Grill Smoked Trout make a great appetizer. Smoky, meaty, sweet trout plays well with all sorts of different tasty beverages. It’s easy to make at home, tastes better than store-bought, and will impress your guests. What more can you ask for?.
I like to serve it chilled, with crackers, red onions, capers, and sour cream. Served warm, smoked trout can be the main course, though. Leftovers can be used as the base for a smoked trout spread.
To make this trout, you need to plan ahead. It needs to be brined for a few hours and then smoked on the grill for at least 30 minutes. Okay, I get around that by making it a long time ahead of time; smoked fish can be made up to two days ahead of time. Straight from the fridge, it tastes great cold. If you give it time to warm up, it also tastes great at room temperature.
One more thing: when I cook fish, I like it medium-rare to medium-done, with just a hint of transparency in the middle. No, not with smoked fish. I want to cook it all the way through and add a smokey flavor. That’s another advantage to this recipe – the cooking time is very forgiving.
Smoking fish on a grill is a great way to add flavor and preserve your catch. The smoking process infuses the fish with a delicious smoky flavor while the salt acts as a natural preservative. Smoked fish tastes amazing and can last for several weeks when stored properly.
In this comprehensive guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know to smoke fish on a grill, from the equipment you’ll need to step-by-step instructions. You’ll also find tips for choosing the right fish, determining doneness, and storing your smoked fish.
Benefits of Smoking Fish on a Grill
Here are some of the main benefits of smoking fish on a grill:
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Adds incredible smoky flavor that you can’t achieve with other cooking methods.
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Smoking cooks the fish gently at a low temperature, keeping it moist and tender.
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Natural wood smoke adds antioxidants and preserves the fish
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It’s easy to do at home with minimal specialized equipment
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Smoked fish makes amazing appetizers, main courses, and leftovers
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Kids love the fun, hands-on experience of backyard smoking.
So if you want to take your grilling skills to the next level, smoking fish is a great technique to try!
Equipment Needed for Smoking Fish on a Grill
To smoke fish on a grill, you just need a few basic pieces of equipment:
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Grill: You’ll need a charcoal or gas grill. Smokers also work well.
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Wood chips or chunks: Use wood like hickory, oak, apple, cherry, maple, etc. Soak before using.
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Aluminum foil: Makes it easy to get the fish on and off the grill.
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Spatula: Helpful for turning and removing the smoked fish.
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Brush: For basting the fish with glaze or oil.
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Tongs: For handling the wood chips.
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Thermometer: Helps ensure the fish is fully cooked.
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Cooling rack: Let the fish cool before refrigerating or serving.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Smoking Fish on a Grill
Follow this simple process for amazing smoked fish every time:
1. Choose Your Fish
Opt for fatty fish like salmon, trout, or mackerel which hold up well to smoking. White fish like tilapia and cod can also work. Cut larger fish into fillets or steaks for easier smoking.
2. Prepare the Fish
Rinse the fish and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the fish all over with olive oil or dry brine mixture. Let it sit while you preheat the grill.
3. Soak the Wood Chips
Place wood chips or chunks in water for at least 30 minutes prior to grilling. This prevents them from burning up too quickly.
4. Preheat the Grill
Heat your charcoal or gas grill to between 225-250°F. For charcoal, mound the coals on one side.
5. Add the Wood Chips
Drain the wood chips and scatter them over the hot charcoal, being careful of flare-ups. For gas grills, wrap chips in foil and poke holes.
6. Smoke the Fish
Place the fish on the grill’s cool side, skin-side down. Smoke with the lid down for 30-60 minutes until fish flakes easily with a fork.
7. Let It Rest
Carefully remove fish from the grill and let it rest for 10-15 minutes before serving. The temperature will continue rising slightly.
8. Enjoy Your Smoked Fish!
Your fish is ready to devour! Flake gently with a fork and serve. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers promptly.
