Local Kine Stovetop Smoked Swordfish

The Missus requested one thing for Herself on my last trip home....no it wasn't (almost tho') jewelry, shoes, a handbag, or gasp, heaven forbid mac nuts. She wanted some smoked fish. So a small cooler and some gel packs later, She got a pound of smoked marlin and some smoked taco....which She proceeded to wack in a couple of meals.

 

Then of course came my mission.....She didn't want to wait for our next trip back; it was time for me to make this at home....like pronto. So over the course of the last couple of weeks, I came up with something similar. The easiest fish to find was swordfish, though I prefer marlin. Tasting the smoked fish, I figured it to be a soy sauce-sugar/mirin/honey-H20-sesame oil-granulated garlic-ginger kind of thing. This was going to be a bit tricky since I was hot smoking using my Camerons Stovetop Smoker which had served me well over the years. So after the first try, I had pretty much got the marinade fairly close to a starting point for future fun. You can use this for perhaps 2 - 2 1/2 pounds of fish or more. My smoker can hold about a pound-and-a-half.

So here's the marinade sans the red food coloring......

Marinade:
3/4 cup Aloha Shoyu
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup Hoisin Sauce
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon ground Korean chili powder
3-4 tablespoons ginger juice
3-4 tablespoons good sesame oil
3-4 tablespoons Mulyeot - Korean Malt Syrup
- Combine ingredients, mix well

I was surprised at how much sesame oil and ginger juice this recipe can handle. I'm sure we can bump up both and be perfectly happy.

I sliced the swordfish into strips and marinated overnight in a gallon ziploc bag - about 12 hours or so, before smoking. I used mesquite, because the flavor is somewhat similar to kiawe.

Smoking is interesting. For now I'm at about 35-40 minutes, but may try to cut that down a bit. The longer you smoke the drier the fish will become. Which leads me to the last thing. About 5 minutes before the smoking is complete, I mix 3 tablespoon sesame oil and 3 tablespoons honey and heat in the microwave for 20 seconds.

When the smoking is done, I immediately brush the sesame oil-honey mixture onto the fish. This adds flavor and seals in whatever moisture is left.

I let cool, then refrigerate.

I'd been wondering how the Missus has been eating this...it's usually pupus. I found that She uses it on salads, with even more sesame oil on top and whatever dressing She's feeling like....or even making Her own pseudo temaki.

Hey, who am I to argue. As they say...."Happy wife equals happy life!"

Happy Tuesday to you!

Comments

[kat]

wow! that looks amazing :)

[kirbie]

I love reading about your conversations with the Missus. hehe

[Jack]

That looks fantastic Kirk!

[Kyle]

Kirk,
Looks like a recipe I have to try. I like the idea of
brushing at the end. What temp are you smoking
at? Also, do you leave out the fish to form the pelicle
or just put it in the smoker?

[Kirk]

Hi Kat - The Missus likes it.

Hi Ktbie - LOL!

Hi Jack - It turned out pretty good.

Hi Kyle - Since this is hot smoked on my stovetop, I really don't monitor the internal temp. Once you got it going you really don't want to open the thing up. I usually start with the cover open going full blast until I see whisps of smoke. I then cover, seal with foil, then turn the heat down to very low. Again, this is hot and fairly fast, I just place the fish on the rack and start the process. I hope that helps.