Several species of mildly flavored fish with tender white flesh that are native to cold, arctic waters are commonly sold under the umbrella of “whitefish.” Whitefish is valued for its mild taste and for its quality; because it’s harvested in freezing climates, it doesn’t lose any of its fresh taste to warm temperatures.
One of the many ways whitefish is prepared is smoking. Smoked whitefish is delicious, and all the already good things about whitefish really get to shine during the smoking process. Here are some ideas for serving smoked whitefish:
On its Own
Whitefish is tasty enough to stand alone at any table. Smoked whitefish is very often sold whole – scales, skin, bones, and head. With a bit of time, patience, and skill, you can create an attractive smoked fish platter. Place the smoked fish on a bed of lettuce and garnish with slices of fresh lemon.
Charcuterie Style
Charcuterie boards are all the rage at the moment, and serving smoked whitefish charcuterie style is delightful and easy. Remove the skin and bones from the smoked whitefish and break it into bite-sized chunks. Place it on a large serving board and add your favorite accompaniments. Things like pickled beets, pickles, radishes, fresh tomatoes, sliced red onion, capers, boiled eggs, and cream cheese pair well with smoked whitefish.
In a Salad
Smoked whitefish salad is just about the easiest thing ever. A bit of mayo, some celery, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice are all you need to mix with your whitefish to create a mouthwatering salad. Once you have a recipe you love, you can find a wide variety of ways to serve it, such as the following:
- Sub it for tuna salad. All the ways you enjoy tuna salad are even better with a smoked whitefish salad. The flavors are out of this world. With fresh lettuce and tomatoes, on toast, in a sandwich—it all works with a cool, creamy whitefish salad. And add a bit of dill and fresh cucumbers? Swoon.
- Serve it on a platter. If you love the idea of serving a whitefish on a platter but feel like tackling a fish like that might be hard on your guests, this might be a good alternative. Carefully peel back the skin of the fish (save it), remove the flesh, and make the meat into a salad. Open the saved skin and place it gently on a platter, scales down. Mound the salad onto the skin and shape it using the skin as a template. Carefully snip away the top half of the skin and discard. Add fresh lettuce, lemon wedges, and other veggies as garnish.
- Serve it with crackers. Smoked whitefish salad served with fresh veggies and crispy crackers, or rye bread makes a delicious lunch, snack, or appetizer.
Try some delicious smoked whitefish tonight.