The Best Smoked Fish Dip

All that I can say is that if you aren't taking a small cooler with you on vacation, you need to be. Last year, we ventured up to Montana to escape the blistering Texas heat and scheduled a little time on the lake to see if I could hook into some lake trout. After a really productive afternoon, I had fresh fillets in the cooler, packed and ready to roll for the flight home the next day. So again, I urge you to pack a small cooler on your next trip out of town-- you just never know what you might come home with!

These lake trout were the perfect size for eating and have been served quite a few different ways since getting home. Last week, I pulled out a couple of the few remaining pieces and decided to do a little something different with them. A number of years ago, I began smoking fish, mainly salmon and like a true New Englander, enjoyed it on my morning bagel with a giant mug of coffee. The process isn't too lengthy and the outcome is not only incredibly delicious but really quite satisfying.

For this recipe, allow yourself 24 hours to make it from start to finish, even though you could speed up the time in the brine if needed.

For the brine:

1 deboned fish fillet, preferably trout or salmon

3 cups of water

½ cup of salt

½ cup of sugar

1 bunch of fresh dill, chopped

2 tbsp of dried juniper berries

1 tbsp dried mustard

In a large bowl, mix together the water, salt and sugar until dissolved. Next, stir in the dill, juniper berries and dried mustard. Transfer to a glass bowl or large sealable plastic bag and submerge the fish. Personally, I like using a plastic bag for brining because it takes up less room in the fridge and allows the brine to cover the entire piece of fish, regardless of size. Place in the fridge for 12-18 hours.

Once the brine time is up, remove the fish from the brine, place on a plate and lightly pat the top dry with a paper towel. Note: I don't rinse this fish after brining because I do like it to be a little bit on the saltier side when making dip. Let the fish air dry for an hour. This will help to form a pellicle on the exterior of the fish which will help during the smoking process. While this is happening, go fire up your smoker.

For this recipe, I actually like to use a hot smoke vs. a cold smoke, which is traditionally what is used for many fish recipes. I fire up my smoker to about 190 degrees and add a bunch of solid cherry wood to get the smoke rolling. Once the smoker is stable and holding temperature, add the fish and smoke for 1.5-2 hours. Because this is a hot smoke, the fish will have more of a cooked appearance to it, not like a traditional looking smoked salmon. Once smoked, transfer the fish to a cutting board and allow to cool.

Smoked Fish Dip

5 oz smoked trout

½ lemon juiced

1 tbsp fresh dill, plus more for garnish

⅓ cup of sour cream

8oz of cream cheese

1tsp fresno chile, thinly sliced

1tsp fresh parsley

Now, for the easy part, the dip. In a large mixing bowl, add all of the ingredients, except the trout and mix well. Flake the smoked fish meat into the dip by hand, being careful to ensure there are not any small pin bones falling into the bowl. Gently fold in the fish and serve with toast points, crackers or spread it on a bagel!