There aren't many things I can confidently say I'm REALLY good at, but let me just brag for a minute and say I'm REALLY good at fishing. Not because I'm lucky, but because I've spent thousands of hours with a fishing rod in my hand. There aren't many freshwater species I haven't caught, and I even spent time in Alaska as a fishing guide. I know how to catch fish, and this smoked trout recipe is one of my favorite ways to prepare fresh trout or salmon.
Step One - Go Catch a Fish!
The best smoked fish is fish you've caught your self. This recipe works especially well for salmon, rainbow trout, brook trout, and lake trout. If you have access to those fish, and you know how to catch them, go catch a few and then come back to this recipe.
Don't know how to catch them? Send me an email... I'm confident I can help!
Another option is to buy the fish from your local grocery store or market. If you're buying fish, ask how it was caught. Wild, line-caught salmon or trout is the best, and the only type of fish I would buy. Farmed fish are a poor substitute for their wild counterparts. The meat is of lesser quality because the fish don't have to move like wild fish do. Furthermore, most farm-raised fish are treated with a dye to make their meat look appealing. How appealing is that... really? Do yourself a favor... buy wild-caught salmon or trout.
Smoked Fish Brine
I'm using two Lake Trout fillets for this recipe, but any of the previously mentioned trout species or salmon will do. If you're going for salmon, Sockeye Salmon is my favorite, followed closely by Coho Salmon.
Common Mistakes When Smoking Trout or Salmon
There are a few mistakes people make when they smoke salmon or trout, mistake #1, they don't brine the fish. The brine serves a couple of different purposes, but the two that are most important are:
- Keeping the fish from drying out during the smoke process.
- Adding an additional layer of flavor to the meat of the fish.
How to Brine Trout or Salmon
You can brine your fish in a dry brine, or a wet brine. Everyone has there own preference, but mine is a dry brine for fish. There are just a few ingredients you need to make the dry brine:
- Kosher Salt
- Brown Sugar
- Onion Powder
- Garlic Powder
- Paprika
I have to emphasize that I use kosher salt for this brine - don't use table salt! There's a huge difference in the two, and if you make the mistake your fish will be ruined.
Combine the ingredients in a large food safe container like this one, and then set aside.
Place your fish fillets in the container with the brine, and then liberally sprinkle the brine over your fish. Every nook and cranny of the fish fillet should be covered with your dry brine. Once the fish is adequately covered, cover the container with saran wrap and place it in your refrigerator. Let the fish brine for 3-6 hours.
Be careful not to dry brine the trout much longer than 6 hours. If you do, you'll end up with some very salty smoked trout!
You'll be shocked by how much moisture is in the container when you finally decide to pull the fish out of the brine and move on to the next step!
Smoked Fish Pellicle
I could go into detail about what the pellicle is, but you probably don't care. This next step is the step most people completely skip over, and it's the difference in perfect smoked salmon, and average smoked salmon (or trout).
After the trout has been brined, rinse each of the fillets thoroughly, and then pat dry. Place the fish on a grill rack, and then put the rack on the sheet pan you were using before, and back in the fridge!
If you don't have room in the fridge, you can put the fish in a cool (under 50 degrees), well-ventilated area. The fish will need to sit out for at least three hours.
This step produces a tacky film on the surface of the salmon, called the pellicle. The pellicle will help your trout or salmon hold more of that smoke flavor you're looking for, and keeps the fish from cooking too quickly.
Time To Smoke the Trout (or Salmon)
Hopefully, you've taken the time to properly brine the fish, and form a nice pellicle on the surface of the flesh. Now it's time to put your fish in the smoker!
Set your smoker up to cook with indirect heat at around 140 or 150 degrees, and then place your trout or salmon fillets on the grill grates. After two hours, increase the temperature in your smoker by 20 degrees. Repeat this process every two hours.
What's That White Stuff Oozing Out of My Smoked Fish?
You can start your smoker out at 225 and just keep it there, but you'll notice a white substance ooze out of the fish called albumin. Gradually increasing the temperature helps the fish firm up at a slower rate, thus reducing the albumin appearance, and giving you much better flavor!
Love this post? Be sure to check out my smoked salmon recipe!
If you're looking for something other than fish, you'll love my Smoked Juicy Lucy's!
Small trout only take a few hours to smoke, but larger trout and salmon can take several hours. Check the temp of your fish with a good meat thermometer after a few hours, and when the fish has reached an internal temperature of 145 degrees, you're done!
Best Way to Check Internal Temperature
There are quite a few different products on the market that you can use to check the internal temperature of your food. I've tried several different types of thermometers, but my favorite one is the Thermapen ONE.
