Smoked Sturgeon Food

TEA SMOKED STURGEON

Steps:

• Marinate sturgeon in olive oil, coriander, shallots and dill for 8 hours, refrigerated. Soak tea and applewood chips in water for 2 hours.
• In a stove top smoker place soaked tea and apple chips in bottom of pan and put over medium heat on stove. Drain of any excess oil and place sturgeon on rack and cover. Let smoke on stovetop until fish begins to flake, about 12 minutes. Remove from pan and garnish with onions, capers, and chopped eggs. Drizzle with creme fraiche and serve.

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.

SMOKED EEL, SMOKED STURGEON, AND CHOUPIQUE CAVIAR SALAD WITH DILLED BUTTERMILK DRESSING

Steps:

• Preheat a fryer to 360 degrees F.
• Season the flour with Essence and place in a shallow dish. Dredge the eel in the seasoned flour, shaking off any excess.
• Fry the eel until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate.
• In a large bowl, combine the sturgeon, onions, chives, vinegar, oil, some of the Buttermilk Dill Dressing, salt, and pepper, and toss gently.
• In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper, and drizzle over the lettuces. Place 1/4 head of lettuce on each of 4 large salad plates. Arrange the sturgeon mixture over the lettuce. Top with the fried eel. Drizzle each serving with 3 tablespoons of the dressing. Place 1 teaspoon of the caviar in the center and serve.
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
• Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.
• To make the dressing, combine the egg and dill in the bowl of a food processor and process on high speed for 15 seconds. With the machine running, add the oil in a thin stream and process until it forms an emulsion. Transfer to a bowl and whisk in the buttermilk, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.