Smoked some marlin tonight

[Stoke&Smoke]

BTW...I'd hit that! My wife and I had our fill of all kinds of seafood when we honeymooned in Maui! I had some fantastic moon fish and sashimi up there. Not to mention, I found it interesting how expensive beef, chicken and pork was in the grocery stores. All of the stuff we can't get fresh here (seafood) or hafta pay out the nose for was being sold for pennies in the grocery stores. We cooked many times on the poolside gasser at the hotel and beach parks and we gorged on the fresh, tasty and inexpensive seafood that we were able to buy in the grocery stores. We had TONS of mahimahi and I ate my weight in ahi sashimi. We want to go back SOSOSOSOSSO bad. If I could get seafood like that on a daily basis, you bet I'd be eating it EVERYDAY. :thumb: I also remember my wife having some opakapaka at a restuarant that she still raves about today.
Bob

I'm with ya there Bob! I was fortunate enough to be stationed at Pearl Harbor for 3 1/2 years back in the late 70's, early 80's. Since we were at sea 6 months a year (SSBN Submarine duty) we were also in port for 6. No room in onbase housing, so we all lived off-base, or almost all of us. I got to learn about lots of different local foods. And you sure can't get fresher seafood anywhere!

We went back a few years ago, this time to the big island, and this time had even more sashimi, mahi mahi, and I even got to catch this guy!
Almoste 6' ! (69") I'm sure the guys on the crew ate well that night! Wish we could have had some

 

[chingador]

actually, I AM right about the severe decline in striped marlin populations...see the link that otterpop graciously provided.

You really do not know what you are talking about. The website you put up as factual is nothing more than opinion from the point of view of the environmentalist. Just because an environmentalist slanted website says avoid striped marlin does have any factual bearing on the stocks of the fishery. It is only opinion and a very slanted one at that. Look, I am not doubting that the worldwide population of striped marlin is on the decline. My point is that is happening elsewhere, just not Hawaii. Commercial fleets are going to town off of Africa, the Mediterranean and many places in the Pacific. They use destructive fishing gear like longlines that kills a lot of unintended fish, otherwise known as bycatch. Longlining fleets are putting a hurting on all pelagic fish around the world, not to mention shark populations.

That has nothing to do with Hawaii. Hawaii has a very well and tightly managed fishery. In fact, most commercially caught fish are landed using responsible gear (read, no longlining). The fishery in Hawaii is carefully managed and completely sustainable. If it wasn't, it would be illegal to catch and sell it commercially. If it was bad enough, you could not even fish for it recreationally. I don't eat marlin. That is my choice, but I am not going to criticise somebody who eats marlin that was caught in a closely managed and sustainable fishery, which Hawaii most certainly is.

No reason to browbeat the OP over eating marlin.

 

[Cook]

I'm with ya there Bob! I was fortunate enough to be stationed at Pearl Harbor for 3 1/2 years back in the late 70's, early 80's. Since we were at sea 6 months a year (SSBN Submarine duty) we were also in port for 6. No room in onbase housing, so we all lived off-base, or almost all of us. I got to learn about lots of different local foods. And you sure can't get fresher seafood anywhere!

We went back a few years ago, this time to the big island, and this time had even more sashimi, mahi mahi, and I even got to catch this guy!
Almoste 6' ! (69") I'm sure the guys on the crew ate well that night! Wish we could have had some

Cool little short billed spear ya got there.

 

[canis latrans]

You really do not know what you are talking about. The website you put up as factual is nothing more than opinion from the point of view of the environmentalist.

for the record, that wasn't MY link...otterpop posted it as "proof" that blue marlin were NOT in danger.

well, on his link, the jury is still out on BLUE marlin, but it definately said that stripey's were in trouble.

again...otterpop's link, not MINE.

 

[deathamphetamine]

looks damn tasty! Is it anything like swordfish?? meaty or flaky?

???

 

[Crash]

I grilled some blue marlin last night too! alongside some steaks. Will post another thread with pron.

Re: population in Hawaii's waters, check this link http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_factsheet.aspx?gid=62

"When purchasing blue marlin, be sure that it was caught in the Hawaiian fishery."

