lettuce on top.  Then add your pan fried whiting and add the top of the bun.  There you have it, “catch and cook” Florida Style Fish Sandwich.

If you want some tips on fishing for Whiting why not take a look at my fishing trip on the River Crouch in Essex then CLICK HERE

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What is cooking on a cedar plank?

Cedar plank cooking has been used by the Native Indian tribes of the Pacific Northwest in the USA for over a thousand years. In that region there has always been an abundance of fish to eat including Salmon, Trout and Char. The barbecuing method of grilling on Cedar planks is one of the best ways to cook fish and other meats. As the Cedar plank is heated by the direct flames of a grill the moisture pulls wood flavour out of the wood and gently cooks the fish with a mixture of steam from the bottom while baking from the top.  It leaves the flesh moist and gives dishes a fragrant smoky flavour. You can also use this method to cook meat, other fish, shellfish, chicken, pork and vegetables.

step 1 – ingredients

• Cedar planks
• 2 Fillets or four steaks of trout
• Kosher Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• Franks Hot Sauce
• Mayonnaise
• Soft Brown Sugar
• Fresh Coriander for Garnish

step 2 – Preparation

There are a whole host of cedar planks available online on eBay and my preference is a 14 x 37 x 1 cm boards.  This size is perfect for either trout steaks, whole fillets from a 2lb fish or portioned fillets.  The actual planks are not cheap, but who doesn’t love great tasty food once in a while.

It’s a very simple process to prepare the board.  Simply submerge the plank in warm water for around an hour until the plank is wet to the core. waterlogging the board serves two purposes. One it stops the wood from burning too quickly and two it helps steam the flesh from the bottom side. You may have to help keep the wood submerged as it will want to float.  I like to use a glass filled with water. The wife came up with that idea. Once fully wet it is time to prepare the fish.

step 3 – Seasoning your fish

For this recipe I used two tail fillets from a couple of 4lb trout I had caught at Rutland Water. After taking the skin off place the fish onto the soaked board. Season with some Kosher salt and some fresh ground pepper.  Any restaurant worth its weight will only use Kosher salt.  It is natural and free from iodine and any anti clogging agents such as Calcium silicate.  Freshly ground pepper is best as you release all the oils and flavours that have been tucked up inside each peppercorn.

Next take some hot sauce. I used a teaspoon of Franks Red Hot Sauce on each fillets and spread it all over the flesh. I just prefer Franks but Nandos or Sriracha will do just fine.  Or just leave it out.

Next take a teaspoon of full fat mayonnaise and spread it over the fillet using the same spoon so it mixes together with the hot sauce. Then sprinkle a level teaspoon of brown sugar all over the surface to finish off.  Your cedar plank trout is now ready for cooking.

step 4 – cooking

I use my gas BBQ to cook my fish.  I like the BBQ  because you can get the wood to burn and smoke and get that lovely smoky flavour.  You can use an oven but a BBQ is best. Light your BBQ with the lid down and heat to around 400F. Once it has reached its temperature place the plank in the middle of your grill plate, close the lid and turn down to a medium heat.  At this point it is always handy to have a spray bottle filled with water.  Because of the immense heat you want to avoid what’s called “flare ups”.  This is when the wood catches fire.  You can spray the flames to dampen down the fire and keep it under control with the sprayer.

step 5 – when is it ready?

As a guide I would cook two pieces of fish like this for around ten minutes maximum. You do not want to over cook the fish.  Remember fish keeps cooking after you have removed it from the heat. I would rather have slightly underdone fish than over done. I like the idea of using a fork and seeing if the fish flakes away to see if it is ready.  If it is really undercooked then just chuck it back on the grill for a bit longer.

Once the fish is ready, tear up some fresh coriander and sprinkle on top. I like to serve the fish on the plank.  Make sure you dip the plank in a shallow tray of water to extinguish the embers and to stop the house from burning down.

So there you have it, cedar plank trout. My suggestion would be is to serve it with some new potatoes and some green vegetables or a garden salad.

Why not take a look at my cold smoked trout two part series by Clicking here

The post Cedar Plank Trout appeared first on Fishing Maverick.

In part one we discussed where to get the fish, tools, gutting, pin boning, filleting and the brining process.  In part two it is all about the smoking, slicing and storage of your fish.

Your fillets are now brined, washed, maybe boned and ready for cold smoking. First up the smoker. I made mine from a couple of clean unpainted old wooden pallets I had at work. If you haven’t got the time, the will or the way then you can use a cardboard to do the job. I have never tried it but there is a simple YouTube video you can click here to watch DIY Cold Smoker . There are a whole host of “How to make a smoker” videos on YouTube so I would suggest taking a look at some.  Just make sure the materials are clean with no tape or ink and well sealed with air holes to keep the smoke flowing.

how to hang your fillets

To hang the fillets, I made some fish hooks out of some old wire clothes hangers. Bend in an “S” shape and if you can sharpen one end. There are hooks available on eBay, just search for “smoking fish hooks”.  They are not expensive and only take a few days to get delivered. Pierce the hook around 40mm from the tail end.  They are now ready to hang in your smoker. Just keep everything simple.

