This is Jaap – our tireless smoke master and true fish wizard. It all started with his grandfather, who taught him how to smoke fish to perfection when he was just five years old. Jaap never stopped.
He was the only one brave enough to take on the challenge of smoking Fish Tales jack mackerel – once the new kid on the block – while many said, “This fish can’t be smoked.” But Jaap knew better.
It wasn’t easy. Jack mackerel is a very different fish from the beloved Atlantic mackerel, which lost its MSC certification in 2019. That was our signal: time to switch to a more sustainable option – Chilean jack mackerel. And who better to make it a success than Jaap, with his 45 years of experience and no-nonsense Volendam mindset?
After countless test runs in his smokehouse, surrounded by the scent of wood and freshly caught fish, he nailed it: jack mackerel with the perfect balance of salt, smoke, and time. And that balance is never exactly the same – because smoking fish isn’t a trick. It’s a craft. And the taste? Just as delicious as Atlantic mackerel. If not better.
Smoking fish is feeling fish
Every morning, starting at 3:30 AM, Jaap is ready to inspect the fish. He looks, he feels, and instantly knows what the fish needs. Is it fatty or lean? Slim or nicely round? For Jaap, it’s all about instinct and experience. Together with his smoking team, he decides how long the fish should stay in the brine and when it’s time to introduce the smoke.
Fire and fish – it still fascinates him. Back in the day, he used to stand in the middle of the smoke, burning piles of wood to get that perfect cook. No ventilation, so the smoke filled the whole room. You couldn’t see each other from five feet away! Luckily, smoke cabinets have changed all that – now Jaap can finally breathe while he smokes.
His motto? Smoking fish is feeling fish. No day is the same, no fish is the same. But one thing never changes: Jaap smokes the tastiest fish around. And we’re proud he’s the one smoking our jack mackerel at Fish Tales. As Bart van Olphen, founder of Fish Tales, puts it: “To me, Jaap is the undisputed grandmaster of fish smoking.”