Scottish Fresh Fish

Smoked Fish - Mackerel, Kippers, Smokies and Haddock

Our traditionally smoked mackerel, haddock and kippers are a joy to eat. Slow smoked in kilns they are produced by craftsmen and are a delight to serve either hot or cold.

Smoked mackerel is one of the loveliest, most savoury fish you will come across.
There's nothing quite like the sight of the silvery skin, tinged with deep rusted flesh. It's also full of healthy omega 3 oils - the "good" oils.

Kippers are delicious smoked herring. In the smokehouse they are split along the back from head to tail, gutted, cleaned and soaked in a brine mixture. They are then put on to tenter hooks, hung on racks and smoked in big smoking kilns. Each batch of kippers are smoked according to the size of the fish and their oil content

The origin of the kippering process is uncertain, but some believe the inspiration for kippering might lie in split-smoked finnan haddock processing.

Smoked haddock are definitely one of the best and most popular products we stock. These haddock fillets are naturally oak cold-smoked and are of the highest quality and are prepared from fish caught from strictly monitored fisheries in the North Sea

Haddock fillets are also available dyed. To give them a bright colour a small amount of dye is added to the brine bath before being cold smoked. These small fillets are popular and inexpensive.

Only haddock can be used to produce an authentic 'Arbroath Smokie'. The fish are gutted at sea, washed and boxed ready for auction at the fish market. Once back in the fish house, they are headed and cleaned, or 'sounded'. They are then dry salted in tubs for a given period. This helps to draw excess moisture from the fish and toughens the skin in preparation for the smoking process. The length of salting time depends on the size of the fish and how fresh they are (amongst other factors). After salting, they are thoroughly washed off, then tied by the tail in "pairs" and hung on sticks.

The smokie pit is then prepared. A hole is dug in the ground, and a half whisky barrel is set into it. The base of the barrel is lined with slates to protect it, and a hardwood fire of beech and oak is lit inside.

The sticks of fish are then placed over the pit and the hessian cover allows the fire to breathe and maintain the required heat. The number of layers and dampening of the 'cloots' depends on the weather, and may be adjusted throughout the smoking to prevent the fish either smoking too quickly and burning, or smoking too slowly and drying out. The cooking time is usually a minimum of 30 - 40 minutes but only an experienced smokie maker knows exactly when they are ready. The resultant golden brown fish, eaten straight from the barrel is a truly mouth-watering experience that has to be tasted to be believed!

 

 

Contact us now for details of our full range of smoked haddock, kippers and mackerel .