Salmon and other Pacific seafoods are still smoked locally and are available fresh at many of the region s retail seafood counters. Smoked seafoods are great for a special picnic spread, an appetizers, an addition to salads or a special touch to main dishes, says Janice Ferguson of Fergus-McBarendse in Astoria. Some tout the health benefits. Unlike the cold smoking process used to make lox, Pacific Northwest seafoods are traditionally hot smoked. They are cooked by heat and flavored by smoke and the brine recipe of the smoker.
Hot smoking adds flavor to the fish and results in a drier, more firm finished product.
Usually before smoking, the seafood is soaked in a brine which can be seasoned in many ways and of course, is the subject of many secret recipes. The brine can be as simple as saltwater to complex concoctions with sugar, teriyaki, pepper or various herbs. At Pacific Oyster in Bay City, Oregon, Loida Kellow smokes many varieties of seafood including salmon, halibut, oysters, prawns, scallops and calamari. Usually at least 10 varieties are available at any one time in Pacific Oyster s retail seafood case, Kellow will vary the brine to suit the different seafoods she is preparing. She prepares smoked oysters in two different brines, one slightly sweet and one sweet and spicy.