Hi All, any suggestions of a good Brine for smoking fish ????

this is what I use
1/2 cup sugar (white or brown)
1/2 sea salt NON-iodized
1 l water

Adjust the quantities to suit the amount of fish you have just keep the proportions the same.
I leave it over night in the brine in the fridge then rinse it off then pop the fish back in the fridge on some old tea towels to dry off and develop a tackie skin. then its into my smoker. Sometimes I add some maple syrup and lemon pepper just before placing it the smoker. My smoker is a little chief and usually takes about 5 hrs for a batch of fish. Its neither a hot or cold smoker but someware in between.

 same as wizards.... allso add  between half and a cup of soy sauce with a table spoon of Worcester sauce ( cut back the cold water to compensate ) be sure to soak for at least 4hours...over night is better.. then leave to surface dry,,or pat the fish dry with paper towel to remove excess moisture...light garnish with sprinkle of parsley flakes finishes off nicely

 fish will turn a nice golden colour/puff up and remain juicy and tender...
 fish pictured is snapper and gurnard  manuka smoked over very mild heat for aprox 4 1/2hours

Our brine is the4 same, but lately we have been adding a little golden syrup and chilli sauce just before we put it in.

Lethal wrote: ever tried it with nothing... fish taste even better.......

smoking brine,,well this is what i do,bear with me,,,

We use this for all our fish from snaps to marlin, Rub rock salt and brown sugar into fish leave to stand for 1 hour then a very quick rinse off in fish bin of sea water, leave to dry for a hour then into smoker.

what ever you use, use double the sugar to the salt. Salt should be sea salt, sugar brown

If you like salt then by all means equal quantities – I find most people no longer like real salty food.

add in cup of good dark rum or vodka if your so inclined.
add in some all spice berries
add in some juniper berries crushed

place in plastic sealable container
leave in fridge - fish 24 hours pork 5 to 7 days depending on size.
Remove liquid leave to dry in fridge for 1 day - on rack is best
smoke

Brilliant - do my hams this way ever year, never failed.

I'm with Lethal on this one. I cant get my head around why you have to put fish in brine prior to smoking especially if you are using fresh water.
I usually prep my fish at sea. I cut them to smoke, sprinkle a generous amount of sea salt on them (surprising how much you can put on without them being salty) and leave them until I am ready to smoke them, sometimes up to 4-5 days in the chiller. Prior to smoking I rub them down with a paper towel and then sprinkle with my condiments and a bit more salt.
I think that the fact that the only contact with water they have is sea water and not fresh makes a difference but that only my opinion and I stand to be corrected if I'm wrong.
Dont be frightened to try different techniques/recipes etc, the results can be very satisfying and if you get it wrong then give the fish to someone you dont like and they will love you anyway  lol