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Why is hardwood preferred over softwood for smoking fish?
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fish processing
Fish on a conveyor belt entering a processing plant, Newfoundland, Canada.
When smoking fish, it is imperative to use hardwood rather than softwood. The primary reason for this preference is that the softwood of conifers, such as spruce and pine, contains pitch.1
When burned, this pitch produces a film on the surface of the fish and imparts an undesirable bitter taste to the final product. In contrast, hardwoods like hickory are preferred because they provide the desired smoke flavor and quality without these negative effects. Proper selection of fuel is essential to the smoking process, which serves to preserve the fish and enhance its palatability through the addition of flavor and color.12