Smoking Crappie

[Jig-fisher]

I thought I would share my 1st attempt at smoking crappie. I have smoked a lot of fish before, such as trout, kokanee and catfish, but never panfish. I had fillets from 17 crappie that I caught on my last ice fishing trip up to Pineview. They had been in the freezer, but were now unthawed, patted dry, and ready for the brine. 

I decided that a dry brine would probably work well. I mixed together a 1/4 cup of non-iodized salt, 1/4 cup of white sugar,  1 tsp of garlic powder and 1 tsp of onion powder. I sprinkled this mixture liberally over both sides of the fillets. I then placed the fillets on my wire smoking racks that had been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. I placed the racks over cookie sheets and left them until the pellicle had formed and more moisture had come out of them onto the drip trays. 

I put alder chips in the smoker and set the temperature to 190 degrees. When it started to smoke, I loaded the trays and set the timer for 3 hours. I checked them at 2.5 hours and they were a nice golden color and done. 

After removing the fillets and letting them rest for a bit, I finally got to take a taste. Wow, I was VERY pleased with the results. They turned out fantastic! These small fillets are perfect for snacking, and a very quick start to finish as well. Now fish tacos really are good, and crappie fit those tortillas almost perfectly, but I think I may have to do this a lot more going forward. Loved it!

[wiperhunter2]

I moved this post to the main board so more members would read it and it is fishing related. Great idea on smoking those crappie, can't say I've ever thought about smoking crappie but for sure worth trying after reading your results. Thanks for posting this.

[MWScott72]

I’m glad they turned out. Honestly, I thought they would be too small /thin to work out well, but glad they did. I got a new smoker for my birthday, so might have to give this a try. Sounds delish!

[Jig-fisher]

I thought they might be too small/thin as well, but decided to try anyway. Glad I did. Thanks for the compliments.

[TubeDude]

Good to hear they turned out well for you.  A lot of guys are unsure about how to smoke anything beyond what they are used to...trout, kokes or whatever.  But if you consider the thickness of the flesh, the consistency of the flesh and the mild or strong taste of the flesh...and alter your spices and wood choice accordingly...along with smoking time and temperature...you can make some tasty vittles from almost any species.

I got started smoking fish many years ago...while living in Sacramento, CA.  Started with salmon and steelhead.  Then added shad and even sturgeon to my repertoire.  Later experimented with stripers, largies and smallies and then even bluegills and crappies.  And I have been smoking and enjoying catfish for many years.  Once I got the right balance of time, temp, brining and wood for each species I always had tasty munchies in my refrigerator.  That is, until my rowdy fishing buddies came over and raided my stash.

One of my best smoking stories is of the time I brought home a couple of big ol carp caught from a clean water reservoir near Sacramento.  I worked carefully to fillet and skin them...and to remove all the nasty bones...leaving some nice meaty chunks for the smoker.  Used my fave dry brine mix (salt, brown sugar, white sugar and seasoning) to brine them overnight in the refrigerator.  Poured off the brine-extracted liquid in the morning and gave them a good rinse.  Let them sit on the wire racks for a couple of hours to "glaze" and then smoked them in hickory smoke on low heat for about 5 hours.  Turned out great.

The "rest of the story"?  When my fishing buddies showed up to watch Monday Night Football they cleaned out my entire supply of smoked carp...thinking they were getting salmon.  I didn't tell them until most of them had praised it...saying it was some of the best salmon I had ever done.  Nobody "ralphed" when they learned the truth although a couple got strained expressions on their faces.  But most were pleasantly surprised and admitted they would eat it again.

From past experience I might suggest you try smoking some of the thin fillets from decent sized crappies, perch or bluegill.  Smoke them just long enough to cook and flavor them with the smoke.  Great to  break up and eat on crackers...with a little cheese and an "appropriate" libation.  Also make great po-boy sammiches with lettuce, tomato and tartar sauce.

[Jig-fisher]

Thanks TubeDude. I always appreciate your knowledge and insight. In fact, the tutorial that you've shared several times over the years on smoking catfish is one of my favorites.  I've used it so many times over the years and have shared the results with many friends and family.  They all have a hard time believing it was catfish. So good!

