Take A Pike!

Sometimes dinner just falls right into your lap, or in this case, swims right into the net.  This dinner is just one example of how a delicious menu was created when we least expected it.  One lovely day at the cottage, our friend Ian Murdoch was fishing near our dock, when, low and behold he caught something.  Something big.  Something with teeth.  He caught a massive pike!  

After the initial fear wore off (given the fact that we had all just been swimming in that exact area) we needed to figure out what to do with it.  Our first plan was to release it; however, after a long struggle with trying to get it off the hook it looked like the fish was not going to make it.  Mark tried to revive it by keeping it in the water but after some long deliberation, we decided to give in- as the old saying goes, when life gives you a pike, you make dinner. 

We used the Broil King Keg to smoke our Lake Rosseau Pike. The result?  A delicious, slow cooked meal that was stress free (save for the fact that we were swimming with a monster) and allowed us to enjoy each other’s company.  Details on how to set up the Broil King Keg are below.  

It's that easy to smoke a fish!

Combined with the abundance of pike filets we also had enough extra for Teddy to try out a recipe he had just created.  His Smoked Fish and Cornmeal Fritters were a hit and a perfect appetizer.

 

We paired all of this with Geoffrey’s Spiked Lemonade, which was a deliciously refreshing drink after a long day of fishing and smoking. 

It just goes to show that you can plan and plan a dinner, but sometimes the best and most memorable just catch you by surprise, literally. 

Setting up the Broil King Keg

1.       Pour 3-4” deep layer of True’Cue lump charcoal on the bottom of the smoker.

2.       Use 2 True’Cue match-light charcoal starters to ignite the charcoal.

3.       Open the top and bottom vents to the widest position (#5).

4.       Let the coals burn for 10 minutes until the smoker reaches 200°F

5.       Dial down the top and bottom vents to the #2 position

6.       This should maintain a smoker temperature of 225°F for about 6 hours.

Note:

3” of charcoal will burn for 4-6 hours.

4” of charcoal will burn for 6-8 hours. 

Smoked Lake Rousseau Pike

Filets of pike

Rub

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup chopped dill

Zest of 1 lemon

2 tbsp salt

2 tbsp freshly cracked black pepper

Mop

½ cup cider vinegar

¼ cup canola oil

 

Smoked Fish and Cornmeal Fritters

3 cups Flaked Smoked Fish

6 garlic scapes, chopped

1/3 Yellow pepper, minced

Small bunch minced Chives

1/4 cup chopped Cilantro

1 chipotle, minced

2 cups flour

1 cup corn meal

2 teaspoons baking soda

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

3/4 cup leftover mashed potatoes

Combine the flaked fish, scapes, peppers, herbs and chipotle in a medium sized bowl and set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking soda, salt and pepper.  Whisk together the buttermilk and leftover mashed potatoes, and stir into the dry ingredients just to combine.  The batter should be the consistency of a gummy muffin batter.

Add enough batter to fish and veggies to bind the fresh ingredients together.  Mix until just combined.

Drop by spoonful into a pan of hot vegetable oil (medium) for 2 minutes per side until browned.  Serve with chipotle mayo, guacamole, or pico de gallo.

Geoffrey’s spiked Lemonade

Simple Syrup:

2 cups water

1 1/2 cups sugar

Lemonade:

2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice (8 to 9 lemons)

1 cups fresh blueberries

1 lemon, thinly sliced

1 generous handful fresh mint

3 cups ice

1 cup water

1 cup simple syrup

6 ounces vodka

2 ounces limoncello

To make simple syrup, combine water and sugar in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil, stir until sugar has dissolved, then set aside to cool.

For the spiked lemonade, combine all the ingredients in a large glass pitcher, and serve in tall glasses.