How To Smoke Sturgeon Food

SMOKED STURGEON

Steps:

• Trim the sturgeon of any fat or dark meat. Cut the pieces into regular blocks, like rectangles. Mix the salt, sugar and spices together, then coat the fish with it. Put into a covered, non-reactive container (plastic, ceramic, stainless steel) and set in the fridge to cure for as many hours as each block of sturgeon weighs, i.e., if you cut 1 pound blocks, they should be salted for only about 1 hour.
• Remove the sturgeon from the cure and rinse. Pat dry with paper towels, then brush brandy or whisky all over the sturgeon. Set on a rack in the fridge uncovered until the next day.
• Smoke over very low heat -- about 160°F -- until it's smoked the way you like it. I go for 4 hours.
• Allow to cool fully before vacuum sealing and storing. It will keep for a week in the fridge or 6 months in the freezer if it has been vacuum sealed.

SMOKED STURGEON CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Bake the potatoes until tender, about 40 minutes. Let cool, then scoop out the flesh. Pass through a sieve or ricer. Mix with the eggs, fish, butter, chives, parsley, and pepper. Shape into small patties and dredge in the bread crumbs. Fry the sturgeon cakes in batches, 3 minutes on each side, until browned. They may be held in a 300 degree F oven.
• For the Garnish: Mix the sour cream and chives together. Serve a dollop on the side of the fish cakes, sprinkled with sumakh and topped with sevruga.