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While on a solo trip to Rockport Reservoir I was able to catch a few healthy Rainbow Trout, and as promised in this video, I’m going to share with you one of my favorite smoked trout recipes.
With most smoked trout recipes the first step is to brine the fish. The purpose of a brine is to not only add some flavor to the fish, but it also helps keep the fish from drying out during the cooking process. In this recipe instead of using a traditional salt and water brine, I’m going to use more of a marinade that contains only three ingredients. Before you mix your marinade, place your trout fillets in a baking dish.
Smoked Trout Marinade:
1 Cup White Cooking Wine
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
In a small bowl, whisk these three ingredients together, and pour the marinade over the trout fillets. If the marinade does not cover the fish, then double or even triple the marinade mixture.
Once the trout are covered in the marinade, place them in the refrigerator and let them marinate for 4 to 6 hours or overnight if you wish.
Dry the Trout Fillets:
Once your fillets are done marinating for the amount of time mentioned above, remove them from the baking dish. Place them on a smoking tray and let air dry for 30 minutes before beginning the smoking process.
Preheat your Smoker:
While the trout fillets are air drying, preheat your smoker to 150 degrees to start.
Smoking your Trout Fillets:
Once your fillets have air dried place them in the smoker. Smoke your fish at 150 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes at first. This will allow any of the marinade to dry, providing a nice coating on the fillets.
After 30 to 45 minutes increase your smoking temperature to 225 degrees for the remainder of the smoking process.
Smoking Wood:
In this recipe I used mesquite wood because I like that rich smoky flavor. If you want a milder smoke flavor, you can choose pecan, apple, oak or alder.
Smoking Times:
Smoking times may vary depending on the size and thickness of your trout filets. My smoking time was 2.5 to 3 hours or to an internal temperature 140 to 145 degrees based on the thickness of my fillets.
After anxiously waiting for my fillets to smoke, I can say it was well worth the wait. The trout fillets turned out tasty. I really like to smoky flavor and that hint of lemon that you get with this recipe. Even the ones in the family who don’t like trout enjoyed this recipe as well.
If you would like to see how I take the smoked trout and make an awesome smoked trout dip click here.
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