I need a good dip ! I need some ideas please ! thanks

When it comes to smoked fish dip, I believe that less is more. While some prefer to make more of a smoked fish salad similar to tuna salad by incorporating onions, celery, lemon juice, etc., in my opinion these things distract from the natural goodness of the fish. Keep it simple.

Ingredients:

1 pound smoked fish (kingfish, sailfish, amberjack, almaco jack or yellow jack)
1 pint Hellmans mayonnaise (no Miracle Whip, no diet or reduced fat mayonnaise)
salt
pepper
Club crackers

Manicure the smoked fish by removing and carving off the skin, dark meat and bones so that you have pure white chunks of fish. Flake the fish out finely pulling it apart with your fingers. Slowly add mayonnaise a spoon full at a time and stir into the fish. You will not need all the mayonnaise - probably only about a half of a cup. The idea is to use the mayonnaise to bind and reconstitute moisture into the smoked fish so that you have a mixture that just holds together so that it can be spread on a cracker. Most commercial fish dips use far too much mayonnaise to stretch out the smoked fish and add weight and volume. Taste the dip and season to taste with salt and pepper bearing in mind that the saltiness of the smoked fish will vary with the amount of salt that the fish absorbed in the brining process prior to smoking. Serve with Club crackers.

John's smoked AJ dip ROCKS!!!

Yes his dip rocks. I just smoke about 50 pounds of kingfish and it's delish.

Simple is good. I think he forgot hotsauce in there. I like mine a little spicy. Will fine chop some jalapenos in there as well. Got to at least put some tobasco or TX Pete.

The fish is what makes the dip though. Heavy smoke is best.

Thanks for the compliments!

Hot sauce and jalepenos belong on top of - not in - the dip. :) An yes, heavy smoke and a lot of it is best. I smoke my fish for about four hours and vaccum seal it while its still warm. You want fish that when broken up resembles breadcrumbs not chunks. If you want to spice it up you can also add some black, red (cayenne) and/or white ground pepper when you are flaking the fish prior to adding the mayonnaise. The combination of all three peppers gives the dip a bit of complexity.

Do you smoke the whole fish or fillets? What temperature do you keep your smoker at? Oh yeah, tell me about the brining process.

i like to keep it simple and pure a lot, but sometimes you just want to mix it up. i don't know the measurements but here is a good recipe.

1lb smoked fish
1/2 bar of cream cheese
probably 1/2 or 3/4 cup of mayo
a good squeeze of heinz horseraddish sauce
a good squeeze of 1000 island dressing
something green, i like bell pepper or celery

that is the basic outline, you can add whatever seasonings your into, or veggies.
the horseraddish and dressing give it something different.

Yes kites fish spread recipe is a good one. I asked for one several months back and I primarilly used his with just a few changes like alittle cream cheese. The spread did not last long.

Do you smoke the whole fish or fillets? What temperature do you keep your smoker at? Oh yeah, tell me about the brining process.

Matt I'll tell you how I smoke fish when I see you but I don't do it that often. Maybe start a new thread about smoking fish, I'm sure their are plenty of people out there that are good at it. I think AJ's and kingfish are good in that order. I wasn't to crazy about spanish macks.

Didn't have any wood to smoke my fish so I just grilled it. Tuna steak. put in blender, added 1/2 cup mayo, 2 small jalapenos, shot of worchestire , 1/2 squeezed lime. Took some ideas from someone else. It actually turned out great !

You must have tuna out the wazoo if you are using it for dip.:fish:

Made some of Kites dip today while I was smoking some ribs and chicken. It made for a hell of an appetizer.

When it comes to smoked fish dip, I believe that less is more. While some prefer to make more of a smoked fish salad similar to tuna salad by incorporating onions, celery, lemon juice, etc., in my opinion these things distract from the natural goodness of the fish. Keep it simple.

Ingredients:

1 pound smoked fish (kingfish, sailfish, amberjack, almaco jack or yellow jack)
1 pint Hellmans mayonnaise (no Miracle Whip, no diet or reduced fat mayonnaise)
salt
pepper
Club crackers

Manicure the smoked fish by removing and carving off the skin, dark meat and bones so that you have pure white chunks of fish. Flake the fish out finely pulling it apart with your fingers. Slowly add mayonnaise a spoon full at a time and stir into the fish. You will not need all the mayonnaise - probably only about a half of a cup. The idea is to use the mayonnaise to bind and reconstitute moisture into the smoked fish so that you have a mixture that just holds together so that it can be spread on a cracker. Most commercial fish dips use far too much mayonnaise to stretch out the smoked fish and add weight and volume. Taste the dip and season to taste with salt and pepper bearing in mind that the saltiness of the smoked fish will vary with the amount of salt that the fish absorbed in the brining process prior to smoking. Serve with Club crackers.

All I can say is DAMN!!!!!! I smoked 4 grouper fillets using this recipe and all I can say is DAMN!!! Not what you get in a restaraunt...just BETTER!!! The fish is the star of the show.

I made some mullet dip recently that was the best I've had yet. It in involved smoking the mullet until it was on the dry side, adding a HEALTHY portion of horseradish, and some chives, shredded onion, and lemon juice to the mix.

I have no access to FRESH ocean dwelling fish - Since I live in Wisconsin! But I've made a similar dip with smoked salmon...Its delicious! (no we can't spear salmon here - I wish! Hook & line caught)

I've done the same with smoked bullheads (a kind of catfish?) and that turned out awesome too!

I use Townhouse crackers or pretzle rods to dip with - Or sometimes just a finger!!!

You guys have inspired me to thaw out a chunk of smoked salmon & get a little more creative! :smthumbup: Thanks!

I have no access to FRESH ocean dwelling fish - Since I live in Wisconsin! But I've made a similar dip with smoked salmon...Its delicious! (no we can't spear salmon here - I wish! Hook & line caught)

I've done the same with smoked bullheads (a kind of catfish?) and that turned out awesome too!

I use Townhouse crackers or pretzle rods to dip with - Or sometimes just a finger!!!

You guys have inspired me to thaw out a chunk of smoked salmon & get a little more creative! :smthumbup: Thanks!

Glad that the salmon worked out for you. I don't know my fresh water fish very well, but in general I've found that the oilier the fish the better that it is for smoking and making dip.

I'm sure that fresh must be better, but I make the majority of my smoked fish from frozen fish that I have accumulated over time until I have 75-100 pounds that I smoke and vacuum seal in one weekend. I have also smoked frozen fish that has gone a little long in the freezer for baking, frying, etc. with good results, so smoking may also be a good way to try to salvage some of the older fish in your freezer. Have fun.