Smoked spanish mackerel

olblue

I tried smoking this fish with hickory for one hour at 200.[p]It came out very moist, which I interpreted as not done long enough, but I took it out and put it in the fridge. It firmed up a little bit but was on the mushy side. [p]Did I cook it too long or not long enough or did I just pick the wrong kind of fish to smoke?

Bama Fire

ol-blue,
I've never tried smoking fish on the EGG. I've grilled numerous filets: trout, grouper, tuna steaks - but I've always used a temp of 325 to 400. [p]Maybe the spanish just doesn't take well to a slow cook. I've personally never been a big fan of spanish to eat. They're great to catch, but not too pleasing to my palate.[p]roll tide.[p]B~F

Cat

ol-blue,[p]Mackerel is a very fatty fish; maybe that's why it seems mushy? [p]I wonder if brining it first would help. The link below might interest you - these guys seem to know their way around smoked fish.[p]Cathy
[ul][li]3Men With Nothing Better To Do[/ul]

Unknown

ol-blue, I have done cod, (several times) 150-200 deg. with apple smoke, suits me right down to the ground.
Gord

Unknown

ol-blue,
Start fish real low and gradually raise the temp.
You were wise to sweat it in the refrig.
Longer times firm it up of course.
all fish has individual qualities that make taste and texture varied..salmon and char are fatty as oppsed to tuna or perch which are somewhat less oily.
hope this helps[p]

Unknown

ol-blue,
I am a Spanish mackerel fisherman, here in Cedar Key. Spanish smoke very well, but you need to marinate them in the following for at least 4 hours, but no more than 8 hrs.
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup rum
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 bay leaves crushed
1 QT of water
Then rinse them off with fresh water, dry them with paper towel, let sit at room temperature on the rack until they have a slight patina and are a little sticky.[p]Put wood (I like bay wood) on charcoal and smoke at 175 degrees until dryed out. In my Little Indian slow smoker this takes about 6 hours. In my ceramic grill, I don't know how long. After they are smoked I make a fish dip with them with the following recipe. (secret):-)[p]Real mayonnaise - On pulled apart smoked fish until you get a slightly creamy texture.
McIhenny's Tobasco sauce. I like it hot and use 5 or 6 TBS for about a quart of dip. The fish and mayonnaise removes some of the heat.
No salt added.
Mix up and eat well.[p]N.W.

olblue

1/2 a cup of rum ought to do it.[p]What do you mean by dried out, how dry?