Smoked shark belly
Smoked shark belly with horseradish mayonnaise
Never heard of these? Does Schillerlocken sound more familiar? It is originally a German delicacy which is becoming more and more readily available in Flanders. We decided to use a St.Bernardus Wit brine to make our own smoked shark bellies. If we haven’t managed to convince you yet, you really need to try these and taste what you’re missing. Have fun barbecuing!
Serves: 4 bellies
Time needed: prep time (20 minutes), cook time (12 hours), brining (6 hours)
Ingredients
4 shark bellies (dogfish, available from quality fishmongers) or a few more; the brine is enough for ten bellies or so
For the brine: 700 ml water, 50 g salt, 1 can St.Bernardus Wit, 5 makrut lime leaves (or bay leaves), 5 sprigs of thyme, 5 sprigs of rosemary, 1 red onion
For the horseradish mayonnaise: 2 tbsp mayonnaise, 1.5 tbsp horseradish sauce
Preparation
1. Mix the ingredients for the brine and bring to a boil. Allow to cool completely, then soak the shark bellies in the brine for eight hours.
2. Using a sharp knife, slice along the backbone of each shark belly. Cut away the backbones from the meat and rinse the bellies under running water to get rid of any remaining impurities.
3. Remove the shark bellies from the brine, rinse well and hang to dry in a cool, well-ventilated place for two hours.
4. Prepare your BBQ for a session at indirect low heat (75°C max.), adding oak chunks or pellets.
5. Smoke the shark bellies to a core temperature of 72°C.
6. If you want more colour, just smoke them for a bit longer. To do this, I extinguish my BBQ and use a cold smoker with oak chips inside it to smoke the bellies until nicely golden brown (about 8 hours).
7. Wrap your shark bellies in a bit of newspaper or butcher paper until ready to serve.
8. Serve as an appetiser with horseradish mayonnaise. To make this sauce, combine the horseradish with the mayonnaise.
Serve with a nice fresh St.Bernardus Wit and some quick-pickled vegetables as a snack or with fresh bread for a gourmet meal.
Enjoy!
This recipe was made by BBQ Bastard. Have you used any of our beers in your own tasty recipe? Share it with us at marketing@sintbernardus.be and who knows, your efforts may well be rewarded.