Nice, how did it turn out and where's that post with pron?

 

[Crash]

Crash, it looks good to me. But, I think you should know. You should not be using Kosher Salt. There's not a lot left to go around. You know how many Rabbis it takes to bless even one box of Kosher Salt? I say, "No Kosher Salt on your Menu".







more for me, that way



Going to my room now...


Your fish still looks good.

There's also a shortage of rabbis on the island. :becky:

I would have used the real Hawaiian rock salt, but I'm too cheap.

 

[Crash]

looks damn tasty! Is it anything like swordfish?? meaty or flaky?

Sorry I missed this the first time.

I think swordfish is somewhat similar to Marlin. Swordfish has a firmer texture and has more oil content to it than Marlin. They both hold up well to smoking and I wouldn't consider them to have a flaky texture....definitely more on the meaty side. We eat a lot more marlin than swordfish, but we'll will eat swordfish when we find it on sale.

Before someone else chimes in, yes we are aware of the elevated mercury levels in swordfish and keep our family's consumption below the USFDA recommended levels.

 

[Murray in N.Z.]

One of the blokes I used to have working for me was up in the Bay of Islands on holiday and scored a marlin frame about 7 feet loong.... apparently the fisherbloke had carved the fillets offa it and was going to biff it into the ocean. Well a Maori never says NO to a feed of fish, especially a free one that required no work to get and so Eddie took it back to his motel wrapped in a blue polytarp. He called me up saying that he couldnt get it in the wee fridge in the motel (DOH DOH) and didnt know what to do.

I drove north 1.5 hrs, he drove south 1.5 hrs and later that night it was chopped up into managable portions and swimming around in the top secret icey sweet brine recipe.

Well it took a bit of smoking to get it all done but that frame fed 3 very biggutted families a meal that just couldnt be beaten (till next time). We even cut off the pointy bit and split the head and smoked that. But the best ever bit was the bit fatty bit that goes around the sail recess..... looks like a giant pair of Mick Jagger lips. It protects the sail when its folded down. It had all the main food groups in one piece, fat,salt and smoke... There was beggar all meat just great gob fulls of hot greasy smokey fishy stuff. 3 of us sat around with spoons just schlurping it down. It sounds terrible but it was absolutly Deeeevine, we scraped up the last little bits off the skin with bread and sat back happyness filled!

Who remembers being given cod liver oil for whatever ails ya from grandma when you was young? What happened when y'all got given too much? Thats right, about 4 hrs later we was all sitting on the dunny blowing the old brown trumpets for all they was worth.... Still I would hit that darned stuff again even knowing what to expect it was sooo darned good.

Muzza.

 

[justjack]

Might also have been the mercury that made ya all slick inside...

 

[Crash]

Good story Murray! Thanks.

 

[Arlin_MacRae]

One of the blokes I used to have working for me was up in the Bay of Islands on holiday and scored a marlin frame about 7 feet loong.... apparently the fisherbloke had carved the fillets offa it and was going to biff it into the ocean. Well a Maori never says NO to a feed of fish, especially a free one that required no work to get and so Eddie took it back to his motel wrapped in a blue polytarp. He called me up saying that he couldnt get it in the wee fridge in the motel (DOH DOH) and didnt know what to do.

I drove north 1.5 hrs, he drove south 1.5 hrs and later that night it was chopped up into managable portions and swimming around in the top secret icey sweet brine recipe.

Well it took a bit of smoking to get it all done but that frame fed 3 very biggutted families a meal that just couldnt be beaten (till next time). We even cut off the pointy bit and split the head and smoked that. But the best ever bit was the bit fatty bit that goes around the sail recess..... looks like a giant pair of Mick Jagger lips. It protects the sail when its folded down. It had all the main food groups in one piece, fat,salt and smoke... There was beggar all meat just great gob fulls of hot greasy smokey fishy stuff. 3 of us sat around with spoons just schlurping it down. It sounds terrible but it was absolutly Deeeevine, we scraped up the last little bits off the skin with bread and sat back happyness filled!

Who remembers being given cod liver oil for whatever ails ya from grandma when you was young? What happened when y'all got given too much? Thats right, about 4 hrs later we was all sitting on the dunny blowing the old brown trumpets for all they was worth.... Still I would hit that darned stuff again even knowing what to expect it was sooo darned good.

