Smoked striped bass

Smoked striped bass

One of the best things about this meal is that striped bass are a blast to catch. The ones used for this recipe were caught in the Santee Cooper lakes, but these fish are available in numerous bodies of water across the Carolinas and beyond.

It’s easy to fall into the routine of frying these fillets, because it’s the way most people are used to eating stripers. And trust me, I like fried striper as much as the next guy. But sometimes, it’s nice to cook them a different way.

Pellet smokers are known for infusing that smokey flavor into food in a way that can’t be replicated with any other cooking method. You can even change the taste of the same foods each time, simply by using pellets infused with different flavors.

And if you’re trying to be a little healthier, this way of cooking fish is definitely better for you than deep frying. But don’t worry, you’re not giving up any flavor by cooking them this way.

Crank up your smoker and give this a try. You won’t regret it.

INGREDIENTS:

Striped bass fillets

Butter

Salt

Pepper

Garlic

PREPARATION:

This is a pretty simple dish to prepare. You only need a few ingredients, starting with the striped bass fillets.

Start out by setting your smoker to 350 degrees.

Place your fillets on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Douse the fillets with olive oil.

Sprinkle some salt, pepper and garlic on the fillets.

Add some butter to each fillet.

Place it in the smoker.

Set timer for 15 minutes.

Once the timer goes off, pull the baking sheet out and enjoy.

If you’re into vegetables, green beans pair well with this, and rice or french fries are also side dish options.

My wife enjoys having the striped bass broken up and spread over a salad, so that’s another way to serve this dish.

I used a Pit Boss vertical smoker when preparing this dish. I prefer vertical smokers because they do a better job at regulating the temperature than those shaped like a conventional grill. They also generally have more room, so you can fit more food in one, and it’s a great way to make multiple dishes at the same time.

I used Pit Boss Fruitwood Blend pellets, which are a mix of apple, cherry, maple and oak pellets.

The quick cooking time means the smokey flavor was not overpowering, but the subtle hints of those flavors added a nice touch.