The Thermapen ONE gives an internal temperature readout almost instantly. The Thermapen's intelligent design makes it easy to read the backlit display at almost any angle.
We first purchased the Thermapen for use in our smoked meat cooking, but it's quickly become a tool my wife uses when we are cooking other food in the kitchen too.
Smoked Trout or Salmon Glaze
You don't have to add a glaze to your smoked fish, but if you're looking for an added layer of flavor, I highly recommend this step. After you put your salmon or trout in the smoker, combine the following ingredients in a small bowl:
- Honey
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Cayenne Pepper
- Brown Sugar
Stir the ingredients until the honey and brown sugar has dissolved, and then set aside. At the end of each hour, brush your fish with the glaze. This is how you get NEXT LEVEL AWESOME smoked fish.
Would you do something different? Let me know in the comments.
Smoked Trout - The Way a Fishing Guide Does It
Ingredients
- Whole Salmon or Trout Fillets
Smoked Trout Brine
- ½ cup Kosher Salt
- ½ cup Brown Sugar
- ¼ tsp Onion Powder
- ¼ tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tbsp Paprika
Smoked Trout Glaze
- ¼ cup Honey
- ¼ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- ½ tsp Cayenne Pepper optional
- 2 tbsp Brown Sugar
Instructions
- Combine the brine ingredients in a food safe container.
- Place your fish fillets in the container, and then liberally sprinkle the brine over your fish. Every nook and cranny of the fish fillet should be covered with your dry brine. Once the fish is adequately covered cover the pan with saran wrap and place the whole pan in your refrigerator.
- Let the fish brine for at least 3 hours, and up to 6 hours. Any longer and it will be too salty.
- After the trout has been brined, rinse each of the fillets thoroughly, and then pat dry.
- Place the fish on a grill rack, and then put the rack on the sheet pan you were using before, and back in the fridge with the fish! If you don't have room in the fridge, you can put the fish in a cool, well-ventilated area. The fish will need to sit out for at least three hours. This step produces a tacky film on the surface of the salmon, called the pellicle. The pellicle will help your trout or salmon hold more of that smoke flavor you're looking for, and keeps the fish from cooking too quickly.
- Set your smoker up to cook with indirect heat at around 140 or 150 degrees, and then place your trout or salmon fillets on the grill grates.
- Combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl
- Stir the ingredients until the honey and brown sugar has dissolved, and then set aside.
- At the end of each hour, brush your fish with the glaze.
- After two hours, increase the temperature in your smoker by 20 degrees. Repeat this process every two hours.
- Smaller trout only take a few hours to smoke, but larger lake trout and salmon can take several hours. Check the temp of your fish with a good meat thermometer after a few hours, and when the fish has reached an internal temperature of 145 degrees, you can pull the fish from the smoker.
- When the fish is done smoking you can eat it warm, or let it cool for about 60 minutes before putting it in an airtight container in the fridge.
Let’s go fishing!
Foil gives fish a metallic taste but I like your way of gradual temp rise
Do you increase the amounts for every 2 fillets that you stated?
in the recipe you state leaving the fish out for 3 hours if it wont fit in the fridge,,,, how long do i leave it in the fridge if it will fit?????
3 hours
I thought you’re supposed to brine for 6 hours?
Correct - Brine for 3-6 hours, pat dry, and then let it air dry in the fridge or in a cool space uncovered for an additional 3 hours.
Hi, I’m wondering - is it a minimum 3 hours to develop the pellicle, or should you start to smoke it after those 3 hours have passed. Could the fish sit in the fridge longer during the pellicle stage I guess is what I’m asking, or will that mess it up? Thanks!
Ha!
In your smoked salmon recipe website you suggest that "if you do not know how to fish . . . .Send me an e-mail. I could not find your e-mail address, so here is my request: Apparently you could give some tips on how to catch any of the recipe fish. I am interested in catching brook trout and lake trout. The lake I fish has native brook trout and native lake trout. I have been able to catch a few brook trout but not lake trout. I understand that Lake trout are located much deeper than brook trout.
I request and welcome your suggestions and your expertise. Thank you.
Hey Carlos - If you're fishing from shore I'd try casting a 3" or 4" spoon near an inlet or steep bank on the body of water your fishing. The inlet will attract baitfish, and that attracts big fish.
If you're in a boat try jigging a 3" or 4" tube jig on the bottom in deeper water. Chances are those lake trout are eating brook trout, so think BIG.
