Stove-top smoked trout

4 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
4 Fresh trout

Directions

I am very suspicious of every new gadget that comes along for the "gourmet kitchen." So much junk is sold with the name "gourmet" on it that I am often frustrated over our willingness to buy one thousand gadgets rather than a few that will be truly functional. However, when I saw a stove-top smoker I left my suspicious nature behind and tried it. This is a jewel!

The smoker is called a Camerons Smoker, and since it is made of stainless steel, it is not cheap. The unit will run around $50, but consider the fact that you can smoke on top of your stove and thus give flavor to foods without adding a great deal of salt and fat. I think it is well worth the investment. It also goes into the dishwasher, a bit of frugality that the aluminum version cannot offer.

The principle is simple. Sawdust is placed in the bottom of the pan. A drip pan is then placed over the sawdust and a rack on top of that. Food is placed on the top rack and a tight-fitting lid over the whole. The unit is then placed on the stove top and the smoking sawdust flavors the food while it cooks. It is great! However, please remember that this must be done in a well-ventilated kitchen. One of these kitchen fans that simply recirculates the air will not do.

I put 3 fresh trout in my Camerons and cooked it for about 15 to 20 minutes over medium heat. The result is a very moist and flavorful dish.

Nothing else need be added except your own seasoning. I served the trout cold with mayonnaise and capers. Try smoking your own pork chops and then pan-frying them, or smoking salmon steaks, or halibut, or . . . well, you get the idea.

A light dry white wine and a very fresh green salad are all that are needed for this fine fish.

From <The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American>. Downloaded from Glen's MM Recipe Archive, .

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