Tips for Delicious Smoked Fish
Follow these tips for the best results when smoking fish on your grill:
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Maintain an even, low temperature between 225-250°F.
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Use a milder smoke wood like alder, apple, cherry, or maple to complement the fish.
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Keep the grill’s top vent open to let smoke escape and prevent bitterness.
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Brush fish with oil or a brown sugar glaze during smoking for extra flavor.
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Use a digital meat thermometer to check for doneness; fish is done at 145°F.
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Allow the fish to rest before serving so juices redistribute evenly.
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Store smoked fish packed in oil or freezer bags for up to 2 weeks.
Best Wood Chips for Smoking Fish
The wood you choose impacts flavor, so select a type that pairs well with fish:
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Alder: Delicate, sweet flavor perfect for salmon.
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Apple: Mild, fruity smoke taste.
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Cherry: Slightly sweeter smoke with a hint of fruitiness.
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Maple: Mildly smoky and sweet, great for trout.
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Hickory: Classic bold, bacon-like smoke flavor.
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Oak: Stronger smoke flavor that’s ideal for oily fish like mackerel.
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Pecan: Subtle, nutty smoke flavor.
Experiment with combinations like apple and cherry or alder and maple to customize the flavor.
Choosing the Right Fish for Smoking
You’ll get the best results with oily fish that are high in healthy fats. Here are great options:
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Salmon: King salmon or Atlantic salmon both smoke wonderfully.
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Trout: A delicate fish that takes on smoke flavor easily.
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Mackerel: Stronger flavor holds up well to heavier smoke.
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Catfish: Mild tasting and meaty. Soaks up smoky flavor.
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Tuna: Meaty with a hearty texture. Choose fatty cuts like belly.
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Sardines: Small, oily fish perfect for quick smoking.
How Long to Smoke Fish on a Grill
Smoking times vary based on the size and thickness of the fish:
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Whole small fish: 1 – 1 1/2 hours
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Fish steaks/fillets: 30 minutes – 1 hour
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Thick fish cuts: Up to 2 hours
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Thin fish fillets: As little as 15-30 minutes
Use a meat thermometer to test for doneness. Fish is safely cooked between 140-145°F internally. If unsure, it’s better to smoke a bit longer than risk undercooked fish.
Serving and Storing Smoked Fish
Smoked fish tastes delicious hot off the grill, served at room temperature, or chilled. Here are some serving ideas:
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Layer smoked salmon on crackers with dill cream cheese.
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Crumble hot smoked trout over salads or pasta.
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Serve smoked mackerel paté on toasted bread or crackers.
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Transform leftovers into smoked fish dip or salad.
Store smoked fish tightly wrapped in the fridge for 5-7 days or freeze for longer storage. Vacuum seal or pack in bags covered by oil or broth.
Smoked Fish Recipes to Try
Once you’ve mastered the basics, try out these tasty recipes:
Cedar Plank Salmon – Top salmon with brown sugar, salt and pepper. Smoke on a soaked cedar plank for incredible flavor.
Maple Glazed Rainbow Trout – Brush trout fillets with pure maple syrup before and during smoking.
BBQ Smoked Mackerel – Coat mackerel fillets with your favorite barbecue sauce before smoking.
Smoked Tuna Dip – Flake smoked tuna and combine with cream cheese, lemon juice, and herbs for a creamy dip.
Grill Smoked Sardines – Quick smoke small fresh sardines over indirect heat. Serve with homemade aioli.
The possibilities are endless once you learn how to smoke fish on your grill.smoke fish on a grill. With a bit of practice, you’ll be able to smoke an incredible variety of fish at home to enjoy all year long. Refer to this guide to get started grilling up deliciously smoky fish fillets, steaks, and more.
Recipe: Grill Smoked Trout
5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star
5 from 4 reviews
- Author: Mike Vrobel
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 4 trout fillets 1x
Grill Smoked Trout, a fancy appetizer from the kettle grill in your own backyard.