Hello, I fish up in the Sierras above Shaver and Huntington lakes at a small lake called Portal Forebay, I go up camping and fishing for trout once a year and usually come home about 10-15 trout leftover for smoking on the grill. I fish by using my kayak, I paddle backwards slowly using a set of large or medium cowbell flashers with a 6” lead, a small #6 hook, and 1/2-1/3 of a jumbo night crawler worm on the hook, I cast out about 10 yards and then paddle about 5 times and close my reel to lock it in to troll. I slowly paddle backwards and watch my rod tip bounce slowly with my flashers and bait about 20 yards behind my boat about 6-10 ft below the surface, the depth of my lake is 25-30 ft deeply and the fish sit about 7-12 ft deep. I usually fish around 5:30-9 am and the fish hit constantly, I have no problems landing fish!!
I noticed in the pictures that you cut the fillets while smoking. Are they cut before you brine? Also what wood do you use for your smoke and do you smoke them for the whole time they are cooking?
So if you are smoking 12 fillets, increase the amounts of dry brine ingredients that you have stated per every 2 fillets?
Hey Carlos,
Does this recipe freeze well? How long will it last in the fridge/freezer once finished?
First time we've ever used a dry brine. Hubby said it's the best Lake Superior smoked trout he's ever had. Trust me... that's high praise because we've had a lot!!!
Can you freeze smoked Trout or Salmon in a vacuum packer?
Can it be frozen?
Thank you for your recipe and guidance. I smoked trout for the first time ever yesterday and since I don't own a dedicated smoker I used my Weber charcoal grill. I used hickory chips on top of charcoal briquets as the main source of smoke and I added hickory sawdust to the large pan of water under the fish to double up on the smokey flavor. My biggest concern was controlling the temperature but your post about starting around 150 degrees was very helpful. I started with fewer than a dozen charcoal briquets, got a good flow of smoke going, and spent most of the first 2 hours between 150-160 degrees. I added a few more briquets and brought the temp up to 175-180 degrees and although the charcoal didn't burn quite long enough to finish the cook, I improvised by adding some sawdust directly to the fire for the final 30-40 minutes and that did the trick. The smoked trout taste great and my 14 y.o. fishing addict son who caught them with me loves eating the final product on club crackers with sharp cheddar cheese. Cheers!
That's awesome. LOVE how you improvised to make it work. I was that 14 y.o. fishing addict once... Keep encouraging him to fish and eat his catch... he'll thank you when he's older for teaching him all those life skills that come from fishing with Dad.
Recipe looked good but no way! Did everything to the letter. Way too salty, even after rinsing thoroughly. Not a vinegar fan either. Glaze added to the failure. I just wanted another good recipe but it’s obvious, nothing will be better than mine and it’s extremely simple, no brining. You won’t want to share the trout, you’ll eat the whole thing yourself.
Thanks for letting me know Corey - what kind of salt did you use?
Not sure why you mentioned Vinegar Corey??? Vinegar is not a part of this recipe. I am going to smoke some Trout for the first time on my Pit Boss Pellet smoker this weekend this looked like a pretty good process..Going to give it a try:-)
Actually yes, vinegar is part of the recipe. 1/4 c. Apple cider vinegar in the glaze recipe. Did you glaze yours? If so, with or without the vinegar? How’d it turn out? I’m making this over the weekend.
Can I leave it in the fridge over night? to pellicle
I have left the fish in the fridge overnight twice now to pellicle and if came out fantastic. I use a treager smoker. This has become my favorite recipe.
Overnight in fridge works well
Looking forward to trying this recipe. Can you give any more of an estimate than "several hours "for the actual smoking time larger fish? Like 3/4 - 1 inch thick fillets. Are we talking approximately four hours?
And thanks so much for sharing this!
My 2# whole fillet last week took about 5 hours of slow smoking to reach 145 degrees using a Smoke thermometer. Smoked it the whole time using a Barrel House smoker and Kingsford briquets, The salmon had outstanding taste and texture! Dry brined for 6 hours and it developed a pellicle over night. Guest loved it!
I Caught a gorgeous steel head and used this recipe to smoke some of it . Came out perfect husband loved it too! Thanks
Do you leave the skin on the fish while smoking?
I did and it was great!
Best smoked trout I ever had bar none this recipe is totally awesome
Can I use a good quality Celtic sea salt for the brine?
Can I leave the salmon in the fridge to develop the pellicle over night ? I have an electric smoker and if it rains I don’t have the necessary time to smoke it. So will have to wait.
My 2# whole fillet last week took about 5 hours of slow smoking to reach 145 degrees using a Smoke thermometer. Smoked it the whole time using a Barrel House smoker and Kingsford briquets, The salmon had outstanding taste and texture! Dry brined for 6 hours and it developed a pellicle over night. Guest loved it!
