Last Updated on March 27, 2024
Florida’s smoked fish dip is typically made from amberjack, mahi-mahi, cobia, Spanish mackerel, kingfish (and more) but for the quintessential taste of “old Florida” smoked mullet dip is the favorite. Read on for Authentic Florida’s Smoked Fish Dip Recipe!
Written by Authentic Florida Founder Robin Draper, reprinted courtesy, Visit Sarasota
Smoked fish dip is a tasty prelude to a local seafood dinner made from the freshest catch and traditionally accompanied by the essential – saltine crackers.
Table of contents
Where does Florida Fish Dip come from?
Florida fish such as mullet, amberjack, mahi-mahi, cobia, Spanish mackerel, and kingfish are smoked and combined with other ingredients to produce a fish dip in a variety of flavors.
Oil-based fish make the best candidates for smoking because they remain moist through the 6-8 hour smoking process. Once smoked, serve the final product as an entree or a fish dip!
Most seafood establishments and markets efficiently use every part of the whole fish.
The fish filets are used primarily for the dinner entrée, the fish skeleton for a tasty stock for seafood stews and chowders, and the unused smaller pieces of fish not used as filets – are often smoked to make the dip.
Fish dips vary. No matter what fish dip you enjoy, the recipe will likely include some combination of the following ingredients: smoked fish, mayonnaise, scallions, celery, peppers, dill pickles, lemon juice, and sometimes cream cheese or sour cream, relish or capers, and seasonings.
Ode to a Florida Classic: Smoked Mullet Dip
If there is a classic Florida fish dip, it is undoubtedly a smoked mullet. Best purchased in the fall, just before the offshore spawning migration, when the meat is the fattest, it’s the time of year when roadside signs boasting “smoked mullet” pop up along rural Florida roadways.
Fishermen sell smoked mullet, the essential ingredient for the dip, directly from the smokers as wisps of deliciously pungent smoke draw people who line up for this “old Florida” favorite.
What is mullet? If you spend time in or on local waters then you’re likely to have spotted fish jumping. Chances are that it is mullet.
No one really knows why they jump -maybe they are trying to escape a predator, or perhaps clean their gills. Whatever the reason, they are great leapers.
Mullet are often seen swimming in schools, are herbivores, and are commonly found up and down Florida’s coastlines and waterways.
Schools of Mullet
The fish has white flesh, rich and nutty with high oil content. Mullet is caught by net, and while some see it only as “bait fish” and others consider it a “trash fish” it is very popular with locals and local chefs are catching on, some heralding its attributes through new creative recipes.
Always a favorite with native Floridians, mullet is cooked in a variety of ways – smoked, fried, pan-fried, baked, or broiled. Mullet dip recipes are passed through the generations and are treasured secrets.
But one thing is for sure, most die-hard locals agree on one thing, “it must be cooked fresh,” and never frozen.
There are several different species of mullet. Silver mullet and black mullet (favored for eating) are most common in Southwest Florida.
In Japan and other international markets, mullet is prized for its roe, known as “bottarga” and prepared as a salt-cured, sun-dried delicacy.
This has become a growing industry segment in Florida, especially in the fishing village of Cortez, on the north edge of Sarasota Bay, because it commands a hefty price in overseas markets.
Mullet dip is served as a (free) starter to any meal or with a cocktail at Sarasota’s Walt’s Fish Market and Restaurant and is available in the market to take home.
Walt’s smokes its fish on the premise and has been making its dip for four generations keeping the family recipe a secret all that time.
Brett Wallin owner of Walt’s smokes his fish right behind the store using oak and citrus wood smoking mullet, Spanish mackerel, kingfish, and mahi-mahi at a low temperature for 6-8 hours.
For the dip Wallin shares this advice: “When making mullet dip, my advice is to keep your ingredients simple, there’s no need to complicate it.”
(closed due to Hurricane Ian)
Florida’s Mecca for Smoked Fish
And one final note, If you are touring around Florida’s Gulf Coast, a landmark restaurant and probably the most famous of all smoked fish houses, Ted Peters Famous Smoked Fish, is located in St. Petersburg.
Ted Peters smokes the fish on the premise and has been serving smoked fish since the 1940s.
It’s worth the drive to enjoy a cold frosty beer or iced tea with your choice of mullet, mahi-mahi, or mackerel, and be sure to add a side of German potato salad.
Smoked Mullet Dip
Ingredients
- I pound smoked mullet (either smoke or purchase at a seafood market, call ahead first, not every market has smoked mullet)
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 medium stalk of celery, diced finely
- 4 scallions finely chopped, cut off the green end, use the white, root end.
- 1 Tablespoon capers
- ¼ cup roughly chopped Italian parsley
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning (optional, to taste)
- I package of Saltine Crackers
Instructions
1. Carefully de-bone the mullet and toss the skeleton or bones, (or also use for soup base). Pull off the mullet meat in small pieces, shredding the mullet.
2. Place the mullet meat in a medium-sized bowl, add all ingredients—scallions, celery, capers, lemon juice, parsley, and also Old Bay seasoning. Add the mayonnaise last to determine the right consistency. Let stand for two hours at a minimum before serving.
3. Brine the mullet and smoke with seasoning, but if the dip needs more flavor add: ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
Notes
You may substitute other smoked fish.
Looking for another delicious Florida seafood recipe? Try our delicious Cedar Key Clam Linguine!
You also can’t go wrong with our Authentic Florida Seafood & Veggie Wrap Recipe or An Old-Fashioned Florida Shrimp & Avocado Salad.