There鈥檚 a lot of ways to cook seafood. Steaming it is popular in the D.C. area; frying can be a good option; so can saut茅ing 鈥� even boiling (please don鈥檛 ever bring me boiled seafood).
But it鈥檚 hard to go wrong with fish, or shellfish, cooked over fire.
This week鈥檚 episode of gets into smoked and grilled seafood. Obviously there was lots of talk about smoked salmon.
鈥淵ou can hot smoke it, where it鈥檚 cooked as well as smoked; you can cold smoke it, where you get a texture where it鈥檚 more like Nova Scotia Salmon or Scottish Smoked Salmon,鈥� said Steven Raichlen, the host of “” on PBS.
Hot smoking the salmon doesn鈥檛 take long 鈥� around 20 minutes. Cold smoking takes a lot more effort, and it鈥檚 how the pros really like to do it.
鈥淵ou have to know what you鈥檙e doing,鈥� said Drew Darneille, the owner of in Arlington. 鈥淲e put it in a smoker [and] we have trays of ice above and below the salmon. We鈥檙e putting it on the lowest heat possible, just to get smoke in there. So smoking a salmon at home is certainly a challenge.鈥�
He also suggests resting the fish on a cedar plank so you can get some of the wood flavorings to rise right up into the filet.
- Learning the BBQ classics
- Your smoker didn鈥檛 stop cooking 鈥� you just hit 鈥榯he stall鈥�
- Wood you rather? Top barbecue chefs on the best woods and spice rubs
- Cooking ribs can be easy, but expert pitmasters are even faster
Oysters were also a popular subject of discussion.
鈥淧op off the top shell,鈥� said Raichlen. 鈥淎 little dab of butter in each one, and then I put them on a grill setup for indirect grilling with wood chips or chunks on the coals or in the smoker box.鈥�
That鈥檚 a quick process, he said 鈥� 鈥渓ike five to eight minutes, long enough to poach the oysters in their juices but still a little raw in the center.鈥� And the wood smoke mixes in with the butter and oyster juices.
鈥淚t鈥檚 another one that鈥檚 so simple, I鈥檓 almost embarrassed to include it in my cookbook. But it鈥檚 just a fantastic way to cook oysters,鈥� he added.
Darneille joked he should post his method for oysters on YouTube because it鈥檚 so simple, and in his opinion, so delicious and impressive looking.
Like Raichlen, he leaves them in a half-shell and puts them over direct heat 鈥渂ecause there鈥檚 the protection of the shell and you鈥檙e basically trying to boil them in butter or top them with Parmesan breadcrumbs or something like that,鈥� said Darnielle. 鈥淪o you get that flame going through to get that up there to get the heat where you want to go.”
鈥淚t鈥檚 fast,鈥� he added. 鈥淚t鈥檚 something that people are going to be wowed with and take a look at.鈥�
Swordfish, shrimp and other seafoods are included in this week鈥檚 episode as well.
to the 鈥淔ired Up with Jake and John鈥� podcast on Podcast One.