What Wood

The internet is filled with articles and videos with people using all types of wood for smoking all types of foods. There is an absolutely huge range of smoking dusts and chips on the market including; Oak, Beech, Hickory, Cherry, Maple, Alder and Apple.

But avoid soft woods, such as Douglas Fir, Cyprus, Firs and Spruce as they contain resins and will leave nasty residues in your smoker and on your food.  The smoked salmon you find in the supermarkets is usually Oak. I recently tried beech for the first time, but found it was too mild for my liking and tend to stick with oak as it’s full of flavour and the smoke time is quicker.

Creating Smoke

To create the smoke I place my smoke dust into a ProQ Smoke Generator.  This is a clever device which allows the snake like design to keep the wood smoking for up to 10 hours. They are not cheap at around £35 or $45 but a great investment if you want to start smoking your own food. Remember you can use your smoking setup to smoke a whole range of foods including other fish, cheese, jerky, duck, chicken and turkey. There are other generator designs available that I guess are equally as effective but I haven’t tried them.

Following the instructions and light the generator. All you need is a tea light and a match.  Make sure the smoke generator has caught light and been smoking for ten minutes then shut the door and wait. There should be a fine stream of smoke coming from the generator. You dont need lots because the box soon fills with smoke. The embers that cause the smoke will slowly work its way along all the dust over a few hours. A small amount of air needs to flow into the smoke box to keep the embers lit so make sure there are holes at the bottom of the smoker and a hole at the top. The YouTube videos will explain what you need.

TIP

Sometimes the smoke can go out. It is either two things.  The dust has moisture or there isnt enough air flow. If there is enough air flowing it will probably be due to the dust or chips having moisture. I found the solution to this was to dry the dust in the oven on a tray for around twenty minutes removing any excess water. I always do this before smoking whether its a hot or cold day.  It is always easier on a hot day but if you want to smoke all year round then you need to know the tricks of the trade.

Smoking guide

The smoking table below gives you an idea of smoking times, but you can play around so you can find your ideal smoke flavour.

Once smoked you can pull out the pin bones if you haven’t already. Run your fingers gently across the fillet.  You will feel a long line of bone heads. There is a quick way of removing them. Cut out either side of the pin bones and removing a slither of flesh with the bones intact. Take some practice but ideal if you are smoking lots of fish. All you will lose is a slither if done correctly.

Slicing

Like most people I like to lay nice large slices of fish on my bagel.  To do this with your trout you will need a very very sharp knife.  Preferably a fish filling knife.  The advantage of a dedicated fish filleting knife is that they can bend and is made of thinner steel. This allows a super sharp cutting edge and the flexibility to take long slithers of flesh without tearing.  This is something you will need to get the knack of so practice will make permanent.  If you have not got a filleting knife, just get the blade as shape as possible.

Start by holding fillet tail nearest you.  Then slice your fish starting at the other end.  Just as you get to the end of each slither really take the angle down so the knife finishes above the skin and does not cut through it.  It does not matter if it does as you can just trim any skin off after.  Ideally you will just be left with a piece of skin.

storage

Cold smoked trout and salmon can easily be stored in the freezer. I tend to bag a couple of fillets in a resealable bag and mark up the date it was made.  They defrost in around twenty minutes at room temperature.

You can slice the fillets before freezing but I like to keep the fillet whole to keep all the tasty, healthy oils inside the flesh.  Because you can freeze your catch you will have smoked fish for the whole of the winter if you catch enough. So, there it is, an easy cold smoked trout recipe. Have a go and persevere.  It is so satisfying catching and preparing your own smoked fish.

Good luck.

Click here to learn more about Hanningfield Trout Fishing

Click here for my to read my article Spinning for Reservoir Trout

The post Cold Smoked Trout Easy Recipe Pt2 appeared first on Fishing Maverick.

If you like cold smoked salmon, then you should try cold smoked trout.  Extremely tasty and perfect with a bagel and cream cheese or with scrambled eggs for breakfast. If you prepare it correctly it will taste like salmon. Here’s an easy cold smoked trout recipe.

Fish Preparation

What You Need For  6 – 8lb of whole trout

Trout or salmon, sharp filleting knife, large chopping board, fish descaling tool, bag of brown sugar, bag of kosher salt, smoke generator, smoking dust, smoker or large box, fishhooks, resealable bags.

However you obtain your fish, the process is similar apart from the gutting.  If it comes from a shop, then there’s a good chance that this process has probably been done by the fishmonger.

One thing to note is that cold smoked fish is essentially raw fish so you need to obtain the freshest fish you can. On returning from a trout fishing trip I will usually have the fillets brining within twelve hours.

The first thing you need to do is descale the fish.  This is because we do not want a mouthful of scales with our smoked trout and cream cheese bagel.  You can leave the scales on but you have to be very experienced.

