Alaskan Salmon Halibut Clam Recipes

Steve McClure's special Teriyaki Sauce recipe is a favorite around the McClure household. Here's a detailed recipe on how to prepare and smoke Alaska salmon or Alaska halibut, plus the natural flavor enhancements of using different kinds of wood and herbs. Beer-batter Alaska Halibut or Alaska Razor clams for deep-frying or freezing.

HOW TO MAKE STEVE MCCLURE'S TERIYAKI SAUCE

• 3/4 cup oil
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoon meat tenderizer (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard (dry or prepared)
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
• 1 teaspoon parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Mix ingredients in blender until well blended.

Skin and cut salmon into 1-2” strips. Place in deep bowl. Pour Teriyaki sauce over fish, marinate at least 2 hours.

Cook over hot coals; baste fish with left over sauce often while cooking.

Note: If using frozen fish marinate at least 8 hours.

HOW TO MAKE ALASKAN SMOKED SALMON or HALIBUT

Basic Brine

Prepare a brine of 3 1/2 cups sea salt in about 1 1/2 gallons of cold water in a very large plastic, stainless steel, or crockery container. (I use a 3 gallon buckets and remove a shelf or 2 in the refrigerator) Red or white wine can be substituted for a portion or all of the water, if desired. Stir the salt until a saturated solution is formed. You may use just this to brine or add your own flavoring.

Flavoring Favorite Add:
• 5 cups brown sugar
• 3 cups soy sauce
• 2 1/2 cups vinegar
• 1 cup worchesterchire sauce
• 9 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 cup onion powder
• 1/4 cup red pepper powder(optional)
• 2 fresh lemons - juice and peels
• 1/4 cup black pepper

Allow to sit 1/2 hour stirring every 10 minutes. Allow to rest until sediments sink to bottom, about 1/2 hour, and carefully place your fish fillets loosely packed in brine solution.

When the curing is over, lift the fish out and allow them to drip. Do not try to rub off the excess brine. An important chemical process has occurred during the cure. Proteins from the fishes' flesh have leached into the brine. The thin coat of brine now covering the flesh is rich with these proteins.
After curing, the fish is rinsed to remove the salt and other curing ingredients from the surface, then allowed to dry in cool flowing air until a shiny, slightly tacky skin (pellicle) forms on the surface. The pellicle serves several functions, as first, it provides an ideal surface for the smoke flavor to adhere to and helps seal in the remaining moisture through the smoking process, and secondly, it prevents the fats in the fish from rising to the surface and spoiling. Drying is accomplished at room temperature. Place the fish splayed on a wire rack, skin down in front of a fan for about an hour. When the flesh is dry to the touch with no puddles of moisture, it is ready. At this point, you will be able to feel the pellicle. The fish will probably feel a bit oily too. That is natural. They are now ready to smoke. (Small outdoor smokers are commonly available at reasonable prices) Place skin down on smoker racks with space between each piece. Smoke until it LOOKS done (usually a few hours or longer). Test a larger piece on top rack, if still wet and mooshie in the middle return to smoker for a bit. You may see the bottom rack is done, remove fish, vacuum pack and freeze if storing long periods. Store in refrigerator otherwise.

Use instead of tuna in salad, make cream cheese smoked salmon balls for Holidays...So many ways to eat...never enough fish!

Smoke Woods
Hickory and Oak are by far the most popular woods. They are well suited for smoking red meats, foul and fish. The following is a list of type of woods that are suitable for smoking fish.
• Alder - Very delicate with a hint of sweetness. Good with fish, pork, poultry, and light-meat game birds.
• Almond - A nutty and sweet smoke flavor, light ash, very much like pecan. Good with all meats.
• Apple - Very mild with a subtle fruity flavor, slightly sweet. Good with poultry (turns skin dark brown), pork and fish.
• Ash - Fast burner, light but distinctive flavor. Good with fish and red meats.
• Cherry - Mild and fruity. Good with poultry, pork, fish and beef (turns skin brown).
• Hickory - Most commonly used wood for smoking. Sweet to strong, heavy bacon flavor. Good with pork, ham and beef.
• Lilac - Very light, subtle with a hint of floral. Good with seafood and lamb.
• Mesquite - Strong earthy flavor. Good with beef, fish, chicken, and game. One of the hottest burning.
• Oak - Heavy smoke flavor. Red oak is good on ribs, white oak makes the best coals for longer burning. Good with red meat, fish and heavy game.
• Sweet Fruit Woods (Apricot, Plum, Peach) - Great on most white or pink meats, including chicken, turkey, pork, fish. The flavor is milder and sweeter than hickory.
Another trick you may want to try is smoking with herbs. Next time you are smoking, try draping some rosemary across the flames or coals. There are actually a number of herbs and spices well suited to smoking. Do some experimenting with this. You will find it worth your while. Make certain that the longer the period of "smoking", the less the intensity of the smoke should be. Smoke flavor should enhance, not over power the subtle flavor of fine fish.

HOW TO MAKE DEEP-FRIED ALASKA HALIBUT
and/or ALASKA RAZOR CLAMS

• 2 lbs. Alaska Halibut chunks OR Alaska Razor clams
• 1 cup flour
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1/2 cup beer
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• Pinch salt
• Pinch garlic salt
• 3-4 cups Japanese Panko crumbs
• Enough oil for deep-frying
• Tartar sauce
• Seafood sauce
• 1 lemon
Mix everything BUT the halibut or clams, Panko crumbs, oil, tartar sauce, seafood sauce and lemon in a mixer and let set at room temperature for 3-4 hours. Dip the halibut or clams in the batter, roll in Panko crumbs and deep-fry to a golden brown, turning once. Serve with lemon wedges, tartar sauce, and seafood sauce.

This recipe may be used in large batches for freezing. Just double, triple, etc. all ingredients accordingly. DO NOT deep-fry what you intend to freeze. Place prepared halibut or clams UNFRIED on wax papered cookie sheets and freeze until solid. Put in zip-loc bags or vacuum pack and store in freezer until use. No need to thaw, just pop them in the deep-fryer until golden brown and serve.

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February 28, 2005 3:05 AM