Wild, Line Cought & Home Smoked

This handsome looking laker was cought by my son Jonas two weekends ago, when he was visiting home from college. He cought it early in the morning, brought it home; my mom took the fish to clean, and I went paddling on the lake. By the docks I met our family friend Gil, who just came from the lake after a quick session of paddleboarding; Gil also does a lot of fishing, him and Jonas often go fishing together, so there was no surprise for me to find out that Gil has already been informed about Jonas’ morning catch. Gil told me to keep the fish and wait until he catches 3 or 4 more, so we can smoke them all together. Smoking fish sounded like a really fun activity, so I instructed my mom to  keep the fish in the fridge, not cook it, and went to work. A few hours later, some time in the afternoon I got a message from Gil’s wife Naama that four more trouts were cought, so we can prepare it all for smoking.

That night I brought Jonas’ trout to Gil & Naama’s house, we prepared dry brine, coated fish filets with the mixture of salt and sugar and let it all sit in the fridge overnight. The next morning dry brine has all turned into liquid, and fish was sitting all happy in that sweet-and-salty marinate. We removed fish from the brine, placed it on the drying racks in front of the big floor fan and let it dry. During drying process a thin shiny film has formed on fish surface, sealing all flavor and moisture tightly inside. After all that drying, nice and shiny pieces of fish were placed into smoker and they were smoked for almost entire day at low 150^oF. Towards the end of smoking process fish was glazed with Gil and Naama’s own homemade honey, sprinkled with cracked pepper, placed back into smoker for a short while longer, and then we could taste it. It was heaven! Warm, flaky, moist, sweet & salty and oh-so-smoky delicious treat. So very delicious!

Just wanted to add a few quick words about Gil and Naama, the fish smoking experts.

They both are the kind of people that do it all. They do so many fun, exciting things, and they do it all at an absolute perfection.

Naama, among ton of other things, is a scientist, my son’s basketball coach, passionate bike rider and skier, a cook, a wizzard, has her own line of natural beauty products, and does couple hundred other amazing things.

Gil is also a scientist, entomologist, spider wisperrer, paddleboarder, hardcore bike racer, hardcore skier, hardcore fisherman, and among couple hundred other amazing things he is also a hardcore industrial-size beekeeper, producing honey for sale for all Ithaca area and beyond.

This is Gil & Naama s website and link to their beekiping business.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/gilshoneybees

Needless to say, the honey that they produce is super-top quality, super tasty, because nothing that these two do in their lives is ever less than superb.

In closure, I just wanted to tell you one quick story that involves Gil. The story needs to be told, because it was lifechanging for my family. If the stars have aligned otherwise, and if Gil has not been a part of that, our life would be very different today. And I am not exaggerating one bit.

So here it is: the story:

Couple years ago, in the middle of December, my son Jonas, his dad and Gil, all three went fishing on Keyuka lake. My son, always brave and adventurous, went on the lake in his kayak. He was having a great time fishing, until the water conditions changed suddenly. Wind picked up. Jonas was distracted by fishing, wasn’t paying attention to the waves, so in no time his kayak flipped, and he ended up in ice cold water, with his waders on. Waders filled up with water, he could not take them off, he was unable to swim, the waves were taking him further and further away from the shore, separated from his kayak which was also going further and further away. 911 call was made, emergency vehicles showed up, but none of the emergency crew had any watercraft, so they all just stood on shore, watching my kid trying to rescue himself and his kayak, spending 20, 30, 40-plus minutes in icy lake. With all that going on, Gil came to the scene, and without thinking twice, he jumped into the lake and rescued my kid. So yes, people like that don’t just happen every day. People with hundreds of skills, and hobbies, and passions, who above all that, will also jump into ice-cold lake, to save a drawning kid.

People like Naama and Gil make our own lives brighter and richer, and they make this world a happier place.

Ausra

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family photos were copied from public social media

Smoked Trout

Recipe source: Smokehouse Products

10 lbs trout fillet, cut into 4 oz pieces

1 cup non-iodized salt

4 cups brown sugar

Melted honey

Cracked pepper

In a bowl mix salt and brown sugar. Spread a layer of salt-sugar mixture in a deep dish. Place fish pieces in a single layer, skin down, on top of sugar-salt layer. Cover fish entirely with a layer of sugar-salt mixture. Continue layering until all fish is covered with brine mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 12-24 hours. Longer brine results saltier fish.

Remove fish from the brine and wipe each piece removing any excess brine. Place fish pieces onto cooling racks in a single layer, skin facing down, and let it dry for at least an hour, with electirc fan blowing directly onto fish. Dry until fish is not wet or sticky, and a thin dry fil forms on the surface.

Place fish onto smoking racks, set smoker temerature to 150^oF and smoke for 6-8 hours, delending on the size and thickness. Remove smoked fish from the smoker, brush with melted honey, sprinkle with black pepper. Increase temperature to 175^oF, place fish back into smoker for another 30 min or so.

Store smoked fish in an airtight container in refrigerator, or vacuum seal and store in a freezer.

Rūkyti upėtakiai

Recepto šaltinis: Smokehouse products

5 kg upėtakių filė, supjaustytų maždaug 150g gabalėliais

1 stiklinė druskos, be jodo

4 stiklinės ruodojo cukraus

Medaus

Juodųjų pipirų

Dubenyje sumaišyti druską ir cukrų. Į gilų indą dėti druskos-cukraus mišinio sluoksnį, and jo dėti sluoksnį žuvies, oda žemyn, užbarstyti druskos-cukraus sluoksnį, ir t.t., kol visa žuvis bus sudėta sūdytis. Indą uždengti ir padėti šaltai, 12-24 valandoms.

Sūdytą žuvį išimti iš indo, nušluostyti popieriniais rankšluostėliais, dėti vienu sluoksniu ant grotelių, oda žemyn, ir džiovinti, įjungus ventiliatorių, kol žuvies paviršius taps visiškai sausas. Žuvies gabalėlius dėti ant rūkyklos grotelių, oda žemyn. Rūkyti 65^oC temperatūroje 6-8 valandas, priklausomai nuo žuvies gabalėlių dydžio ir storio.

Po 6-8 valandų žuvį traukti iš rūkyklos, paviršių aptepti medumi, užbarstyti pipirų ir dėti atgal į rūkyklą, dar 1 valandai.

Rūkytą žuvį laikyti sandariai uždarytame inde šaldytuve, arba vakuuminėse pakuotėse šaldiklyje.

Related Tags

medus, žuvis,

Panašūs Receptai

Torrone
Gruodis 17, 2013 Vakarienė virš žarijų
Liepa 17, 2014 Florida Keys
Balandis 27, 2014 Rudeninis medus
Spalis 15, 2015 Kalėdos ir lašiša stiklainyje
Gruodis 07, 2011 Black Sea
Balandis 07, 2020

Palikite komentarą

LinaLapkritis 13 2018, 06:45 AM

Ir dar. As to zmogui niekas nemaciau bet jam irgi esu baisiai dekinga, kad jis soko i ezera Jono gelbet.

AusraLapkritis 13 2018, 11:13 AM

:-)

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LinaLapkritis 13 2018, 06:42 AM

Man visada baisiai neisku kaip zmones sugeba auginti vaikus, laikyti bites, vazineti dviraciais, gaudyti zuvis, tas zuvis rukyti, dar ir i darba kazkada nueiti. As toks lepsis, kad man tas visai neisivaizduojama. Pavydziu tokie zmonem.

AusraLapkritis 13 2018, 11:13 AM

as irgi neisivaizduoju, kaip jie viska suspeja;

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