Garden in a Fish
From The Smoked-Foods Cookbook, by Lue and Ed Park

Ingredients:

For the Brine:

3 cups of cold water
1-1/2 cups pickling salt
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp coarse ground black pepper
6 bay leaves
1-1/2 tsp whole allspice
1-1/2 tsp whole cloves
2 tsp ground ginger
2 garlic cloves, crushed

For the Fish & Stuffing:

Whole, cleaned fish, about 5 pounds
2 cups chopped vegetables, such as carrots, onions, zucchini, and green or red pepper
4 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Juice of 1 lemon

Preparation:

Mix all the ingredients for the brine thoroughly. Place the fish in the brine and refrigerate for 4 hours. Rinse well, pat dry, and air dry until a glaze forms on the skin.

Sauté the vegetables and herbs in the butter. Add the salt, pepper and lemon juice. Stuff the mix into the cavity, and use a skewer to close the fish. Place the fish on an oiled cooking rack and smoke-cook for about three hours.

Yield: Serves 8

Submit your question
to Ochef