This recipe is adapted from “Fish-Wurst”, an Alaska Sea Grant flyer from the University of Alaska Fairbanks written by Doug Coughenower. The spice mixture contains fennel and coriander, and the white pepper and red pepper give it a little kick.
- 2 1/2 pounds raw fish
- 9 tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup ice cold water
- 2/3 cup bread crumbs
- 5 1/4 teaspoon Italian Fish Sausage Spice Mix
- 2 tablespoons white pepper
- 2 tablespoons mild red pepper
- 1 3/4 tablespoons fennel seeds
- 3/4 tablespoon coriander
- 1 1/4 teaspoons paprika
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Mix all the ingredients together. Store leftover spice mixture in a sealed container for other usage.
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Freeze first, then grind any boneless skinless fish fillet or chunks using a coarse grinding plate. Keep the fish as cold as possible.
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Measure out the starch and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add in the oil, bread crumbs, spice mix, and the ground fish. Mix thoroughly using your hands, and add in up to 1/4 cup of ice cold water to keep the mixture moist. Keep the mixture in the refrigerator until ready to stuff.
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Slide 24 to 30 inches of casing over the sausage horn. Tie off the end when you have stuffed about 6 inches of sausage, then repeat and continue stuffing. Let the casing slip off the horn when it gets packed, but don't pack too heavy or linking the sausage will burst them. Tie off the casing at the end, then link each sausage link by twisting the casings.
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Frying: place in a nonstick frying pan with a bit of oil, and fry until browned. Do not over cook.
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Boiling: Cook in simmering water about 190 degrees F until firm, about 20-30 minutes.
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Smoking: 4-6 hours in a hot smoker, the longer the smoking the dryer the product. If fresh fish sausage was only lightly smoked, it may be finished in the microwave to finish cooking.