Post by reefdonkey on May 30, 2012 14:08:25 GMT -5
On Sunday I was helping a neighbor fillet a bunch of Red and Black Drum he caught with some friends. Since the weather didn't look to promising to do any more fishing (but was perfect for hanging out in the garage and drinking beer 
), I suggested we try something I had wanted to try for a while...smoking the fillets. So here's what we did...
1) Fillet all the fish, leaving the skin on
2) Scale them
3) Soak the fillets in a simple salt water brine for about 2 hours
4) Pat dry and place skin side down on the smoker grates
5) Season with a cheap store bought grilling seasoning (can't remember what it was called, but it had garlic, onion, bell pepper, etc. - pretty simple)
6) Smoke the fillets for 1 to 1 1/2 hours (some fillets were thicker than others so they took the full 1 1/2 hours) at about 220 degrees. I used mesquite wood because it was all I had. I would have preferred hickory if available.
7) Remove the fillets from the smoker (easier said than done) and squeeze some fresh lemon/lime over them.
It was absolutely delicious! It is BY FAR my (new) favorite way to cook Redfish! We ended up with around a dozen fillets that we smoked and between 6 people, they were completely gone within 15 minutes. I RARELY keep any fish I catch, but after this experience, it's going to be harder to throw them back!
), I suggested we try something I had wanted to try for a while...smoking the fillets. So here's what we did...1) Fillet all the fish, leaving the skin on
2) Scale them
3) Soak the fillets in a simple salt water brine for about 2 hours
4) Pat dry and place skin side down on the smoker grates
5) Season with a cheap store bought grilling seasoning (can't remember what it was called, but it had garlic, onion, bell pepper, etc. - pretty simple)
6) Smoke the fillets for 1 to 1 1/2 hours (some fillets were thicker than others so they took the full 1 1/2 hours) at about 220 degrees. I used mesquite wood because it was all I had. I would have preferred hickory if available.
7) Remove the fillets from the smoker (easier said than done) and squeeze some fresh lemon/lime over them.
It was absolutely delicious! It is BY FAR my (new) favorite way to cook Redfish! We ended up with around a dozen fillets that we smoked and between 6 people, they were completely gone within 15 minutes. I RARELY keep any fish I catch, but after this experience, it's going to be harder to throw them back!
