Smoking fish is not difficult, and it takes far less time than smoking meats such as pork or venison. Once you have large pieces of your fish -- salmon is an excellent smoking fish, as is bluefish, trout or sturgeon -- you will need to prepare a brine.
A basic fish brine is:
- 4 cups water
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 stalk sliced celery
- 1/2 cup chopped fennel
- 1/2 chopped onion
- 2 smashed garlic cloves
Mix together all the brine ingredients and place your fish in a non-reactive container (plastic or glass), cover and put in the refigerator.