Smoked marlin recipe

Smoked marlin dip prepared by Cantey Smith

Graham Eubank helps pull the blue marlin from Sportin' Life

With the conservation of billfish front and center in the minds of offshore anglers, there are occasions when flesh from a marlin will need to be honored with skillful preparation. Such is the case following the Georgetown Governor's Cup when Sportin' Life weighed in a blue marlin that well-exceeded the legal size limit. The veteran crew secured the blue marlin in the cockpit on a bed of ice bags, covered the entire fish with wet towels to reduce exposure to the sun, and then piled more ice bags on top. Icing the fish helps to preserve the flesh, prior to the fish being cleaned, but after a weigh-in process and some quick photos. Next up, the S.C. Department of Natural Resources removed key biological samples from the blue marlin for the sake of research, and the information will help to reveal the life history of the marlin to share with other scientists.  The Sportin' Life enlisted veteran angler Cantey Smith to smoke the meat from their blue marlin, so he removed the skin from the flesh, cut it into steaks using his Bubba blade knife, and then placed it into a Yeti cooler for five days with ice and a special brine consisting of Morton's Sugar Cure. Smith credits Dr. John Reynold's for sharing the entire marlin prep process with him. Smith loaded up a large grill with the marlin steaks, then lined it with pre-soaked Applewood chips, and smoked the meat for two hours at a temperature of 200-degrees.  The meat swelled under the heat and white juices began to emerge from the fish, a sure signal of taste being preserved under Smith's constant watch. After all, the opportunity to smoke marlin meat is rare, with Smith's last effort coming two years ago. When done smoking, the meat must cool down enough for Smith to handle it, picking it apart much like pulled pork. The meat will then be prepared to serve as a dip using mayo, tobasco, worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, celery and onion. We enjoyed the dip with triscuit crackers on a proper billfish serving tray during a happy hour deck party with saltwater fishing regulars just itching to plan their next offshore fishing trip.

Cantey Smith shares his smoked marlin steaks with me

The chalkboard record from G'town

To view past blog entires with wild game recipes click here.

Cutting Steaks from a Blue Marlin