What kind of wood pellets do you use?
Just finished making a huge batch of this recipe with smoked trout fresh caught from Lake Erie.
Very tasty and well worth the work. Only one problem. Waaaaay to salty. Brined for only three hours. Kosher salt just like the recipe says. Everything else is very good.
Anyone know how to turn down the saltyness?
I have cut the salt in half,
doubled all other ingredients,
AFTER two hours,TURNED the fillets over
added some dill leaves and 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
For the second step, forming the pellicle after brining, could the fish stay refrigerated overnight, for example, if my schedule gets interrupted and I cannot tend to the smoker effectively.
Replying to my own post. It appears that at least one person commenting let it form the pellicle overnight. I will proceed in that manner and smoke in the morning.
This recipe was incredible, I had five large rainbows, 18” being the largest. I brined for three hours and Pellicle in the fridge for six. Our smoker is old and without a temp gauge.. took one hour and 15 minutes. Came out moist, best I have ever had.
Next till I will swap out the honey for maple syrup, to give it that maple flavor.
Following. Please provide an update after using syrup.
Made the recipe and came out fantastic for fresh caught lake trout (L Superior). Cut the cayenne to 1/8 tsp in the glaze and worked great. Washed thoroughly but bit too salty so next time will cut back on the salt. Thanks
I substituted honey with maple syrup on
my glaze awesome thanks for the recipe:
I use similar method.
I have a question, how to make fish less salty? It's always coming out very very salty for normal eating.
Every recipe I checked suggest using 50/50 brown sugar and salt but IMO it gives way too much salty taste. Would 4/1 sugar / salt work? Should I maybe even try 5/1 ? My wife is always complaining about too much salt in the fish 🙁
Hi Nick,
I hope you’re still checking this post. I enjoyed your Alaska stories. My daughter still lives in Alaska She went for seasonal work at a lodge in Moose Pass. She loved Alaska so much she didn’t come back to the lower 48.
My question is what flavor pellets do you think pairs best with trout? TIA
Love love love smoked Trout - I find it better than Salmon I must say too.
Will give your recipes a go too. Thanks for the post
Paul
Very close to my recipe. I do a glaze as well but I spritz some bourbon over the glaze
Made this with a freshly caught 18 pound Lake Michigan brown trout (great way to start)
1.5 inch filets on a pellet smoker. The only variation was we heavily peppered the trout before cooking. The glaze and pepper combo were phenomenal. It was a huge win. Great approach to this fish
Ok let me start off with, every time I smoke trout I search for this recipe. I’ve tweaked it a bit but it’s my go too. Thank you for putting it out there for the universe to use and enjoy. I add cherry juice to the honey and apple cider vinegar sauce to boost the flavours a bit, trust me it takes nothing away from the smokey ness. Never stays on the table long and I’m asked to bring it to dinner parties as appetizers all the time. I don’t brine longer then 3 hours it can become a bit salty, but beer helps with that. Thanks again.
So, I'll preface this by saying I hate fish. Can't stand the smell. The taste. The texture. I hate everything about it.
My wife however loves fish and I love to cook. So, I bought some Steelhead fillets at Aldi and figured I'd take a stab a smoking some fish with the smoker I inherited from my father-in-law. I found this and the flavors seemed like they'd be something wife would like.
Now, my wife, on a good day, eats like a bird. Never has a taste for anything. Struggles to be motivated to eat.
I've made this recipe, to a T (minus the glaze, because I'm sure she wouldn't like it) and every single time she can barely wait for it to cool down (she prefers it cold) before she starts inhaling it. Fantastic recipe (even though I'll never be able to try it myself!)
Have you ever used smoked paprika, in this recipe, instead of regular paprika?
I have always used regular paprika when it comes to smoked dishes. I'm sure it's been tried, maybe someone else will chime in with their experience.
I used smoked paprika and thought it was delicious! I like spicy things, so was thinking I might try the hot paprika next time.
Great recipe I've altered it a bit too my liking. What would you say the expiration is on this sitting in the fridge. I've also vacuum sealed some and tossed it in the freezer.
I cannot say enough good things about this recipe, the process, and the incredibly delicious final product. I’d never smoked a fish before, followed your process and WOW WOW WOW! My husband caught a 10 lb salmon and we used that. One of the best things I’ve ever cooked. Thank you!!!
Hello!
What kind of wood did you use to smoke your trout?
Thanks in advance! 🙂
What kind of wood chips do you use to smoke the fish?
You do not mention anything about the wood recommendations for smoking at all.