Smoked fish dip and crackers is always a huge hit at parties. It’s also a great way to clean out the freezer or use up leftovers.
I use white bass here, which smoke well because they’re more strongly flavored than other delicate warmwater fish like crappie or bluegill, but pretty much any flavorful fresh or saltwater species will work. Pike, trout, salmon, catfish, grouper, mackerel, bluefish, striped bass, gar, whitefish, bass, carp, drum, and eel all come to mind. The same applies to the smoking wood: I use pecan and oak because there are plenty of free twigs right outside my door, but hickory, alder, apple, peach, or cherry will all impart a nice smoke, too.
Potato chips, thinly sliced radishes, crackers, and toasted bread all work as serving vehicles. Don’t overlook slathering fish dip on an everything bagel with some capers and chopped red onion, or as a sandwich on toasted white bread with sliced ripe tomato and butter lettuce. - Jesse Griffiths —Food52
This recipe was originally published on MeatEater and republished with permission. MeatEater is committed to fueling human connection to nature. They educate and inspire folks to connect with the natural world through the lens of hunting, fishing, conservation and preserving wild places for future generations, and harvesting wild foods for use in the kitchen. —Food52
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