Arbroath Smokie by the North Sea
Arbroath Smokie by the North Sea
At Arbroath harbour, beside the Angus coast, the evening catch becomes a local classic. An Arbroath smokie is hot-smoked haddock, not cod, prepared in the old style associated with Auchmithie, the fishing village north of town. The fish is headed, gutted and tied in pairs before it meets the smoke.
The old preparation
For two generous smokies, use two fresh haddock of about 350 to 550 grams each and coarse salt. Rub the fish well, then salt them for around two hours; larger fish can rest overnight. Rinse lightly and leave them uncovered for roughly five hours, until the skin feels dry and firm.
Loop kitchen twine around the tails and hang the fish from a wooden rod. In the traditional barrel or hearth, a small fire of beech and oak gives the best character. At home, oak smoking chips bring a similar deep fragrance to a covered smoker. Hot smoke the haddock for 45 minutes to one hour, until the skin turns golden brown and the flesh is creamy white.
Remove the skin and lift the meat carefully from the bones while it is still warm. The texture should be moist, firm and easy to flake. Arbroath smokie needs little decoration: warm it with a knob of butter, scatter over chopped parsley, and serve with oatcakes, brown bread or buttery potatoes. A squeeze of lemon cuts through the salt without hiding the North Sea flavour.
Late in the day, the harbour air carries beech smoke across Fit o’ the Toon, while rows of paired haddock darken above the fire. By the time the lamps shine on the water, the first smokies are ready, their bronze skins glowing against the black Scottish night.
Recommended: Oak chips for food smoking