Smoked Pickerel with Citrus Mayonnaise

Yield: 4 servings

Preparation time is 2 hours plus 12 hours marinating

Ingredients

For the brine:

• 3 litres of water (3 quarts)
• 250 millilitres of kosher salt (1 cup)
• 250 millilitres of demerara sugar (1 cup)
• 10 millilitres of champagne vinegar (2 teaspoons)
• 10 millilitres of pickling spices (2 teaspoons)
• grated zest of 1 lemon
• juice of a lemon
• 50 millilitres of finely chopped garlic (1 ¾ ounces)
• 10 peppercorns

For the smoking:

• 4 pickerel fillets
• Hickory wood chips
• For the mayonnaise:
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup olive oil (250 millilitres)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (15 millilitres)
• Juice and zest of one lemon
• 1 tablespoon chopped tarragon (15 millilitres)
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Combine all the ingredients in a large saucepan and bring the liquid to a boil over a medium heat. Remove it from the heat and let it cool. Slide in your pickerel fillets and marinate for 12 hours, overnight in the fridge.
2. Soak your wood chips for at least 30 minutes. Drain the fillets, pat them dry and smoke them over hickory wood chips for 40 minutes. Set aside to cool.
3. To make the mayonnaise, in a small bowl beat your egg yolk, lemon juice and Dijon mustard together. Then begin adding the olive oil by the teaspoonful to start with, then by the tablespoon once it starts to absorb it and stiffen. Adjust the consistency of the mayonnaise with a very little boiling water to thin it. Stir in the chopped tarragon and season.
4. Serve with the smoked pickerel.