Finnish-Style Hot Smoked Trout with Juniper Berries
A classic Scandinavian smoked fish dish where fresh trout are cured with salt, sugar, and crushed juniper berries before being hot smoked. The combination of alder wood and a touch of apple wood gives the fish a mild, aromatic smoky note. The trout remains moist and works beautifully as a main course or as a base for smoked trout pâté.
Ingredients(for 1 kg)
Instructions
Preparation & Curing
4 hours in the refrigeratorGut, wash, and pat dry the trout. Combine all ingredients into a cure mixture. Rub the mixture generously into the belly cavity and over the entire outer skin. Place the fish side by side on a wire rack and cure uncovered in the refrigerator at 4 °C for 4 hours.
Pellicle Formation
30-60 minutesRemove trout from the refrigerator and gently pat dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Allow to air-dry on the rack at room temperature or in front of a fan for 30–60 minutes until the surface is glossy and feels tacky. This layer (pellicle) ensures better smoke absorption.
Hot Smoking
1.5-2 hoursPreheat the smoker to 80 °C. Use alder wood chips and apple wood chips in a 3:1 ratio. Place trout back-side up on the rack. Gradually increase the temperature to 95–100 °C over 30 minutes. Smoke until the core temperature reaches 62–65 °C. The fish is done when the dorsal fin can be pulled out easily.
Resting & Serving
15-20 minutesRemove trout from the smoker and allow to rest on the rack for 15–20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, traditionally with rye bread, crème fraîche, fresh dill, and lemon wedges. Keeps in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Pro Tip
Place the trout back-side up in the smoker so that the fish fat runs downward into the flesh during smoking – this keeps the fish exceptionally moist.
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