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Smoked Fish

Also known as Smoked Fish (Traditional Smoking Method)

Smoking is the second most important fish preservation method in Nigeria — complementing sun-drying by using controlled wood smoke to simultaneously cook, dry and infuse fish with deep, complex smoky flavour compounds that also act as antimicrobial preservatives. Smoked fish is an irreplaceable ingredient in Nigerian cooking — its deep, smoky, intensely savoury character is utterly different from fresh fish and adds a flavour dimension to soups and stews that no other ingredi

Smoked Fish, Nigerian cooking

Ingredients

  • A big quantity of fresh fish — catfish, mackerel, tilapia or any fresh fish suitable for smoking
  • Coarse salt — for initial cure
  • Wood or wood chips for smoking — hardwood gives the best flavour (any fruit wood, mahogany, oak)
  • A smoking structure — traditional earthen kiln OR a covered grill OR a home smoker

Method

  1. 01

    Salt Curing. Clean and gut the fish. Rub generously with coarse salt inside and out. Leave for 2 to 4 hours. Rinse briefly. Pat dry.

  2. 02

    Setting Up the Smoke. For a home grill: soak hardwood chips in water for 30 minutes. Light charcoal in the grill. When the coals are hot, add the soaked wood chips over the coals. They will begin to smoke immediately. Position the fish on the grill rack above the smoking coals. Cover the grill to contain the smoke around the fish.

  3. 03

    Low-Heat Smoking. Smoke the fish at a low, steady temperature — the fish should be gently cooking in the smoke, not aggressively grilling. The goal is slow drying and smoke infusion, not fast cooking. Maintain steady smoke for 4 to 8 hours depending on the size and thickness of the fish.

  4. 04

    Testing for Completion. The smoked fish is ready when it is completely opaque throughout, the skin is deep golden-brown to dark brown, the flesh is firm throughout and pulling slightly from the bones, and the fish has a deep, complex smoky aroma throughout.

  5. 05

    Cooling. Allow the smoked fish to cool completely on a rack before storing.

More food preservation