Smoked fish – a delicious speciality of Scotland
There’s more to smoked fish than salmon
Most people will have heard of and probably eaten, Scottish smoked salmon. A delicious treat, whether eaten on its own, made into a delicious sandwich or incorporated in to other dishes. But Scotland has much more to offer on the smoked fish front.
Arbroath Smokies Haddock are gutted and tied together in pairs, then suspended on either side of a rack. Several racks are laid across a half cask, in the bottom of which are smouldering wood chips, usually hardwood. The racks are then covered with sacking and the fish smoked. They emerge succulent and tasty, a real treat to eat. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Smoking has been used for centuries in order to preserve fish. The process also adds a depth of flavour and gives the fish a succulent texture. There are two methods of smoking fish. The most common is cold smoking. the fish is cured in brine before being smoked at a cool temperature (below 30 deg C). Hot smoking involved the fish being cooked whilst it is being smoked.
As well as smoked salmon you can also find one of Scotland’s best known dishes – the Arbroath Smokie. These are haddock which have been smoked over hot oak chips which gives them a very distinctive flavour. The method of smoking may have originated in Scandinavia where they still use a similar process today.
Watch out for some of the artisan smokeries which produce things like smoked scallops and mussels.
You can buy Scottish smoked fish from farmer’s markets, specialists shops and also, directly from the producer. Many smokeries will let you look around and find out more about the process before buying your fish. Enjoy!
