Hot-Smoked Pike
Hot-smoked pike is a traditional recipe from German river and lake regions that beautifully accentuates the intense natural flavor of pike through smoking. The lean predatory fish benefits from a robust brine and mild beech smoke that rounds out its aroma. Pike contains many fine bones, so it is often smoked whole and the flesh carefully removed from the bones afterward.
Ingredients(for 1 kg)
Instructions
Preparation
20 min.Gut the pike, remove gills, but leave it whole. Rinse thoroughly with cold water. Prepare the brine and fully submerge the pike. Brine covered in the refrigerator.
Drying
1-2 hoursRemove the pike from the brine, rinse with cold water, and hang on smoking hooks through the eye sockets. Dry in a cool, airy place until the skin is shiny and the pellicle has formed.
Smoking
2-3 hoursPreheat smoker to 85–95 °C. Hang the pike inside and smoke with beech and cherry. After 1 hour, lightly brush the surface with oil. Smoke until a core temperature of 65–68 °C is reached in the thickest part of the back.
Resting and Serving
30 min.Remove the pike from the smoker and rest for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the flesh from the bones – pay special attention to the fine Y-bones. Serve warm or cold with horseradish and rye bread.
Pro Tip
Since pike is very lean, the surface can dry out quickly. Lightly brushing with neutral oil after the first hour of smoking helps retain moisture and achieve a beautiful glossy surface.
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