A few years ago I purchased one of these stove-top smoking pans. They are so easy to use, particularly for whole fish, and much less involved than a backyard smoker. One tip: Close doors in the house, and make sure the exhaust fan is running high. Despite the closed lid, smoke tends to escape and fill the kitchen. It is a nice-smelling smoke but nevertheless, you don’t want it permeating the whole house.
Ingredients
- 1 whole vermilion snapper (or other Gulf fish), gutted and scaled
- 1 bunch fresh herbs, like tarragon, basil, parsley + extra
- salt and pepper to taste
- extra-virgin olive oil
- lemon zest
Preparation
Wash the fish under the tap, place on a cutting board and dry with paper towels. Remove any lingering scales. Season with coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper (also inside the belly). Press all the herbs inside the belly.
Open your stove-top smoking pan and pile about a tablespoon of wood chips in the center. Place the tray on top with the rack, put a piece of parchment paper on top and position the whole fish to fit in the pan. Close with the pan lid and place on the stove top over medium heat. After 25 minutes, open the lid (careful not to burn yourself) and check if the fish is done: The flesh should come off the bones easily. If not, close the pan again and continue for another 5–10 minutes (the smoke will have escaped at this point but that is OK: The flavor is already in the fish).
To serve, remove the skin and gently scoop the meat off the bones on one side, and place on a platter. Lift the bones by the tail and gently remove it from the rest of the meat. If you do this carefully, it will lift easily with the head attached. Now, gently scoop the remaining meat off the skin and place on the same platter. From this point, you can serve the fish warm or chilled. Either way, scatter the extra fresh herbs (chopped, lemon zest and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil over the fish).