[SkunkedAgain]

Sounds great Paul when you can find a good batch of crappie... Were they pretty good sized fish for you? I assume these where your Pineview fish? Be nice if I could ever find more than one or two fish at a time, I love crappie, but tend to release them hoping it will help the local population to do better... Wonder how perch would smoke up? They might be somewhat similar too... Later J

[Jig-fisher]

They were 9-11 inches. The 11 inchers were nice fillets...for crappie anyway. But they all smoked up nice. I really need a couple of limits to make a good batch in the future.

[SkunkedAgain]

Yup those 11"ers are nice ones.... I don't mind filleting when they are big enough to be well worth the while like those... Later J

[EyLayo]

Bad post to read at lunch time. At least you didn't put up a picture. Other than that, nice work

[Therapist]

Quick story: Back when I had my store, I would do seminars on Saturdays. One seminar I took some planter rainbows, yellow perch, and carp fillets, smoked them, and had plates, unmarked for people to sample. The carp disappeared first, perch second, and there was some trout left at the end of the day. People were flabbergasted that the carp was so tasty. This is back in the early 80's when folks were just becoming aware of fish other than trout in Utah. Had a lot of fun with things like that !! So is does not surprise me that the crappie turned out so well !!

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By the way guys, how do you light the fish you are smoking and which end do you light !!!( very bad attempt at humor )

[dubob]

Anybody that has ever spent any time in Europe or Asia already knows this. Carp are considered a very desirable fish species for eating. Americans are aghast at anybody actually eating one of those God-awful looking creatures. Nothing that ugly could possibly taste good, right? Same goes for suckers. Some of the very best smoked and pickled fish I've ever eaten was sucker. And while I've never eaten carp, I certainly would welcome the opportunity to try some anyway it has been prepared.

[TubeDude]

I have eaten carp from several waters...in several states.  Not unlike most species, the taste, texture and overall edibility is affected by water temps, water quality, algae presence, etc.  But the carp I have eaten from clean, cold waters has always been quite edible.  As with most members of the large "minnow" family, carp have a lot of small flesh bones in addition to the spine and ribs.  But with a little practice and some skillful knife work you can remove most of these for frying, grilling or regular baking.  Long slow baking or pressure cooking will render the bones soft and edible.  Ditto for pickling...as with suckers.

In Utah Lake, carp are definitely the bad guys...rooting up vegetation needed by other species and destroying the nests of those other species as well.  And in that shallow lake they contribute to the often muddy water. But in Willard Bay, Deer Creek, Starvation and a few other waters the carp are simply part of the ecosystem.  They do not keep the waters muddied up and they generally feed on a lot of the same  food items as the "good guys"...like crawdads, worms and other fish fry.  And they are often caught on flies and lures meant for the other species.  So their flesh is usually well worth cooking and consuming.  The only problem is their image...and the troutaholic prejudices in the state.

It is interesting that in the midwest...where non-native Asian carp species have created ecological problems in some waters...locals have discovered that these interlopers are actually pretty good table fare.  And they are actually commercially harvested and are becoming popular on some restaurant menus.

[Therapist]

You have to remember that the suckers in Utah Lake sustained the early pioneers for several winters before they could raise enough food. After the carp were introduced, they were commercially fished also. Carp sustained many families in both Utah County & SLC County during the Depression. Commercial Fisherman like the Loy's would pay Tithing in-kind and the fish were distributed to the needy by the Bishop's Store House! So carp and suckers have played a very positive role in Utah History!!

Side note: Growing up in Missouri, there was a big festival in Springfield when the Dogwoods bloomed in the Spring! That signaled the spawning run of the suckers which were pickled!! Was a pretty big deal back then!!

[SkunkedAgain]

You're getting me curious about pickling fish... Don't think I've ever tried it, but I like other things pickled, so I'm thinking I need to try that, especially if it dissolves bones... (from the fish meat, not mine) Later Jeff

[TubeDude]

Lots of recipes on line for pickling fish.  Some of the good fish choices around here are bluegills and perch.  Just be sure to scale them and remove the spines and tail.  A good way to use some of the small ones.

Some of the more flavorful pickling recipes are ones for pickled herring...and you can even add the sour creme if that is your proclivity.

[dubob]

Lots of recipes on line for pickling fish.  Some of the good fish choices around here are bluegills and perch.  Just be sure to scale them and remove the spines and tail.  A good way to use some of the small ones.

Some of the more flavorful pickling recipes are ones for pickled herring...and you can even add the sour creme if that is your proclivity.

What Pat said.