Rainbow Trout are known for their distinctive iridescent sheen which is caused by microscopic platelets in their skin that act like prisms to reflect and refract light. A beauty to behold, nutrient dense but light in texture and of course delicious. They are an incredible fish.
We begin with the freshest Goatsbridge Trout fillets and pin bone them, then wash them and prepare them to be cured. The skin is left on to hold the fillet together until the very final stages of slicing.
At Goatsbridge we apply our cure by hand in a dry rub. Curing is used to draw out the moisture and is primarily salt – although we utilize sugar as well – and other herbs and spices depending upon the recipe. Drawing out the moisture firms the texture and imparts a deeper flavour. Once the cure has been applied, the Rainbow trout fillets are placed on racks to cure for a minimum of 4 hours in refrigeration. Prior to going into the smoker, the fillets are rinsed of the salt/sugar cure and air dried on the racks.
We use two methods of smoking our Rainbow Trout. Cold Smoking which retains an uncooked subtle texture to the fish. And Barbequing/Hot Smoking which delivers a cooked texture to our fish.