Smoke Roasted Steelhead with Basil Pesto

After falling to the Sirens call at Costco, this time from the evil end case in the meat department, I found myself in possession of a nice piece of Steelhead for dinner.  I was looking to prepare a dish that was different than the usual rubbed and grilled piece of fish.  After searching the refrigerator, some leftover pesto was just begging to be used.  So, I fired up the smoker and headed to the kitchen.

The pesto we use is a pre-prepared offering that we find in our dairy case.

This product is pretty good for the price.  It has a nice balance of basil, pine nut, and Parmesan cheese and works well in both pasta and pizza dishes.

My reasoning was simple for this recipe.  Wash and dry the Steelhead fillet, coat with the pesto, bring room temperature, then smoke roast at 350 F until the meat was done and the skin was crispy.

Once I applied the pesto, I added a very light seasoning of sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

Once my smoker was at 350 F, I added a piece of alder to the ash pan for smoke flavor and them placed the fillet on the top rack with the thick side positioned on the hot side of the smoker chamber.

About 25 minutes later, the fillet was done.  One tell tale sign of your Steelhead being cooked is when the white fat is starting to render from the fillet and the meat starts to become flaky.

Overall, the fillet turned out well.  Alder always pairs well with fish, especially with a fatty fish such as Steelhead.  I would have liked for more of a pesto flavor.  The pesto taste was their, but not as strong as I would have liked.  Since pesto has an olive oil base, I suspect that during the cooking process the majority of the basil and pine nut flavors were carried away in the olive oil dripped from the fillet during cooking.  I will be trying this again, but I think I will add the pesto at the end of the cooking process, either in the smoker or on the grill.  This was a good start to further develop this recipe.

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill

Grilled BBQ Steelhead

We love salmon around here.  Especially steelhead salmon.  There is an added flavor to steelhead that you just don't have with salmon.  Perhaps it is because it is milder and a bit fattier in my opinion.  Lucky for us we can buy it at Costco for $5.99 a pound when on sale and it is reasonably priced when not on sale.

We try and eat steelhead about once a week.  But, as I am sure most of you have experienced, you get bored with the same foods prepared the same way, week after week.  So, this past week, I decided to experiment with our steelhead.  Off to the R&D labs.

After thawing our steelhead, I rinsed well and patted dry.

Then, I put a thin coating of Oakridge BBQ Game Bird and Chicken rub on my fillet and let sit on the counter top for the rub to form a liquid crust.  Don't get heavy handed with your rub application.  you do not want to over power the flavor of the fish.  You just want to compliment the flavors.

Then, I fired up the charcoal grill.  When ready, I placed the fillets on direct heat.

When the fat starts to come out of the meat, that is the first indication you are almost done.

I applied a very thin coating of Blues Hog Tennessee Red BBQ sauce to my fillet.  Any BBQ sauce will work.  I would suggest one with a higher vinegar content such as the Tennessee Red.  The acidity cuts through the fattiness of the steelhead.  I brushed the sauce on the fish, closed the lid, and came back five minutes later.  Done!

I served with fresh corn on the cob and collard greens.  More on the greens later.  Ours are just about ready to pick in our garden.

BBQ pairs well with steelhead.  The flavors of the rub and sauce go well with this meaty fish.  If you are bored with the same old fish, give this a try.

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill

Cooking for Novices Part 5: Grilled Steelhead and Salmon with Zucchini and Onions

Folks, grilling fish and veggies is not that hard.  It is a snap, especially with a larger cut of fish with the skin attached, such as salmon or steelhead.

First, the veggies.  I cleaned and trimmed a small zucchini and cut small slices.  I did the same with a medium sweet onion, then sliced in medium thickness slices.  My marinade is olive oil, honey, steak sauce (I used A1) and salt and pepper to taste.  After whisking, I threw all of the kids into the pool for a one hour swim.  This marinade is my go to grilled veggie marinade.  It works really well on mushrooms for sure.

Then, I took portions of a salmon and steelhead (the bottom piece) fillet, painted with plain yellow mustard, then sprinkled liberally with Old Bay seasoning...

I started a fire in the Backyarder, heated up the grates and scraped them down.  First, the vegetables on direct heat for about 5 minutes.  Then, I flipped them over and put on the cold side of the grill.  Then, i placed the fish, skin side down on direct heat.  I closed the lid and let everything sit cook for 12-14 minutes...

When the fish is looking flaky and the fat is rendering from the top of the fillet, you are done.  The veggies cook the rest of the way in the indirect heat with the lid closed...

The veggies are nice and tender crisp with a nice savory/sweet taste.  The fish was outstanding.  The mustard gives the fish a nice tangy flavor that goes well with the richness of the fish.  The Old Bay goes with any seafood in my opinion.  Serve with nice white wine and you have a great meal.  By the way, I prefer the steelhead (on the left) to regular salmon.  It has a richer, more complex taste.  It is usually much cheaper than salmon.  So, it is a win/win.

Thanks for stopping by...

Bill