Smoked Whitefish and Lake Trout

Smoked fish are a huge part of the food culture in the northern Midwest. These fish are the hot smoked version, not the traditional cold smoked salmon of lox-and-bagels fame. The heat applied during smoking cooks the flesh, which shortens the protein molecules in the meat, making it easier to flake into dishes.

Although smoking does preserve the fish somewhat, it isn’t made shelf-stable like canned or frozen fish. Small grocery stores often have smoked fish in their freezers, so check there, too.