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Mussels are delicious when simply steamed in garlic and white wine. This recipe combines steaming with smoking for a great appetizer. From Mike Stines’ article “Smoking Succulent Shellfish”. Read more how-to and recipes for smoked mussels, clams, scallops, and oysters here.

Ingredients

1 to 2 pounds Blue mussels
2 cups dry white wine
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot minced
4 springs fresh thyme
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Instructions

Add the wine, lemon juice, garlic, thyme and crushed red pepper flakes to a 6 1/2-quart stock pot. Fit a steamer basket into the pot and bring the liquid to a high simmer over medium heat.

Scrub the mussels with a vegetable brush and remove the “beard” on the edge of the mussels (do not do this in advance, as removing the beard will kill the mussel).

Put the mussels into the stock pot and tightly cover. Steam the mussels until they just open, about five to seven minutes. Drain in a colander. When the mussels are cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the shells—reserving the shells for presentation. Discard any mussels that do not open.

Prepare the smoker for a 200 degrees F. cook using whatever wood you prefer. Smoke the mussels on a grill rack or smoking mat for 10 to 15 minutes. Do not overcook the mussels.

Remove the mussels from the smoker. Place the smoked mussel in one half of the reserved shell and serve.

(Any remaining mussels may be stored, covered and refrigerated, for up to three days. I usually store them in a good-quality olive oil.)

My preference is to shuck the clams before smoking so they absorb more of the smoke flavor, but whole clams can be smoked until the shells open, about ten minutes. Fishmongers use different names for clams based on their size. The smallest harvestable clam is a littleneck (about one inch in diameter), then middleneck, followed by topneck. Larger clams are cherrystones (three to four per pound) and chowder clams. One pound of topneck clams contains about five to seven clams. From Mike Stines’ article “How to Smoke Succulent Shellfish” here.

Ingredients

2 to 3 pounds littleneck or middleneck clams
Lemon wedges
Freshly minced parsley for garnish
Cocktail sauce, if desired

Instructions

Soak the clams in cold water for an hour, which allows them to purge any sand. Scrub the clams under running cold water with a vegetable brush.

Shuck the clams. To shuck clams, you’ll need a clam knife (different from an oyster knife, as the tip is not curved and the blade is thinner) and a mesh glove to protect your hand if the knife slips. Experienced shuckers will just use a side towel to hold the clam. It’s easier to open clams if they have been chilled for several hours.

Hold the clam with the hinge facing the palm of your gloved hand. Using the side of the knife, wedge the blade between the shells at the front on the clam. When the shell opens, slide the knife around the clam to cut the adductor muscles holding the shells together. Run the knife along the top and bottom surfaces inside the knife to free the clam. Discard one half of the shell, reserving the other half for cooking and presentation.

Prepare the smoker for 225 degrees F. cooking using the wood of your choice (I recommend using maple or apple wood). Place the clams on a vegetable grate and smoke for 30 to 40 minutes.

This recipe creates a dry cure rub for fish; use instead of brining in preparation for smoking. Read more about smoked fish in Mike Stines’ article here.

Use only fresh fish that has been kept clean and cold. Salmon are split with the backbone removed or filleted; bottom fish filleted; herring and smelts are headed and gutted. (Herring are also traditionally split for kippers.) Rinse the fish with running cold water to remove all traces of blood.

Ingredients

1/2 cup (5 ounces or 140 grams) coarse kosher salt
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
3/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons dried lemon zest
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried ginger

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well to combine. (This cure will keep in a closed container for six months.)

Liberally apply the cure to both sides of the fish. Place in a non-reactive container and cover. Refrigerate for six to eight hours.

After brining or curing, rinse the fish with cold running water.

Place the fish skin side down on a cooling rack over a half sheet pan and refrigerate overnight allowing a pellicle to form on the surface. The pellicle, a sticky lacquer-like layer, will seal the surface and prevents loss of natural juices during smoking.

Prepare the smoker for 150 degrees F. smoking and smoke the fish using the wood of your choice to an internal temperature of 140 degrees F. (Generally 1/2-inch pieces are smoked for an hour; one-inch pieces for two hours and 1 1/2-inch pieces for three hours.) Use an instant-read thermometer such as the Thermapen to assure the fish is properly cooked.

Once the fish is smoked, wrap the cooled fish with plastic wrap. It will keep in the refrigerator for a week or frozen for up to six months.

Read more about preparing fish for smoking in Mike Stines’ article here.

Use only fresh fish that has been kept clean and cold. Salmon are split with the backbone removed or filleted; bottom fish filleted; herring and smelts are headed and gutted. (Herring are also traditionally split for kippers.) Rinse the fish with running cold water to remove all traces of blood.

Ingredients

4 cups cold water
1/4 cup (2.5 ounces or 70 grams) kosher salt
1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 bay leaves
1 stalk celery, sliced
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, smashed

Instructions

Bring two cups of water to a simmer over medium heat. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until the salt and sugar dissolve. Remove from the heat and add the remaining cold water. Cool the brine to 40 degrees F. (Use one gallon of brine for every four pounds of fish.)

If you don’t want to make your own brining solution or want a variety of flavored brines, Hi Mountain offers several brine mixes including a trout brine, gourmet fish brine and Alaskan salmon brine.

Place the fish in a non-reactive container and add the brine. Cover and refrigerate.

Brine 1/2-inch thick fillets for two hours, one-inch thick pieces about six hours, and 11/2-inch thick pieces overnight. Brining times can be adjusted to give the fish a lighter or heavier cure. Brining pickles the fish so the longer it brines the saltier it will get.

Another option is to dry cure the fish instead of using a brining solution. See recipe for dry cure here.

This is a dry cure that can be used on about five pounds of pork bellies or fish such as salmon. Read more about making bacon in Mike Stines’ article here.

Ingredients

2 1/4 tablespoons (1.3 ounces or 37 grams) coarse kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 level teaspoon pink salt

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl. This cure will keep, covered, for several months.