Smoked Pike with Butter-Dill
The robust pike is transformed into a delicate treat through a gentle butter-dill marinade and careful hot smoking. The combination of butter, fresh dill, and lemon softens the firm pike flesh and keeps it moist. Alder wood provides a mild, slightly sweet smoky flavor that perfectly complements the dill-butter taste.
Ingredients(for 1 kg)
Instructions
Curing
6 hoursFillet the pike and carefully remove all bones. Dissolve salt and sugar in 1 liter of cold water. Fully submerge fillets in the brine and cure in the refrigerator for 6 hours.
Marinade & Drying
1.5 hoursRemove fillets from brine, rinse, and pat dry. Combine butter, dill, lemon juice, pepper, and garlic into a marinade. Brush fillets generously and leave uncovered for 30 minutes until the surface becomes slightly sticky.
Smoking
3.5-4.5 hoursPreheat smoker with alder and apple wood to 80 °C. Place pike fillets skin-side down on an oiled grate. Smoke at 80-95 °C. Halfway through smoking, apply remaining butter-dill marinade. Smoke until internal temperature reaches 63-66 °C.
Resting & Serving
15 minutesAllow fillets to rest for 15 minutes after smoking. Garnish with fresh dill and serve with lemon wedges and buttered rye bread.
Pro Tip
Pike fillets have little natural fat and can dry out easily when smoking – apply the butter-dill marinade generously and brush once more during smoking.
Save this recipe to your smoking journal?
With Curination you can scale recipes, track projects, document by voice and browse over 1,269 recipes.