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Smoked trout from the Mpumalanga Highlands: cold-smoked ribbons and hot-smoked fillets
Two styles of smoked trout made from fish we grow ourselves, for the deli counter, the restaurant menu and the home fridge.
- Fish health checked before every dispatch
- Stocking advice with every order
- You speak to the people who raise the fish
- Delivering to Dullstroom
Smoked trout made from fish we grow ourselves
The smokehouse at Stillriver Trout uses rainbow trout from our own ponds near Dullstroom. We know where every fish came from, when it was harvested and how it was handled, and that shows in the finished product.
We make two kinds of smoked trout, and they are not interchangeable. One is silky and mild, for laying over food. The other is cooked, flaky and smoky, for mixing into food. Knowing which you need saves money and gets a better plate.
Cold-smoked trout ribbons
The fillets are cured, then smoked at a low temperature that does not cook the flesh. The result is soft, glossy and gently smoky, close to smoked salmon in texture but often a little milder. We slice it thin into ribbons.
Use ribbons where they can be seen: on a bagel with cream cheese, across a salad, on blinis or rye, in a breakfast plate, or folded over scrambled eggs at the last moment. Do not cook them hard. Heat turns ribbons dry and salty.
Hot-smoked trout fillets
Here the fish is smoked at a higher temperature so it cooks through in the smoke. The flesh turns opaque and firm, breaks into large flakes and carries a deeper smoky taste.
Hot-smoked fillets are the cook's version. Flake them into pasta, a potato bake, fishcakes, kedgeree or a warm salad, or blend them into a smoked trout pate. They are also good cold, straight from the pack, with a squeeze of lemon.
Cold-smoked or hot-smoked: which to choose
| Cold-smoked ribbons | Hot-smoked fillets | |
|---|---|---|
| Texture | Silky, soft, sliceable | Firm, flaky, cooked through |
| Flavour | Mild, gently smoky | Richer, more smoky |
| Best served | Cold, draped over food | Cold or gently warmed, flaked into food |
| Good for | Bagels, platters, salads, canapes, eggs | Pate, pasta, bakes, fishcakes, warm salads |
| Avoid | Cooking it hard | Slicing thin for draping |
For a deli counter, stock both: they sell to different customers. For a restaurant, choose by dish. A breakfast menu usually wants ribbons; a lunch menu with a pasta or a pate wants hot-smoked fillets.
How our smoked trout is made
Good smoked trout starts with the fish, not the smoke. Ours comes from rainbow trout grown in cold spring water on the farm and harvested for the smokehouse, not bought in.
- The fish are harvested, cleaned and filleted at the farm, so the time from water to smokehouse is short.
- The fillets are cured with salt, which seasons the flesh and firms it before smoking.
- They are smoked either cool, for ribbons, or hot, so the fish cooks through, for fillets.
- Ribbons are sliced, then everything is packed, labelled with its date and chilled straight away.
Because we control every step, a trade customer who wants a lighter cure, a particular slice or a fillet of a set size can ask, and we will say honestly whether we can do it.
Retail packs and wholesale packs
Retail packs
Sealed, labelled packs of ribbons and fillets, ready for a fridge shelf in a deli, farm stall or butchery. Each pack carries the product name, storage instructions and a use-by date. Retailers can order them on the same delivery runs as fresh trout.
Wholesale packs for kitchens
Larger packs for restaurants, lodges and caterers, so you are not opening lots of small packs for one service. Tell us how you use it, sliced for plating or flaked for cooking, and we will suggest the format that wastes least.
Buying for home
Private customers can buy retail packs from us directly or from shops we supply. If you are visiting the farm on a farm tour or a fly fishing day, ask about taking some home.
We do not publish pack sizes or prices here because both change with the season and the fish available. Ask for the current list and we will send what is in stock.
Storing smoked trout
- Keep it cold. Smoked trout is a chilled product. Store it in the fridge, sealed, and keep it out of the door, where the temperature swings most.
- Follow the date. Eat it by the date on the label. Once a pack is open, wrap what is left tightly and use it soon.
