Cooking your catch: Smoky solution for lots of salmon

Thom Foote recently moved to Colbert from Alaska, where he lived for 27 years in an Eskimo village and in Fairbanks. During his years there, he caught and smoked hundreds of various salmon. He has been kind enough to share his experiences, and his secrets, with us.

He used to dipnet red salmon on the Copper River every summer and driftnet kings and others on the Kuskokwim River in southwest Alaska. He cut up most fish into fillets of 6- to 8-inch pieces. He brined his fillets in a 5-gallon bucket overnight then smoked for 4 hours the next day.

Sometimes, when he caught a lot of salmon, he would have to make two buckets of brine. Fishing was a one- or two-day event for Thom. Filleting and brining was a one-day endeavor, and smoking, another. Thom believes, despite all the hard work, the effort is worth it, as the end result is a superior product.

This brine recipe would also work for trout and other freshwater fish. Thom still has two pieces left from three summers ago that he is saving for a special occasion. Now, with this recipe, we can reserve our own special occasions to share in Thom’s tradition of excellent smoked salmon.

Call for recipes

I hope you enjoy this recipe and would love to hear what plans you have for the fruits of your harvest. E-mail us your favorite recipe to johnh@spokesman.com.