Smoked Kiack

Smoked kiack ('technically this is an alewife, a shad/river herring within the genus Alosa) can be found at roadside stands this time of year.  I found this beauty at a farm market in Liverpool a couple weekends ago.  It tastes as good as it looks!  This was my first time dealing with a whole smoked fish that had scales.  It took a while to figure out how to extract the delectable smoked fish, but once I did...heaven.


If you see folks with long handled dip nets, hauling fish out of rivers this time of year, they are dipping kiack, also known as gaspereau in these parts.  While some are smoked and sold to adoring fans like myself, most are used as bait in lobster traps/pots.


So, if you see a hand scribbled sign at the side of the road advertising "kayaks", "kiacks", "smoke kiack", etc..don't be alarmed.  Stop, go in, buy some (preferably in the filleted form, I learned my lesson) and let the party in your mouth commence.