Tools

There are a variety of tools made for this purpose, but the back of a knife works just fine if you have not got a descaling tool. Once you have removed the scales, wash the fish and dry its sides with a cloth or paper towel, so it does not slip around on the cutting board.

Gutting

Next up is gutting. If you are an experienced fish filleter like myself, you can leave the guts in, but if you are new to the process then I would advise you gut the fish.

To gut the fish, take a very sharp knife, preferably a filleting knife and enter the fishes vent hole (poop hole).  Then slide the knife up towards the throat making sure you cut straight down the middle in between the anal fins and right up to the middle of the throat.  You only want to be cutting through the belly of the fish and try and keep the knife from cutting the guts inside the fish.  Once you have opened the cavity push your fingers inside and around the back of the guts and pull them out. Sever around the throat to release and trim if there is any thing left on the vent. There is a long blood line that runs inside the of the backbone.  Take your knife and run it all the way down splitting the membrane.  Then, using you thumb scrape the blood away until clean. You will not be able to clean it perfectly but if you can get in 80% out you’ve done well. Wash again thoroughly and it is now ready to fillet.

Fillet from the back so you leave yourself two beautiful clean fillets. If you have not done it before, do not worry.  I messed it up a few times and still occasionally do.

TIP

Before starting I would recommend watching a few videos on YouTube to get the idea. There is a YouTube video link at the bottom which will give you a good idea where to start.

Only watch up until 3 minutes 20 seconds.  Ignore the rest. Remember you are not selling your fish to Harrods and Selfridges so do not worry too much about the look of the final fillet. It will taste just great.

To Pin Bone or Not to Pin Bone

Pin bones in trout are a pain in the butt.  You take a nice mouthful of fish and spend the next fifteen seconds playing around trying separate the bone in your mouth. We have all done it and it is annoying.

So, here is my view on the subject.  If you want whole boneless fillets that look amazing, then I suggest pin boning before brining.  If you are like me and do not care about looks then cut the pin bones out after smoking. Pin boning is best done with a good pair of pin boning tweezers.  If you haven’t got tweezers then try a pair if long nose pliers from the shed. You will leave the odd bone but you will be able to feel them later when you start to slice the fish.

Brining

Brining serves two purposes.  Firstly, it seasons the fish, adding flavour and secondly acts as a natural preservative that breaks down muscle tissue to get a more tender flesh.  Remember once you have brined your raw fish and washed it clean it is basically ready for eating.  The smoking process adds the flavour to the flesh.

The simplest and most popular brine recipe is a dry brine.

A 50/50 mix of fine kosher or natural salt and brown sugar. Kosher salt is used because it is clean and doesn’t contain Iodine unlike regular table salt. Mix the two ingredients well together making sure they are equally dispersed. You can find other recipes on the internet but this one is a great start.

Lay a bed of brine mix on the bottom of a large deep sided non-metallic tray. You should still be able to see bits of the bottom of the tray.  You do not need a half inch layer for trout like you do a thick salmon fillet. Lay some fillets skin side down making sure no fillets are over lapping.

Spread Brine evenly

Add a layer of brine on top of the flesh and place another layer of fillets flesh side down and repeat the process until all the fish are brining. You need to make sure that you lay fillets flesh on flesh and skin on skin, so any loose scales do not escape onto the flesh. 

Make sure to cover the final layer and then clingfilm or Saran Wrap the tray and place in the fridge. I have given my recommendations in the table below on brining times but do feel free to experiment to get the taste and texture you prefer.

At this point in the process some people like to add weights to help squeeze out the water during brining.  I have found that you end up with thin fillets that are too salty, and the flesh is too firm. Once again try it and give it a go.

Smoked Trout Brining Times

Because we all catch different size fish, the table below gives you an idea on the appropriate brining time. You will get to understand how long to brine for when you finally taste the fish.  You will be able to adjust the brining time to your pallet.

Dry the fillets with kitchen towel and lay each one skin side down on a tray so they are open to the air. Do not cover, and leave in the fridge overnight or for around twelve hours.  This process is called creating a pellicle and allows the flesh to form a tacky outer layer. It helps to produce a better smoked product and acts as a protective barrier for the food. It also plays an important role in enhancing the flavour and colour produced by the smoking process.
When removing the tray from the fridge, you will notice that there is a lot of liquid in the tray.  This is exactly what we are looking for. Drain the liquid that has been extracted from the flesh then wash the fillets thoroughly making sure all the excess salt is removed under a cold tap.  I then like to leave mine soak in a sink of cold water for around 15 minutes.  Then wash off in clean cold water and put to the side.

For my YouTube Video on how to cold smoke trout Click here

Smoking, slicing and storing Click here to see part 2

Click Here YouTube Filleting Fish Link 

Click here for Hanningfield Trout Fishing

You might find the following article on Spinning for Reservoir Trout fishing interesting https://www.fishingmaverick.com/spinning-for-trout/

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