Smokehouse With Tseshaht Fisher Les Sam
NewsIf we’ve learned a thing or two, it's that fishers know the very best ways to eat and enjoy their catch.
by Allison Hepworth
(Photo courtesy of Sonia Strobel. Les Sam smoked salmon)
If we’ve learned a thing or two, it's that fishers know the very best ways to eat and enjoy their catch.
On a past trip up to Port Alberni in 2021, Sonia and Chris paid a visit to the Tseshaht Nation, and one of our indigenous fishers, Les Sam, who catches beautiful sockeye salmon for Skipper Otto members and even built his own smokehouse.
On the tour, they were able to peek inside the smokehouse he built at home to smoke his annual salmon catch. Constructed of cinderblocks, with racking on the ceiling and a large and very hot fire pit in the ground, he eagerly explained his process of monitoring the fire for a 24 hour period depending on the weather and heat of the fire.
When asked what his special brining recipe was for candied salmon, we were told it’s a ‘trade secret’ but he did share a rough recipe guide with us. First he cuts his fillets into strips, then in an extra large container adds a mix of brown sugar, minced garlic, soda (Fresca is his favourite), lemon juice and ice, and lets the salmon brine for 24 hours. Once the salmon is both brined and smoked, he then pours a little honey on the salmon, before he vacuum seals and freezes it, to enjoy at a future date.
If you are feeling inspired by Les and get creative with your own backyard smokehouse, be sure to let us know and send photos! But for those members who want easy access to delicious smoked and candied fish - Skipper Otto has you covered. We work with a commercial smokehouse to bring you a delicious assortment of smoked products such as cold smoked sockeye salmon lox and albacore tuna lox along with hot smoked options like candied, peppered and plain salmon varieties.
(Photos and videos courtesy of Sonia Strobel. Visit to Les Sam in Port Alberni)