- Recipes
Smoked Kingfish Dip
Christian Daehler
Smoked Kingfish Dip
Whenever I have enough time to run the smoker, this is my go to way of preparing kingfish and amberjack.
This kingfish was caught in the Dry Tortugas while taking a brief break from diving. He, along with the other kingfish we caught on that trip made enough fish dip for the entire crew and their families.
Understanding The Smoke
This is unnecessary for making smoked kingfish dip, but if you want to nerd out on the smoking process you can fine tune the fishy vs smoky flavor blend in your dip. Here are the basics:
The Sweat
Throughout your smoke you will notice your fish “sweating” as it loses its juices. These juices contribute to the fishy flavor. The more juices you lose, the less of that fishy flavor you will retain.
The Bark
As the smoke continues, the outside of your fish will begin to turn crispy and burnt orange. This contributes to the smoky flavor. The darker and crispier your bark is, the smokier your dip will taste. However, the moisture produced by the sweat can create pools of juices in low spots. This will prevent bark from forming in those areas until all the juice has evaporated. This bark is also developed over time so low, slow smokes are vital if you want that nice smoky flavor.
If you prefer maximum smoke and minimum fish flavor, then you are just like me. Follow the directions below and dry your fish out almost entirely so the bark is able to form fully.
If you want maximum smoke and maximum fishy flavor, then you will want to cold smoke your fish. This can be done with smoke tubes and and wood pellets without even turning your grill on, This process allows smoke flavor and bark to build up, without drying the fish out too much. Once your fish is smoky enough, you can crank the heat up to cook the inside.
If you want minimum smoke flavor and maximum fish flavor, just smoke your fish until the fish is fully cooked. then pull it before it dries out or the bark develops. If you want minimum smoke and minimum fish flavor, smoke at a higher temperature so the fish can dry out before too much smoke has saturated it.
Here is the smoked kingfish dip recipe:
Smoked Kingfish Dip