- 2 trout, filleted
- 1. A fist-sized piece of wood or 1. A cup of wood chips (my favorite wood tastes are oak and hickory).
- 1 quart water
- 2 tablespoons table salt (4 tablespoons diamond crystal kosher salt)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- Paper thin sliced red onions
- Capers
- Sour cream
- Crackers
- To brine the trout and soak the wood, mix salt and brown sugar in water in a large bowl. Then, wait about five minutes for the salt and sugar to dissolve. Put the fish fillets in and put it in the fridge for at least an hour and up to four hours. Soak the smoking wood in water while the trout is brining.
- For indirect medium-low (300°F) heat, set up the grill. For cooking on indirect medium-low heat, set up the grill. A chimney starter is half full of charcoal (about 50 coals) for my Weber kettle. I light it and pour the charcoal in a tight pile on one side of the grill. After that, I put my chunk of wood on top of the charcoal and drained it.
- Set up a foil tray for the trout. Take the trout out of the brine and pat it dry with paper towels while the grill heats up. Make a tray out of two pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil that are a little wider than the four pieces of trout. Place the fillets of trout on the foil, skin side down.
- Smoke the trout on the grill. Take out the smoking wood and add it right to the coals. Place the trout on the grill grate, making sure it is as far away from the hot coals as possible. Close the lid. (If you have a kettle grill, turn the lid so the vent is right over the trout to get smoke on the fish.) Close the lid and cook the fish for 30 to 45 minutes, or until it’s fully cooked and browned from the smoke.
- Serve: You can serve the smoked trout right away, or (my favorite way) chill it first. To chill, move the trout from the foil tray to a sheet pan. Let it cool for 15 minutes at room temperature, then cover it with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for up to 3 days. To serve, use a spatula to remove the skin from the trout fillet. The skin will stick to the foil. Serve with the accompaniments.
- Why aluminum foil? Because the smoked fish won’t stick and will be easier to move around on and off the grill.
- If you’re serving the fish straight from the grill as a main dish, don’t use foil. Instead, use a paper towel dipped in vegetable oil to clean the grill grate and then place the fish on it, skin side down.
- And. Should it be fillet or filet? I think of filet as a cut of beef from the tenderloin (filet mignon) and fillet as the side of a fish that has been boned out. (As in fillet o fish. Wait. bad example. ).
- Grill (I love my Weber kettle)
- Heavy duty aluminum foil
- Prep Time: 1h
- Cook Time: 45m
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: American
Smoked Catfish | Best Fish Recipe on the Grill
How do you smoke fish on a pellet grill?
Place the fish fillets in a smoker box or on a grate that’s covered in foil. Sprinkle with your favorite spices (I like to use salt, pepper, and smoked paprika). Place the smoker box or grate on the pellet grill. Close the lid and let the fish smoke for about 3 to 4 hours or until it’s cooked through.
How do you smoke fish on a grill?
Put the fish in the Marinade – skin side up. Marinade in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove the fish from the marinade and rinse the fish. Pat the fish dry and allow the fish to reach room temperature. Set the grill for 150°-175°. Put the fish skin side down on the grill. Smoke for 2-5 hours or until you like the texture.
How long do you smoke fish on a BBQ?
Once your BBQ is ready, it’s time to start smoking the fish. Place the fish fillets on the grill grates, ensuring they are not directly over the heat source. Close the lid of the BBQ and let the fish smoke for about 1-2 hours, depending on the thickness of the fillets.
How do you cook fish on a wood pellet grill?
Try herbs like parsley, tarragon, dill, ginger, and chives for a flavor injection. A Pit Boss wood pellet grill is very versatile when it comes to grilling a piece of fish. Bake the fish over indirect heat. Set a temperature setting of between 350℉ and 425℉. Set the wood pellet grill to smoke mode at a temperature of 225℉. Smoke for 2-3 hours.