- Freezing. Hot-smoked fillets tend to freeze better than ribbons. Cold-smoked ribbons can go soft and wet when thawed, so buy what you will use.
- Serving. Take ribbons out of the fridge a little before serving; the flavour opens up when they are not ice cold.
Trade customers: ask us for the shelf life of each product before you set your stock rotation.
Ways to serve smoked trout
Smoked trout earns its place on a menu or in a fridge because it needs almost no work. A few ideas that work on a menu and in a home kitchen:
- Breakfast. Ribbons over soft scrambled eggs, on a toasted bagel with cream cheese and capers, or beside poached eggs with hollandaise.
- Starters and platters. Ribbons on rye or blinis with creme fraiche and dill, or a bowl of smoked trout pate with toast and pickled cucumber.
- Lunch. Hot-smoked flakes through a potato salad, a grain bowl or a warm pasta with lemon and peas.
- Supper. A potato and smoked trout bake, fishcakes, or kedgeree with soft-boiled eggs.
- Picnics and padkos. A tub of pate and crackers travel better than most things in a cooler box.
Step-by-step versions of five of these are in our smoked trout recipes.
Who our smoked trout suits, and who it does not
It suits delis, farm stalls and butcheries that want a local smoked fish with a known origin, restaurants and lodges that want a ready-to-plate product for breakfast and lunch, and home cooks who like having an easy meal in the fridge.
It is not the cheapest smoked fish you can buy, and we are a small smokehouse, not a factory. If you need a very large national volume on short notice, or a long-life product for a shelf outside the fridge, we are not the right supplier, and we will tell you so.
What drives the price of smoked trout
- Style. Ribbons and hot-smoked fillets involve different curing, smoking and handling.
- Pack format. Retail packs carry more packaging and labelling per kilogram than kitchen packs.
- Volume and frequency. A standing weekly order is cheaper to produce and deliver than one-off orders.
- Delivery. Whether you are on an existing run in Mpumalanga or Gauteng.
Ask for the smoked trout price list for current pricing on both styles.
Smoked trout or fresh trout?
Smoked trout is ready to eat and keeps your prep short. Fresh trout, whole or filleted, is for kitchens that want to cook fish to order. Trade customers can take both on the same delivery run. For menu and home ideas, see our smoked trout recipes, including a quick smoked trout pate.
Questions about smoked trout
What is the difference between cold-smoked and hot-smoked trout?
Cold-smoked trout is cured and smoked at a low temperature, so the flesh stays raw-textured, silky and mild, like smoked salmon. It is sliced into ribbons. Hot-smoked trout is smoked at a higher temperature so it cooks through: the flesh turns opaque, firm and flaky, with a stronger smoky taste. Ribbons are for draping; hot-smoked fillets are for flaking.
Do I need to cook smoked trout?
No. Both styles are ready to eat straight from the pack. Cold-smoked ribbons should not be cooked hard, because heat turns them dry and salty; add them at the end, off the heat. Hot-smoked fillets can be eaten cold or warmed through gently in pasta, eggs or a bake. See our smoked trout recipes for ideas.
How should I store smoked trout?
Keep it in the fridge, sealed, and eat it by the date on the label. Once a pack is open, wrap the rest tightly and use it soon. Hot-smoked fillets tend to freeze better than cold-smoked ribbons, which can soften when thawed. If you buy wholesale, ask us about shelf life for your stock rotation.
Is smoked trout the same as smoked salmon?
They are different fish handled in a similar way. Cold-smoked trout ribbons look and slice much like smoked salmon and can replace it on a bagel, a platter or a salad. Many people find trout a little milder and more delicate. Hot-smoked trout is a different product again, cooked through and flaky.
Can I buy smoked trout wholesale?
Yes. We supply restaurants, delis, butchers and retailers in Mpumalanga and Gauteng with smoked trout in trade packs and retail-ready packs, on the same delivery runs as our fresh trout. Ask for the wholesale price list and tell us roughly how much you sell in a week.