If you're looking to try something different with your catch, give this unique smoked rockfish recipe a try! Yes, it's true! Rockfish is good for more than just rockfish tacos. The sweet and spicy maple glaze made from homemade BBQ seasoning adds incredible flavor to firm rockfish filets.
Recipe Highlights
Something Different: Don't get me wrong, I love a good rockfish taco. But this tasty fish can be used for so much more! Smoking it is a great way to turn this simple fish into a delicacy. Be sure to save some to make smoked fish crostini!
Incredible Flavor: The perfect blend of sweetness and spiciness delivers an incredible flavor.
Easy to Prepare: This dish is straightforward to make with a simple dry brine and smoking process.
Ingredients
- Rockfish: Traditionally, oily fish like trout or salmon are reserved for smoking. Pacific rockfish is not an oily fish but it still works great for smoking! You can use other kinds of fish with a firm texture like red snapper, cod, or halibut.
- BBQ Seasoning: I like to use my homemade BBQ seasoning for this recipe. You can use your favorite BBQ rub as well. For best results, make sure the rub includes brown sugar and kosher salt. For more ways to use BBQ seasoning, try BBQ venison sliders or grilled thick-cut pork chops.
- Maple Syrup: Pure maple syrup provides the sweet element in this recipe. If you prefer to not have a sweeter fish, you can omit it.
See recipe card for quantities.
Equipment
- Pellet Grill: My smoking vessel of choice is a pellet grill. Of course, you can also use an electric smoker with wood chips, charcoal grill, etc. to smoke fish as well. Just make sure you have the option to smoke the fish away from the heat source to cook it with indirect heat.
How to Make Smoked Rockfish
This smoked rockfish is super simple to make. Read below for how to make it!
- Step 1: Pat the rockfish filets dry with paper towels. Place fish in a glass baking dish, skin side down.
- Step 2: Rub 2 tablespoons of BBQ seasoning on the fish filets.
- Step 3: Cover the dish and refrigerate for 12-24 hours. The seasoning should pull some of the liquid out of the fish so there should be some liquid in the bottom of the dish.
- Step 4: Place the brined fish filets on a baking rack on a sheet pan. Refrigerate for 3-24 hours to dry the surface of the fish.
- Step 5: Preheat a smoker to 180°F. Place the baking rack with the fish filets on the grill grates, not directly over the flames. You can place the fish directly on the grill grates, but it is easier to get off the grill if you leave it on the baking rack.
- Step 6: After the fish has been smoking for 1 hour, combine ¼ cup maple syrup with 1 tablespoon of BBQ seasoning.
- Step 7: Brush ⅓ of the glaze mixture on the fish filets.
- Step 8: Brush ⅓ of the glaze on the fish after 2 hours of smoking, and then brush the remaining glaze on the fish after 3 hours of smoking. Smoke the fish until the internal temperature reaches 145°F, about 4 hours total.
- Step 9: Remove the baking rack from the grill and let it cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. You can cool it the rest of the way with the skin on or off, on a baking rack in the fridge.
- Step 10: Enjoy cold or warm as an appetizer, snack, or ingredient for other recipes.
Pro Tip
Removing the skin when the fish is warm is much easier. However, if you let the fish cool fully before removing the skin, it helps lock moisture into the fish for a more pleasant eating experience.
How to Freeze Smoked Rockfish
- Step 1: Remove the fish from the skin.
- Step 2: Wrap the cooled fish filet in parchment paper.
- Step 3: Place the fish in a vacuum bag and seal it with a vacuum sealer.
- Step 4: Freeze for up to 3 months.
Variations
- Salty: This fish gets its flavor from the spices and maple syrup. You can add kosher salt for a more salty flavor.
- Spicy: The BBQ seasoning in this recipe has a light spiciness to it. You can add cayenne or red pepper flakes to make it more spicy.
- Sweet: You can sub the maple syrup with a honey or brown sugar glaze to change the flavor a bit.
Serving Suggestions
Smoked fish is a super versatile ingredient. You can use it for a smoked fish dip, smoked fish crostini, in salads, on sandwiches, on pizza, or on a charcuterie board with spicy pickled asparagus. No matter how you choose to serve it, you're going to love having a new recipe for rockfish!
FAQ
Rockfish is not often used for smoking, but it works great! The firm texture holds up to smoking well.
Rockfish is a high-quality fish often caught in waters surrounding Alaska. It is great for rockfish tacos, smoking, or grilling.
Rockfish is a mild-tasting fish with a firm texture. The taste is similar to cod.
Related Recipes
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Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with smoked fish:
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Thank you!
Annie
Sweet and Spicy Smoked Rockfish
Ingredients
- 2 lb rockfish filets, skin-on
- 3 tablespoon homemade BBQ seasoning, divided
- ¼ cup maple syrup
Instructions
- Pat the rockfish filets dry with paper towels. Place filets in a glass baking dish, skin side down.
- Rub 2 tablespoons of BBQ seasoning on the fish filets. Cover the dish and refrigerate for 12-24 hours. The seasoning should pull some of the liquid out of the fish so there should be some liquid in the bottom of the dish.
- Place the brined fish filets on a baking rack on a sheet pan. Refrigerate for 3-24 hours to dry the surface of the fish.
- Preheat a smoker to 180°F. Place the baking rack with the fish filets on the grill grates, not directly over the flames. You can place the fish directly on the grill grates, but it is easier to get off the grill if you leave it on the baking rack.
- After the fish has been smoking for 1 hour, combine ¼ cup maple syrup with 1 tablespoon of BBQ seasoning. Brush ⅓ of the glaze mixture on the fish filets.
- Brush ⅓ of the glaze on the fish after 2 hours, and then brush the remaining glaze on the fish after 3 hours.
- Smoke the fish until the internal temperature reaches 145°F, about 4 hours total.
- Remove the baking rack from the grill and let it cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. You can cool it the rest of the way with the skin on or off, on a baking rack in the fridge.
- Enjoy cold or warm as an appetizer, snack, or ingredient for other recipes.
To Freeze:
- Remove the fish from the skin. Wrap the cooled fish filet in parchment paper. Place the fish in a vacuum bag and seal it with a vacuum sealer. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Traditionally, oily fish like trout or salmon are reserved for smoking. Pacific rockfish is not an oily fish but it still works great for smoking! You can use other kinds of fish with a firm texture like red snapper, cod, or halibut.
- I like to use my homemade BBQ seasoning for this recipe. You can use your favorite BBQ rub as well. For best results, make sure the rub includes brown sugar and kosher salt.
- Pure maple syrup provides the sweet element in this recipe. If you prefer to not have a sweeter fish, you can omit it.
- My smoking vessel of choice is a pellet grill. Of course, you can also use an electric smoker with wood chips, charcoal grill, etc. to smoke fish as well. Just make sure you have the option to smoke the fish away from the heat source to cook it with indirect heat.
- Removing the skin when the fish is warm is much easier. However, if you let the fish cool fully before removing the skin, it helps lock moisture into the fish for a more pleasant eating experience.
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