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Thread: Smoked largemouth bass

  1. #1
    Boolit Grand Master Tripplebeards's Avatar
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    Smoked largemouth bass

    I soaked the fish in a brine consisting of a cup and half of canning salt, a cup and a half of brown sugar, and tablespoon of Warshire all mixed in a gallon of water. Left it sit a little over a day in the fridge. I removed the fish out of my brine and washed them in cold water. I patted them dry and propped open the chest cavities with wood stakes. I waited about two hours till the fish felt tacky and put them in my totem smoker. I added hickory chips twice during my smoke. I removed them after 7 hours. I’ll let you know how they taste after supper.

    Just after removing from the brine solution before they went in to my smoker...




    2hours in...




    After 7 hours...







    I opened up the larger ones tail where the thickest part of the fish seems to be and the meat was flakys so I would assume I’m good to go. I’ve smoked tons of carp and it normally takes 10 hours. I never smoked a fish whole with the head still on so this is a first. The heads themselves look like a taxidermist freeze dried them and look and feel like rawhide.
    Last edited by Tripplebeards; 07-17-2019 at 07:31 PM.

  2. #2
    Boolit Grand Master Tripplebeards's Avatar
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    It was excellent! The meat was tender, flaky, and completely moist accept for the rib meat which was like jerky. I wasn’t expecting the outcome. I thought it would be more like chewy smoked carp. I actually heated it up in the microwave for 45 seconds after I boned it and ended up dipping in butter. The two fish fed three people and have some leftover fro a fourth meal. It was just like grilling it with a just a hair more firmness. Next time I’ll put a little less salt in the brine.
    Last edited by Tripplebeards; 07-17-2019 at 08:15 PM.

  3. #3
    Boolit Grand Master Tatume's Avatar
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    It looks very good, but what is Warshire?
    Last edited by Tatume; 07-18-2019 at 08:59 AM.

  4. #4
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    Looks excellent. I have never smoked a fish and ask why you waited two hours until it felt tacky rather than wick off unwanted moisture with paper towels? Also having never smoked carp any advice is welcome. The only carp I have hooked was when bass fishing in a small light canoe and snagged one which pulled the canoe around the lake. It was a surprise until I figured it out : ) .

  5. #5
    Boolit Grand Master Tripplebeards's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tatume View Post
    It looks very good, but what is Warshire?
    iPad spell check.lol ....worcestershire

  6. #6
    Boolit Grand Master Tripplebeards's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by PB234 View Post
    Looks excellent. I have never smoked a fish and ask why you waited two hours until it felt tacky rather than wick off unwanted moisture with paper towels? Also having never smoked carp any advice is welcome. The only carp I have hooked was when bass fishing in a small light canoe and snagged one which pulled the canoe around the lake. It was a surprise until I figured it out : ) .
    I forget the the term but there is a word for it. Drying the fish beige smoking put a thin layer on top of the meat to seal in the moisture. Smoke also sticks to it better to give it a better flavor from what I’ve read. I can’t tell the difference as I really couldn’t tast a lot of smoke on the bass. I believe because i smoked it whole. The carp I made the exact same way and left it in my smoker for 12 hours till the fillets started to crack. The only difference is I filleted the carp so the meat was exposed. I’ll post pics of the carp smoke shortly.

  7. #7
    Boolit Grand Master Tripplebeards's Avatar
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    I speared two about 7 to 8 pounds a piece if I had to guess. So they were some good sized fillets. I soaked in brine for 24 hours and let dry on my counter with a fan for a good 4/5 hours till they looked completely dry and tacky. I only used one plate full of chips to snake these and they tasted great. I made a smoked fish spread with a block of cream cheese, a cup of sour cream, a tablespoon of dill, and a few drops of lemon juice and a dash of pepper. I dump in as much little pieces of de boned carp in the mix until I like it and let it sit in the fridge till the cream cheese hardens. I also made a noodle salad with some. Shell noodles with adding sour cream, mayonnaise, smoked carp, and peas.

    After I smoked it I pulled off the skin,scales on, and cut some of the dark mud line out...the mud line isn’t really fishy tasting after smoking but I removed a little of it anyways. The best meat is the clear looking rib meat! Smoked carp is excellent and very easy to make.


    Here’s a pic of some of the carp after a 12 hour smoke. The fillets were so long they were hanging off both sided of the rack and shrunk up with the drying/smoking process. You can see the dark “mud line” in the middle of the fillets. Like I said it actually tastes good and is fine to eat. Try it before you cut it out as most the time it tastes just as good as the rest of the fish.

    My parents use to buy us smoked carp all the time when we were kids which got me into making my own. You still can buy it in the grocery stores here in the meat section at certain times of the year wrapped in plastic like a steak is and a few other small places along the river here sell it year around.

    I think my next smoke I’m going to cut up some thin pieces and smoke it a lot longer till it turns to jerky.

    Last edited by Tripplebeards; 07-18-2019 at 10:23 AM.

  8. #8
    Boolit Grand Master Tatume's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tripplebeards View Post
    iPad spell check.lol ....worcestershire
    Don't you just love spell check?

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    Thanks

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    Cutting the mud line out of carp helps remove mercury and other pollutants because that is a blood line and they concentrate in it. I do the same to catfish, filet it out.

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    Boolit Buddy Time Killer's Avatar
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    I was already hungry for some smoked mullet and smoked mullet dip and I come across this post. They look great.

  12. #12
    Boolit Grand Master Tripplebeards's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MaryB View Post
    Cutting the mud line out of carp helps remove mercury and other pollutants because that is a blood line and they concentrate in it. I do the same to catfish, filet it out.
    The catfish around here smell like dung most the time when you fillet them.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Time Killer View Post
    I was already hungry for some smoked mullet and smoked mullet dip and I come across this post. They look great.

    My BIL in Gulf Breeze used to walk to the end of his dock, throw a cast net on a school of mullet and then smoke them. Absolutely delicious!

    I used to broil bass with a few sticks of butter and some lemon juice. I like fish and fishing.....
    Tom
    μολὼν λαβέ


    Did I ever mention that I hate to trim brass?

  14. #14
    Boolit Buddy
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    Pellicle is the word you were looking for

  15. #15
    Boolit Master Kev18's Avatar
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    Since you smoked them whole, was the meat hard to take off the rather small bones? Im willing to try this. Nothing I hate more then eating a fish and choking on a bone!

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    I never had smoked bass. We smoke salmon which is like made for a smoker. I was told that oily fish are the good smokers. I have had smoked carp from trout streams that were to die for (very oily fish) Smoked smelt hits the market every season. perhaps the best.
    Maybe the brine you did helps bass do well.

  17. #17
    Boolit Grand Master Tripplebeards's Avatar
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    I just tried some more of the last helping of it. It has a lot of smoke taste now that it’s sat in the fridge for a couple of days. It tastes even better after sitting!

  18. #18
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    have used molasses in place of the brown sugar. Those look good on a lot of fish we scale and fillet leaving the skin on to hold the meat together. Ive never done whole like that. But the head would drive most of my family away just seeing it. Brother in Law had a fit when I smoked a batch of frog legs for a fourth of July pot luck. Mom Dad and I just got more that way

  19. #19
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    ive smoked carp and suckers and its really good. No large mouth for me though. Most of the lakes that have them up here are a bit warm and the fish are full of grubs. Fun to catch but they get thrown back.

  20. #20
    Boolit Master
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    Smoked 100’s of salmon when we lived in Alaska. But never had the opportunity to taste smoked carp. Need to find a place to catch some and give it a try.
    East Tennessee

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