This smoked salmon recipe is super easy, fast, low effort, low cost, and reliably produces a fabulous smoked salmon. The aroma is delicate yet mesmerizing, the meat is super moist and tender, and the flavor is out of this world. Best of all, this dish is equally good cold as it is warm.
Growing up in Mendocino California in the 60’s and 70’s included plenty of food from the land and the sea. This included salmon, rock fish and lot’s of abalone. While nothing beats wild Pacific Salmon for flavor, firm texture, color and health benefits, farmed Atlantic Salmon is pretty wonderful and a heck of a lot more affordable these days.
I think we can agree that salmon easily fits into most people’s definition of a healthy diet—from Coho to Sockeye Salmon, this fish is loaded with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, protein, bone-protecting selenium, and so much more. Chefs and home cooks alike prize this fabulous fish around the year for its rich, satisfying taste and versatility.
There are so many ways to prepare this wonder fish including: roasting, grilling, broiling, poaching, pan-frying, sautéing, or as in this recipe, smoking.
Acquire 1.5 – 2 lbs of salmon fillet and if not already cut, then separate into 4-6 6 ounce steaks. Pat dry and set aside for a moment while you prepare the rub by combining the salt, pepper, dill (dry or fresh minced) and brown sugar.
Gently pat the steaks (skin side down) with the rub mixture. If you have the time, cover the steak and put them in the fridge for an hour to let the brine and seasoning take more effect, but this is only if convenient. Salmon is such a delicate meat that this recipe will be very flavorful no matter what.
Get your smoker going. I use an electric smoker for this sort of recipe (out of convenience), but any smoker will work. There are obvious flavor differences of lump coal and wood chips, pellet fuel and an electric smoker with wood chips, plus, the differences of different smoking woods. So there is a lot of flexibility to make this recipe your own.
You can place the fish directly on the rack/grill or you can use a silicon or coated metal mesh that gives the fish a little more support yet still lets the smoke move freely around the meat.
I use a temperature probe and run the smoker for this recipe at 250 ºF and I remove the salmon from the smoker when the probe reads 135 ºF.
As I mentioned, this salmon is truly just as delightful cold as it is hot so I always make a large batch so we can have the leftovers for a second meal, shredding it on top of a mixed green salad or sprinkling into an omelette with cream cheese or sour cream, fresh chives and so on.
This smoked salmon recipe is super easy, fast, low effort, low cost, and reliably produces a fabulous smoked salmon. The aroma is delicate, yet mesmerizing, the meat is super moist and tender, and the flavor is out of this world. Best of all, this dish is equally good cold as it is warm.
- 1.5 - 2 pounds fresh salmon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp dill
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
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Heat smoker to approximately 250 ºF. Use a tray of water to create steam that captures smoke particles and condenses back on the meat. Consider more subtle smoking woods such as those from nut and fruit trees.
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Combine salt, pepper, dill and brown sugar to prepare the rub. Generously apply the rub on top of salmon. If you have the time, place salmon in refrigerator for about an hour (essentially a dry brine).
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Smoke salmon for one approximately 1 hour until it reaches an internal temperature of 135 ºF.
Wine and Beer Pairing:
These wine pairing recommendations will also depend on your side dishes.
• Chardonnay - pair this richer white wine with buttered salmon.
• Riesling - this crisp, acidic wine pairs best with the richer flavor of salmon. A good Riesling will also give off a citrus lime flavor that complements salmon.
• Pinot Grigio is wonderful with most seafood, including salmon. This light white wine is best with salmon that doesn’t have a strong sauce, and it is excellent with lemon-based sauces.
• Pinot Noir is a great choice if you love red wine. It’s especially excellent with salmon prepared on the grill, and it can hold up to the strong flavor of this fish. This is one of the lighter red wines, so it pairs extremely well with foods like salmon.
• Sauvignon Blanc is one of the most versatile wines out there. With its crisp acidity, and tangy citrus flavors, it makes a great pair with salmon as it simply cuts through those healthy omega 3 oils drawing out the best flavors of the meat.
When it comes to beer, you might consider some of the following, again, depending your side dishes.
• Wittier (Belgian Wheat Beer) is simply a star with salmon. These beers have a tart edge, clean finish, and full orange, lemon and spicy flavours. Witbier lifts all those oily flavours from the Salmon from the carbonation, and balanced with hops and acidity.
• Saison or Berliner for sweet/milder recipes. La Blonde D'Esquelbecq Saison by Brasserie Thiriez or Saison Dupont by Brasserie Dupont, Tourpes, Belgium,
• Belgian witbier: Unibroue Blanche de Chambly, Blanche De Bruxelles, Avery White Rascal, Allagash White, Ommegang Witte.
• French biere-de-garde: Castelain Blonde, Lost Abbey Avant Garde (this is a harder style to find).
• Witbier is a light wheat beer spiced with orange peel and coriander. It's refreshing and palate-cleansing, and low in hops.
• Another possible match could be a traditional Belgian gueuze, like Lindeman's Cuvee Rene, Cantillon Classic Gueuze, or Oud Beersel Oud Gueuze Vielle. Gueze is tart and lemony, and highly effervescent.
Cost:
The cost for the ingredients used in this recipe was $13. The servings were about 5-6 ounces, enabling 8 servings; so this comes out to $2.25 a serving. Time and
Effort:
The preparations for this recipe is pretty darn fast and easy. Then you have about an hour wait, which is a great time to unwind, prepare your side dishes, and perhaps begin with a little wine or beer that will ultimately go with your meal on the table.
Alex Approved:
This recipe is Alex approved, though I have to admit I was a little surprised. Alex enjoys salmon, but typically in more straightforward recipe, as although this is simple, the result is rather sublime and sophisticated.
Leftovers:
This recipe is absolutely wonderful for leftovers. It is so good, in fact, you could prepare it in advance and refrigerate for serving later. The leftovers are versatile. The salmon is great as leftover for an entrée a couple of nights later, for use in an omelette, or on top of a bed of mixed greens for a lighter meal.
Health:
This is a very healthy meal. It is very low in saturated fat, carbohydrates, cholesterol and sodium. It includes no gluten or dairy. The only concern might be where the farmed salmon came from and what their practices are. You might have to be concerned about pesticides and herbicides from agricultural run-off, antibiotics, and heavy metals. If you are so inclined to look into this further, there probably is no better resource than Seafood Watch.