30.04.2021

Our Spring Recipes - Part 6: Freshly caught in Stralsund

Our chefs share their secrets

Salmon trout: smoking process and serving suggestion | © Wyndham Stralsund HanseDom

The last recipe in our series is a very special one, especially for fish lovers. Try it at home if you have the chance, or visit the chef on site as soon as possible - he will surely be happy to tell you how to build your own smoker!

Smoking is a matter for the chef at the Wyndham Stralsund HanseDom Hotel: Chef de cuisine René Spillner turns freshly caught salmon trouts into true delicacies. The passionate angler knows how to get the best out of his catch and smokes it himself. For this purpose, he has built a simple smoker with a bottom drawer that provides ideal smoking conditions.

Are you in the lucky position of having your own smoker or do you know someone who owns one and can refine your cach in this way? In this case, the chef himself has just the right tips for you:

The smoking process itself basically distinguishes between cold and hot smoking. Before the (gutted!) fish find their way into the chef's oven, however, they have to soak up some salt - ideally in a homemade brine. The chef recommends: 500 grams of iodine-free salt dissolved in 5 litres of water. Leave the fish to soak in this mixture for about 3 hours.

In order to highlight and bring the salmon trout's flavour to the fore, dry it in the smoker for 20 minutes at 80 °C.

After this, the actual smoking process starts, at 60 to 70 °C for 60 minutes. Make sure to check the embers in the drawer on a regular basis. If the amount of smoke declines, add some fresh wood to spark off the fire again. At the end of the smoking process, the fish will have a yellowish-golden tint and are ready to be served right away. A true feast for your tastebuds.

If you do not have the possibility to smoke your own fish, visit the local fishmonger of your trust - there you can usually get regional specialties in a top quality (and you save yourself a few steps).

The best way to enjoy a freshly smoked salmon trout is quite puristic: Just serve the fish on a plate, together with some roasted farmer's bread, tomato salad and creamed radish with cranberries. And there you have it, a tasty spring dish that is guaranteed to impress your friends and family!

We would like to thank chef Spillner for the interesting insights into the smoking process. Even if we still have to wait for some time - as soon as it is possible again, we will visit him at the Wyndham Stralsund HanseDom to indulge in his fish specialties. And we can only recommend you to visit the hote's PRIME Restaurant & Bar. Discover the variety and freshness of the regional delicacies served there and feast across the menu to your heart's content. Chef Spillner and his team are looking forward to having you!

Editor: Bea Lehofer