Muzza.

So the guy cut the filets off and it still fed three people? :shock: That would have been a waste. Good work on finishing the job!

"...blowing the old brown trumpets..." LMAO

 

[toumaj]

Sorry I missed this the first time.

I think swordfish is somewhat similar to Marlin. Swordfish has a firmer texture and has more oil content to it than Marlin. They both hold up well to smoking and I wouldn't consider them to have a flaky texture....definitely more on the meaty side. We eat a lot more marlin than swordfish, but we'll will eat swordfish when we find it on sale.

Before someone else chimes in, yes we are aware of the elevated mercury levels in swordfish and keep our family's consumption below the USFDA recommended levels.

I agree - Swordfish meat and Marlin meat are very very similar.
Both can be ruined if they are overcooked even a little.
That's why it's so hard to find good swordfish in a restaurant - 99% of the places I've been to overcook the fish.
I've grilled both Marlin and Swordfish for the family, but we all VERY much prefer smoking the meat.
I landed a 400# Marlin in Baja around 2001 - biggest fish they'd seen in months (took about 6 hours to bring it in AND won a $1,500 billfish tournament at the same time!!!).
We had it "cubed" into massive chunks of fish after the Mexican kid - completely seriously - asked me for $7/# to smoke the meat for me!!!
400# Marlin = 300 # meat X $7 = $2,100?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
We froze it, flew it back to LA and the wife and i spent the next 3 days smoking chunks of marlin on an old rusty ECB.
The neighbors were less than happy during the smoke - we received more than 1 complaint.
But when it was done, I took a 2# chunk to each neighbor, including the ones that complained.
Every single neighbor came over that night and asked for more.
Some even apologized for complaining

 

[otterpop]

Nice, how did it turn out and where's that post with pron?

Right over here Crash!

 

[cowgirl]

Your smoked fish looks tasty Crash!

 

[nzrebel]

Hi there... Now I admit I know diddlysquat about smoking red meat but fish is another story.

<Snip>

Regds
Muzza in N.Z.

G'Day Muzza, good to have another K1W1 onboard to balance the unhealthy outbreak of Ockers on this board..(ducks Bill's boomerang)

Dave
Vienna Va
formerly ChCh NZ

 

[Murray in N.Z.]

Arlin. Mate... It fed 3 FAMILIES of fatguts... the guy carved off hundreds of pounds on meat but there was about an inch each side of the bones for the entire 5 feet of backbone and ribs and the head when split had tons of meat, cheeks, lips, tongue, brain it all went down The 2 x wing/belly flap pieces alone were about 3 feet long and a foot wide each.... NZRebel will confirm that Maori's dont waste anything when it comes to fish, even the eyes get sucked. There was just a pile of bones, skin, a tail and fins and the pointy bit left.

NZREBEL- Glad to hear another K1W1... even if they are South Islanders... far better than those kangaroo eating sheep raping West Islanders!!! My daughter is down in ChCh nursing... had enough experience doing A+E to last a lifetime. Poor thing is still pretty shell shocked about what she had to do after the shake.

 

[Arlin_MacRae]

Arlin. Mate... It fed 3 FAMILIES of fatguts... the guy carved off hundreds of pounds on meat but there was about an inch each side of the bones for the entire 5 feet of backbone and ribs and the head when split had tons of meat, cheeks, lips, tongue, brain it all went down The 2 x wing/belly flap pieces alone were about 3 feet long and a foot wide each.... NZRebel will confirm that Maori's dont waste anything when it comes to fish, even the eyes get sucked. There was just a pile of bones, skin, a tail and fins and the pointy bit left.

To me, that's exactly the way it should be. Good on 'em, sez me!

NZREBEL- Glad to hear another K1W1... even if they are South Islanders... far better than those kangaroo eating sheep raping West Islanders!!! My daughter is down in ChCh nursing... had enough experience doing A+E to last a lifetime. Poor thing is still pretty shell shocked about what she had to do after the shake.

You owe me a monitor, Murray - I just pictured Bill's face when he reads this and lost my coffee. :laugh: