Having struggled to catch any numbers of keeper perch in the Buffalo Small Boat Harbor lately, I settled for a bunch of the very abundant smelt available there this last weekend. My fishing partner took a 26" pike on his tip up, and, along with another I had in the freezer, we smoked them as we commonly do. With extra space available on one of the racks, we filled it in with smelt. They were small as smelt go, so they were done within 1 hour, with the last 15 minutes getting the mesquite chips. They firmed up nicely, were just right for moisture content, and turned a beautiful metallic gold color. Guess what.... they were absolutely fabulous!!! We dipped some in c**ktail sauce, and had some plain.... both ways were great! Marinade was my usual fish marinade of brine, soy and Worcestershire sauces, brown sugar, and a very small drop of liquid smoke. I'm certain that I'm probably not the first to smoke smelt, but I've never heard it done and am anxiously awaiting the weekend to bag some more and do a repeat! (When we did a second round and smoking slow and at a low temperature worked very well for their tiny size) Anyway, if you have the chance, smoked smelt is must try.
