Smoked trout the old-fashioned way

Second Fiddle Smokehouse is one of the Illawarra’s newest foodie startups, producing artisan smoked trout using traditional European methods. Chris Harag and Jess Vickers have partnered with Harley and John's Seafood at Fairy Meadow to source whole trout fresh from the Victorian High Country. The whole process – from filleting and salting to hanging and smoking – is done by hand by Chris and Jess at Harley and John's.

Chris learned the traditions while living in the UK and, back in Thirroul during lockdown, practised on a home smoker. Chris now uses a hand smoker, sourced second-hand from a butcher, and has been producing his smoked trout for the last three months. His product has already been embraced by local cafes and restaurants, and can be purchased from the Second Fiddle website, Harley and John's and several other stores in the Illawarra.

Chris tells me that the curing and smoking process takes three days. The trout comes in fresh on a Wednesday and is filleted, salted and refrigerated for 24 hours. The product is dried and cold smoked for nine hours and left to dry again.

“It is important that the smoking temperature does not exceed 30˚C so that the fish doesn’t cook and break down. The heat source is Australian mountain ash or applewood chips. The chips should smoulder rather than flame,” Chris says.

“The trout is rope-hung allowing the smoke to envelope the fish. Commonly, oak is used, which imparts a strong flavour masking the flavour of the fish. I prefer mountain ash and applewood, which result in a subtle balanced flavour.”

Chris is keen to ensure that his business is sustainable all through the production, including sourcing the trout, the chips used for smoking and the compostable.

You can find out more about Second Fiddle Smokehouse on their website