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How to Cure and Smoke Fish

This recipe describes curing and smoking fish using salt, sugar, saltpetre, and a smokehouse.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 4 ingredients
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Why it works: Fish and sugar work together. They rank in the top 42% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 207 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓

How to Cure and Smoke Fish

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Scale and clean the fish by slitting it up the back.

  2. Wipe the fish with a damp cloth; do not wash.

Cure

  1. Mix the salt, brown sugar, and saltpetre together.

  2. Rub the mixture inside and out of the fish.

  3. Stack the fish with a board on top and place heavy weights to press them down.

  4. Let them sit for 60 hours.

Smoke

  1. Drain and wipe the fish dry.

  2. Stretch the fish open and fasten with small sticks.

  3. Smoke the fish for 5 days in a smokehouse or in a barrel over a smothered wood fire.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Fish + sugartop 42% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together207 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Fish
The main protein, which the salt cure penetrates and firms as it dries.
Coarse sea salt
Draws out moisture and seasons the fish, slowing spoilage during curing.
Brown sugar
Balances the saltiness and adds mild sweetness and flavour to the cured fish.
Saltpetre
Helps preserve the fish and keeps its colour during curing.

The step that matters

Drain and wipe the fish dry. A dry surface helps smoke adhere and form a glossy pellicle that slows spoilage. Leftover moisture and brine can cause uneven smoke colour and encourage microbial growth.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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