There's been a number of posts of late for smoked salmon which is a great favorite of mine (along with about 50 other species of fish and crustaceans !!). I just happened to have a 2.5# filet of Scottish EU salmon that I pulled from the freezer. I cook salmon a number of ways but my absolute favorite is really simple and borrows from an Asian taste profile. So let me show you salmon my way....
As I said it's really quite simple but the flavor combinations, along with smoking, brings an amazing depth to an already rich tasting fish. I combine (1) cup each of light soy sauce and brown sugar as the base and add to that (2) tablespoons of miso paste. The miso gives it that umami flavor component much like monosodium glutamate does in Asian dishes. Because fish readily absorbs the seasoning, I only marinate for about 5-6 hours. Overnight is possible but somewhat overpowers the fish for my taste....
After the 6 hour marinade, I removed my filets from the refrig, patted off the excess liquid and placed them on alder wood planks. I've done a lot of cedar plank fish in the past but noticed a variety of different wood planks being offered these days, so I'm trying out various options. For those who have never cooked on planks, it does lend a bit of flavor to the fish as well as a bit of smokiness when the plank begins to singe. To be honest the alder didn't seem to add much of anything, but I really didn't much care knowing the marinade was the real star of the show. Here they are ready to go after a light dusting of Tony C's seasoning and some dried dill .....
Pellet smoking lends itself well to smoking fish for my tastes, it's a lighter smokey result. I went ahead and smoked them with a fruit wood pellet combination (cherry, apple, pecan blend). I started the grill on the smoke setting for about 15-20 minutes, then cranked the cooker up to 300* for the actual cook. Took about 30 minutes to finish after the initial smoking. I cook a lot of fish so I rarely temp, rather go by time, feel and the way the filet looks. If you're trying this and do want to check via temp, try not to exceed 130* IT. Fish has a breaking point that once passed is like cooking meat well done. The moisture leaves and you're stuck with gummy tasting sawdust. Keep it moist and juicy to let the fish flavor shine through. Here they are during the cook with some Brussel Sprouts on the side .....
As I said pellet grills and fish are a match made in heaven, the kiss of smoke and the salty/sweet marinade combined for an amazing depth of flavor. If you love salmon as much as we do, give this simple recipe a try, it will become one you'll want to add to your cooking rotation .....
Simple, quick, easy and delicious .... smoked salmon. Served here with some remoulade sauce, jasmine rice, gai lan in oyster sauce and some of those smoked Brussels. Troutman Steve hopes you enjoy this dish...
As I said it's really quite simple but the flavor combinations, along with smoking, brings an amazing depth to an already rich tasting fish. I combine (1) cup each of light soy sauce and brown sugar as the base and add to that (2) tablespoons of miso paste. The miso gives it that umami flavor component much like monosodium glutamate does in Asian dishes. Because fish readily absorbs the seasoning, I only marinate for about 5-6 hours. Overnight is possible but somewhat overpowers the fish for my taste....
After the 6 hour marinade, I removed my filets from the refrig, patted off the excess liquid and placed them on alder wood planks. I've done a lot of cedar plank fish in the past but noticed a variety of different wood planks being offered these days, so I'm trying out various options. For those who have never cooked on planks, it does lend a bit of flavor to the fish as well as a bit of smokiness when the plank begins to singe. To be honest the alder didn't seem to add much of anything, but I really didn't much care knowing the marinade was the real star of the show. Here they are ready to go after a light dusting of Tony C's seasoning and some dried dill .....
Pellet smoking lends itself well to smoking fish for my tastes, it's a lighter smokey result. I went ahead and smoked them with a fruit wood pellet combination (cherry, apple, pecan blend). I started the grill on the smoke setting for about 15-20 minutes, then cranked the cooker up to 300* for the actual cook. Took about 30 minutes to finish after the initial smoking. I cook a lot of fish so I rarely temp, rather go by time, feel and the way the filet looks. If you're trying this and do want to check via temp, try not to exceed 130* IT. Fish has a breaking point that once passed is like cooking meat well done. The moisture leaves and you're stuck with gummy tasting sawdust. Keep it moist and juicy to let the fish flavor shine through. Here they are during the cook with some Brussel Sprouts on the side .....
As I said pellet grills and fish are a match made in heaven, the kiss of smoke and the salty/sweet marinade combined for an amazing depth of flavor. If you love salmon as much as we do, give this simple recipe a try, it will become one you'll want to add to your cooking rotation .....
Simple, quick, easy and delicious .... smoked salmon. Served here with some remoulade sauce, jasmine rice, gai lan in oyster sauce and some of those smoked Brussels. Troutman Steve hopes you enjoy this dish...
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