Basic Fish Brine
Brining your fish before cooking is a crucial step for flavour and enhanced texture. This is my go-to brine recipe, but you can add a few spices in there to make it your own.
Ingredients
- 3 cups cold water
- 1 cup warm water
- 1/2 cup lemon juice fresh or concentrate
- 1/3 cup brown sugar optional
- 3 tbsp salt kosher or sea salt
Instructions
- In a large glass bowl, combine the warm water and the salt. Make sure salt is fully dissolved in your warm water. Add the cold water, lemon juice and brown sugar (if using).
- Submerge your fish fillets in the brine. If you need to add a significant amount of water to do this, be sure to add more salt! A good rule of thumb is 1 tablespoon of salt for every 2 cups of water added.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. * if smoking, brine for at least 12 hours.
- After brining, remove the fish fillets and pat them dry with paper towels. This step ensures the batter will adhere properly to the fish and they come out crisp and perfect. You can event rest your fillets on a paper towel to absorb excess water while you're making your batter.