I love the smoked "cod" that I get from the supermarkets but always wonder why none of it is produced in Australia. It nearly always comes from South Africa with occasionally some from NZ.
Why is none produced in Australia?
Does anyone know?
.
Do yourself a favour and smoke your own. $30 for a little smoker, some sawdust, a bit of metho and you're in business.
The great benefit is that some very ordinary table fish turn into culinary delights. I was given some frozen tailor fillets once and was looking for a cat to feed them to. The better half suggested smoking a couple before we got rid of them. They were delicious.
Most of that smoked cod is chemically smoked, not smoked like you would do it yourself in a smoker or what a lot of aussie companies do.
As stated above, smoke it yourself, far more healthier, tastier and safer
Regards
Steve Brown
Originally Posted by charleville
I love the smoked "cod" that I get from the supermarkets but always wonder why none of it is produced in Australia. It nearly always comes from South Africa with occasionally some from NZ.
Why is none produced in Australia?
Does anyone know?
.
Hi Charleville;
Funny you mention this - We just had it for dinner the other night - and I pondered that very Q - why its not local, and why South Africa?
Its been a regular fav in my family for generations, especially around Easter, We steam it first a little, remove bones and scales, then bake it in a white cheesy sauce (with a spash of good white wine in the sauce) - bloody beautiful.... and yet not many people are familiar with it..
Yummo!
yeah one of those recipes largely lost today, was typical years ago at least through a few generations of my family all growing up on farms. Thanks for the memory, have not eaten it in 20 years...I became too urban...so much gets lost.
cheers fnq
I did some last night in the el cheapo weber I bought.. worked great !! did some salmon fillets the wife bought for her health kicktasted good!
She also had some barramundi (shop bought) which looked average to me, so I did it too.. found by making a small foil bowl & putting the fillets in there, with the top of the 'bowl' open the juices didn't dry out.. Used hickory smoke pellets I bought at Bunnings.
Got carried away then, threw in half a dozen snags I had on hand, they turned out beautifully, like salami flavour.
If men are from Mars, and women are from Venus, politicians must be from uranus ?
Try one of these Nipper Kippers - http://www.smokeovens.com/index.php
I use to eat a lot of that smoked cod until I found out it was chemically smoked. I prefer the good old fashioned way.
I smoke whole chooks in mine, just split them down the breast bone and flatten them along the spine.
Some people like to put their fish in a brine before smoking, I prefer it just smoked. Try a few ways and work out which you prefer.
Regards
Steve Brown
HaHA. I have the nipper kipper box smoker and have been smoking tailor, dart, and mackerel the past couple of weeks. Cant get enough of it. I bought some sawdust to put in there but dried coastal banksia flowers are the best i reckon. Ben
you can buy the "chemical" that they use to flavour/colour the Supermarket stuff, I get it from a place near me and send it up to my mate in Caloundra, it works a treat, you just mix some in some Water, soak the Fish for a while and take it out, dry on some Paper towel and your done. A word of warning, do not spill any on your clothes, the kitchen bench or anywhere else, it will stain real good.
OH and Spotty Mackeral come out really great in the "mix" remember also that they are not cooked in anyway, so need to be refridgerated and eaten reasonably quick, a quick poach in Milk works well.
Great idea Steve - now I wanna try doing a smoked chook..
As for the "chemical" smoke - is it flavour they put in the fish to substitute smoking, or something they apply to the fish before actual smoking?
I guess most things we eat now are chemical (margarine, even our salt in chemically fortified) so shouldnt worry too much..
Medically speaking though - a diet high in smoked (salted and pickled foods too) is strongly correlated / predisposes individual to gastric cancers -- so I wouldnt eat smoked food more than a couple of times a week at most - of course you should do your own research on this - just my individual opinion based on own reading- but cancer council dietary guidelines quote something similar.
the Chemical stuff is just a flavoured/coloured "powder" that you mix with water and soak the fish in, and that colours and flavors the fish, it is then cooked later, does not go anywhere near a smoker.
If anyone is interested in doing their own non smoked smoked fish, I can dig up the supplier's name and pass it on, (they are in Southern NSW) or maybe organise a full box to be sent to my mate and you can pick it up from him (in Caloundra) or something, if you like the Supermarket style of smoked fish, then it is the product for you, works a treat and as easy as pie to do.
Before you smoke your own fish next time try this.
Make up a salty brine buy putting enough water in a bowl to TOTALLY submerge the fillets.Keep adding salt to the water until a raw egg floats in it.
chuck in some onion or garlic or chilli whatever you like.
make sure you leave the skin on your fillets and then put it in the brine in the fridge for an hour.
after an hour take the fish out and pat it dry,leave it in a cool spot with a fan blowing on it to dry it out.You will hopefully get a shiney surface form on the flesh ,this is normal its called a pellicle{spelling}
anyway after that wack it in the smoker and try to smoke it as slow and cold as you can.when a fork glides thru it easy its done.
this fish will keep in the fridge for ages as its salted.
I kryovac mine and have left it for 5 weeks and it actually tastes better if you store it for a while before you eat it.
cheers scotty
Just a warning on smokers .I read some were that galvanized smokers give off some sort of toxic fumes ,so stainless stell ones are the go .Since reading the artical I havent used my old Galvanized one .
Any one up to speed on this issue
Willo
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