Even though we had  (all in one day, mind you) snow, sleet, rain, clouds/fog, beautiful blue skies, then more snow again, our group of friends felt the urge to fire up the  barbecues and smokers and have ourselves a cook-off. We are more than ready for spring here in Seattle! The categories were the standard trio: meat, sauces, and sides.

I made Barnaby’s famous potato salad, which is easy as pie and always a winner – even though I felt a bit like a slacker – but I felt it best to steer clear of the serious grillers. Plus, I was the photographer and the unofficial Official Wine Taster (even though that wasn’t a category, nor were we doing any wine tasting). Still, I looked official seated on the leather barstool.

With all the meat being smoked and grilled (tri-tip, pork ribs, flank steak) I felt we needed to add some fish to the “red meat mix.” Especially after last week’s pork gluttony at Cochon. I vaguely remember swearing off meat for a month, didn’t I? That obviously didn’t last long.

Barnaby threw four whole trout in the smoker and let them swim in alder smoke for about an hour. The pellets we use are all-natural wood pellets from BBQr’s Delight, by far the best we’ve found.

We mixed fresh finely chopped chives with whipped cream cheese, smeared a bit on water crackers, and placed a lovely tender hunk of trout on each. Then our friend’s five-year old son, Sammy, topped them off with more fresh chives. As he put it, “My dad was a sous chef, I know how to do it.” Ahh, the child of my dreams!

Stay tuned for the rest of the menu…

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I’ve started smoking. No, not cigarettes, but food. I wrote before about the electric smoker I gave Barnaby for his birthday in December and we’ve been going crazy throwing down various meats and fish on the grill: mangalitsa pork, trout, skirt steak, shrimp, scallops. Next on the list is cheese: provolone, mozzarella and cheddar.

Last night we tried a new preparation: cold smoking. Traditional cold smoking requires cooling the smoke before applying it to food, however, that’s both difficult to achieve and requires special equipment. Our version of cold smoking is much easier: toss a piece of frozen fish on the grill and let the smokin’ begin.

Starting with frozen fish minimizes the amount of cooking so the result is a delicious smokey flavor and ever so minimally cooked – perfect for sashimi! We used a 1.2 pound sashimi-grade albacore tuna loin and smoked it over alder pellets for about an hour and a half. If you’re looking for a more fully cooked preparation, or you are smoking meat, then you can sear it afterward.

Our meal was Japanese-style; the tuna drizzled with a bit of ponzu sauce and served with rice, seaweed salad and yaki imo (grilled sweet potato). The smoked tuna would also be delicious in a salad, such as niçoise.

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The other night, on our way to dinner in the Sunset District of San Francisco, we stumbled upon a wonderful little Russian market. Being from Manhattan, where smoked fish abounds, Barnaby was immediately drawn to the shiny fish-filled glass encasement. He had the same look on his face that I get when I walk into Tiffany’s. Wide-eyed, glassy and sporting a silly grin. I don’t blame him, it’s genetic, his father is the same way when met with fish.

What was most beautiful was the large, whole, three-day smoked sturgeon that had just arrived that day and had yet to be sliced into. At $19 a pound we took a chunk and added a whole smoked mackerel as well for a mere $4 and change. Sunday brunch is calling…

When Barnaby was a child his father would bring out the toaster oven and set it and an assortment of bagels, cheeses and spreads, smoked fish and fish pâtés on the dining table for a self-toast-and-serve Sunday feast. We’ve continued this tradition on the occasional lazy Sunday. Whenever we stumble upon a good cheese, maybe a fine stinky Stilton, or a beautifully smoked fish, we’ll look at each other in agreement and say, “Let’s do a Dorfman breakfast this weekend.” Then we’ll build the menu around that one prized ingredient: the best bagels we can get outside of New York, maybe some chopped chicken liver or a bit of smoked sable, thinly sliced red onion and cucumber, some tomatoes and capers…you name it.

Try your own Dorfman Sunday feast at home some weekend. Brew a big pot of a Earl Grey tea, grab your favorite section of the New York Times and enjoy a delicious leisurely morning with your loved one.

Don’t know where to get great smoked fish? Zabar’s in New York can ship it, and many other delicacies, to you just check out their Fish Counter.

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