Smoker makes shortlist
Although best known for his haddock smoking skills, he has also gained an enviable reputation for his trout, which he hot smokes in the same manner as his smokies, inside old whisky barrels.
Although he formerly worked for the famous family business RR Spink & Sons, Iain went solo after the firm was sold to Scot Trout over a decade ago.
Speaking to Fish Farming Expert he recalls: “I set up on my own as a small scale specialist, producing small batches using truly traditional methods. I can smoke 45 pairs of haddock, or trout, at a time in each barrel and they take about 40 minutes to hot smoke over hardwood logs.
“I modify the smokie barrels for the trout, which – like the smokies – I cook on the bone, with the skin still on. This adds to the flavour, and also means that most of the smoke stays on the skin, giving the fish a more delicate taste and meaning they aren’t all brown and smoky inside.
“The process is completely different from smoking in Torry kilns, in which fillets are brined for 1-2 minutes then laid out on racks and smoked for 2-2.5 hours. It’s chalk and cheese.”
Although still based in Arbroath, much of Iain’s smoking is done on the road in his “mobile smoking demonstration unit” which he takes to food fairs and farmers’ markets across Scotland and beyond.
Iain is up against Fife organic farmer Bruce Bennett of Pillars of Hercules and forager Mark Williams of Galloway Wild Food and the winner will be announced on May 27 at an awards ceremony at the National Museum of Scotland.
Nominations for the Herald Food Hero – a brand new category in the annual Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards, which has 19 other entered categories celebrating excellence across Scottish food and drink – were submitted by Herald readers, which was the first time in the history of the awards that members of the public could take part.
