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I remember many years ago a trip to a little Jewish deli in Manhattan. It was probably the iconic Russ & Daughters, but I can’t be sure. All I can tell you is that I remember a vivid image of a display of smoked fish that I’d never seen before, and have never seen since: There were little chubs, golden and smoked whole.
Smoked sablefish, coated with paprika. Slabs of vermillion salmon, each a different shade depending on whether it was lox or Nova or Scottish or Pacific.
King of them all was the smoked sturgeon. It was in a block, and was sliced like deli meat. Even as a little kid I remember it being expensive. Precious. Mysterious. I was dimly aware that there were no sturgeon anymore, and that this was something truly exotic.
Truth is I was half right. There were no sturgeon anywhere within 1500 miles of me then. The East once had a tremendous sturgeon fishery, but we humans had no inkling of how slow sturgeon grow and as a consequence we fished them out. That was nearly a century ago, and the sturgeon are still not plentiful enough for even a recreational fishery. It’s a terrible story of human ignorance and greed.
Here in the West, we have the white sturgeon, which is still plentiful enough for a recreational fishery thanks to heavy regulation. Here in California we are only allowed three fish a year, which everyone agrees was a wise move — except for the poachers, many of whom are recent immigrants from Russia, where caviar poaching is big business. After all, who needs more than three fish a year? Hell, I’d be happy with one.
Until right at the very end of the trip, when the final angler laid into a really nice 56-inch fish. He was generous enough to share it with all of us, so I did get to take home some sturgeon.
I knew I needed to smoke some, so I contacted my colleague Barton Seaver, who is a guru of smoked fish and the author of the book Where There’s Smoke: Simple, Sustainable, Delicious Grilling. Barton gave me the rough outlines of this recipe, and I am happy to say it worked like a charm!
The dry cure works fast, and the level of smoke was perfect: I use alder for all my fish, but fruit woods or oak would also work well.
The result is a hybrid cured-smoked fish that is just barely cooked through to the center, pleasantly salty and smoky, with just a hint of the mace I used in the cure. If you’ve never eaten sturgeon, it’s a very meaty fish, dense and easily sliceable once smoked.
Holly and I ate this whole piece in a day, slice by slice. It brought back memories.
Smoked Sturgeon
Ingredients
- 3 to 5 pounds sturgeon, in large blocks
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon mace
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- Brandy or whisky to coat salmon
Instructions
- Trim the sturgeon of any fat or dark meat. Cut the pieces into regular blocks, like rectangles. Mix the salt, sugar and spices together, then coat the fish with it. Put into a covered, non-reactive container (plastic, ceramic, stainless steel) and set in the fridge to cure for as many hours as each block of sturgeon weighs, i.e., if you cut 1 pound blocks, they should be salted for only about 1 hour.
- Remove the sturgeon from the cure and rinse. Pat dry with paper towels, then brush brandy or whisky all over the sturgeon. Set on a rack in the fridge uncovered until the next day.
- Smoke over very low heat -- about 160°F -- until it's smoked the way you like it. I go for 4 hours.
- Allow to cool fully before vacuum sealing and storing. It will keep for a week in the fridge or 6 months in the freezer if it has been vacuum sealed.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I use this recipe for Albacore loins. Ignore the negative comments, just don’t brine the fish too long. Super good!
We fished with Jay yesterday. Everybody caught fish, one keeper. I enjoy smoking all kinds of food.
Thanks for the recipe
Jason D
do you leave the skin on? I am using an electric smoker w/applewood chips.
Dan: I normally don’t.
I’m using a little chief smoker, what flavor / type of wood chips do you recommend?
Andrew: Whatever you like. Try oak, alder or fruit wood, like apple or cherry.
I assume the refrigeration overnight after curing is to allow pellicle to form on the cured fish. I have found that when I cure and smoke salmon that 2 hrs at room temp will also allow pellicle to form (Do not wash this off. This is what the smoke sticks to’).Usually in an oven with the door open and a fan blowing on it. Since the meat has already been cured bacteria does not seem to form. Also, smoking to a temp is more accurate than cooking to a time. I usually cook salmon to internal 120 and remove it. With an average smoking temp of 150.
Would this be good for gar, or do you have a recipe for smoking gar?
Tim: Not sure. I’ve never smoked a gar before.
Is nutmeg a decent sub for mace here?
Ben: yes it is.
Fishted with Jay Lopez yesterday. I will try this recipe. Thanks.
This sounds good. Think it will serve for yellow tail, or do you have any suggestions?
BajaHawk: Yes, this recipe will work with yellowtail.
Hank,
You were right. This is the best smoked fish I’ve ever made and may ever have. West coast white sturgeon smoked with white oak. I love your recipes. Corned Venison is one of my faves and makes my work lunches a treat for much of the year. I hope to keep a steady supply of honest food around to utilize them.
Carry on.
Fyi other recipes suggest washing off surface salt after brining.
In Iowa we have an abundance of sand sturgeon that are 3 to 5 lbs.
Any suggestions on how to smoke them. Can u smoke then in their skin?
Jim: Don’t know, to be honest.
I did use coarse Kosher salt. But your right, I left the salt on a little too long but saved it by soaking it in water for few hours then smoked again. Came out wonderful. Thanks for the recipe
This recipe made the fish way to salty. What did I do wrong?
Aaron: Hard to say. Could be you used table salt, or very finely grained salt. Or, you might have kept the salt on the fish longer than 1 hour per pound of each piece. Or, you might have served it warm: This recipe is intended to be eaten cold, and you need to salt things more heavily then.
Hank,
I’m going to be doing some Sturgeon this weekend. Is the ratio of Salt/Sugar correct or should it be reversed 1 cup sugar with 1/4 cup salt?
Thanks
Craig: Uh, why would I publish an incorrect recipe? Yes, the ratio is as it should be.
Hank I got a 115 lb lake sturgeon this year in the wisconsin spearing season. Looking to smoke some of it. When you say cure it for as long as it weighed do you mean live weight or the weight of the meat you plan to smoke. I got it cleaned up and chucked into about 5 2 lb chunks.
Jon: Sorry for the late reply! Yes, you cure it as many hours as each piece of fish weighs, so in your case 2 hours for the 2 pound chunks.
I followed the recipe precisely only to find the finished product way too salty. So much so that the entire batch will be pitched. My bad!
I just got back from a sturgeon fishing trip on the Rainy River in northern Minnesota. I kept one 48 incher. I plan to try your recipe, amongst others, to cure and smoke my fish. I’ll let you know…….
This post is great. Made me jealous in fact. I live near Cleveland and there are a few very rare sturgeon in Lake Erie, rare enough that everyone has a story about a friend’s dad who hooked one once upon a time. I doubt there will ever be a fishable population in my lifetime, but it’d be great if there were.
Nice! I’m going to be in Manhattan next month and can’t wait to get some smoked sturgeon at the Barney Greengrass. One of the best things I have ever eater. Sliced thin next to a big plate of scrambled eggs and a fresh biali…