Smoked Salmon on the Barbecue

Sometimes - when fishing has been good, when the weather cooperates, when the Capt. feels like manning the barbecue – we feast on Ron’s special Smoked Salmon with a Honey Lime Pepper Glaze. This delectable treat isn’t a quick, spur-of-the-moment preparation. While not difficult, it does require planning ahead to accommodate overnight brining and an hour or two of carefully tending the barbecue. It’s well worth the time spent monitoring, and taste-testing, the low-and-slow batch of smoked salmon. 

When smoking big batches of salmon ashore, I use multiple Little Chief smokers. These electric units  make it easier to regulate the temperature with minimal tending, but smoking aboard seems to add something special to the flavor. Either way, freshly smoked salmon has been a major hit with both crew and guests.

Kalinin Barbecue-Smoked Salmon

Brine: Makes 5 cups, enough to brine 4-5 pounds salmon

4 cups water

¼ cup kosher salt or other non-iodized salt

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon garlic granules or powder (not garlic salt)

1 tablespoon pickling spices, crushed

1 teaspoon powdered ginger

1 teaspoon ground Indian coriander

3 or 4 splashes liquid smoke (optional)

4 to 5 pounds skin-on salmon, cut into 2-inch strips

Honey Lime Pepper Glaze (see recipe below)

Untreated wood boards, strips or sticks/branches soaked in water for at least one hour prior to use on the barbecue (alder preferred)

Add the brine ingredients to a large glass or other nonreactive container. Whisk together and microwave until the sugar dissolves. Chill thoroughly.

Place the salmon strips in the brine, one at a time so each piece is coated on all sides. When all of the salmon strips are in the container they should be completely immersed. If necessary, weight down the top surface with a plate to keep everything submerged and covered in brine. Cover and hold in the refrigerator overnight or at least 8 hours.

When ready to smoke the salmon, remove the strips from the brine. Lightly rinse to remove the bits and pieces of pickling spice, dry with a paper towel and air dry on a baking rack for 3 hours. Air-drying sets up a dry finish and will encourage absorption of a smokey flavor. 

Preheat the barbecue grill to its lowest setting (85-120 degrees F), arrange the wet wood pieces across the grate, leaving small gaps between each piece for smoke and air flow. Place the brined-and-airdried salmon chunks on top of the wet wood, leaving a gap between each piece. Close the lid and let cook at the lowest temperature possible for 20-30 minutes.

After the salmon has cooked for 20-30 minutes, baste with the Honey Lime Pepper Glaze. Cover and continue smoking. Continue to baste and check for doneness frequently; for the thinner pieces check every 15-20 minutes and remove from the grill as they finish. RL likes to add one last coat of the honey/lime glaze as he takes each piece off the grill.

Sampling is the recommended best test for doneness. <grin> It may take several hours, up to 2 to 3 for thicker pieces of king salmon.

Serve immediately or cool and store covered in the refrigerator. Use as an appetizer, snack, or an amazingly tasty addition to soups, salads, or breakfast dishes.

Honey Lime Pepper Glaze:

Use a 4:3:1 ratio (by volume) to mix batches of this glaze, for example

4 ounces honey

3 ounces lime juice (fresh or bottled)

1 ounce freshly cracked black pepper

*Quick Cook Note: if I’m in a hurry or the weather is really crummy, I’ve brushed the fish with a few drops of liquid smoke diluted in some water, and slow-baked the racks over baking sheets in a 180 F or lower oven. It works, sort of. One step better is to partially cook on the barbecue grill and finish in the oven, but nothing is as flavorful as a total smoke on the barbecue (or in an electric smoker with wood chips).

*Canning Note: after the salmon cools I pack it into pint or half-pint jars and have to refer to a canning book or on-line link for the time and temp details. Smoked salmon takes as long as fresh salmon; some of the oil will come out of the fish, so I turn and up-end the jars every so often if I store it a long time.

Salmon with Puttanesca Sauce

Salmon Supper: Always Have a Plan B

Fresh salmon usually calls for barbecuing a fillet… usually. However, there is no way our gas grill will stay lit when the wind gusts reach 30 knots, and The Capt. isn’t too enthusiastic about manning the grill in a windy downpour either. Fishing in unsettled weather is an entirely different thing, however.

This week’s changeable weather meant switching from our favorite outdoor grilled salmon to two galley recipes instead. One night Cast Iron Skillet Salmon utilized the thinner tail end of a king (Chinook) salmon fillet. We consumed every last shred at dinner – sigh! no tasty leftovers for salmon salad or salmon spread with this recipe.

The thicker head-end of the same salmon fillet seemed perfect the next day for an oven roasting experiment. I have baked salmon before; sometimes with a lemony, garlic butter, scampi-style sauce… or a peppy and creamy green chili sauce… or wrapped in parchment en papillote… etc.  It must have been the crazy, changeable weather that encouraged me to go a little wild and pair the remaining portion of that gorgeous salmon fillet with a savory, spicy Italian puttanesca sauce.  Red sauce with salmon?! I know, I know, it sounds a little over the edge but OMG, this combination worked! The salmon held its own against the robust sauce, delivering flavor beyond expectations.

Salmon plus sauce makes a delicious entrée, but add some spaghetti to the plate and it’s heavenly and filling.

Note: I tossed the cooked pasta with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of garlic powder, keeping it warm in a covered pan while the salmon finished. To serve I added a swirl of spaghetti to each warmed plate, topped the pasta with salmon and spooned a bit of sauce over each portion. Next time I’ll save some pasta cooking water to thin the sauce a bit before this last step – or just make more sauce.

Salmon with Puttanesca Sauce

Serves 4

For the Sauce:

1 can (14-to-16 ounces) diced tomatoes with their juices

½ cup black olives, pitted and chopped or sliced

3 Tablespoons capers, drained

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

½ teaspoon dried Italian herbs (thyme, oregano, basil…)

¼ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest

2 anchovy fillets (optional)

4 salmon fillets ( or a 1 ½ -to- 2 pounds chunk), skinned and boned

freshly ground black pepper (or substitute lemon pepper)

cooked spaghetti or other long pasta (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Add all of the sauce ingredients to a saucepan; bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes to blend the flavors. Stir occasionally.

Sprinkle the salmon with pepper; place in baking dish just large enough to hold the fillets with some space in between each piece. Ladle the sauce around the salmon and place on the middle rack in the preheated oven. Bake until just cooked through,  10-15 minutes for thinner pieces and 12-20 minute for thicker chunks. Remember, fish will continue cooking for several minutes after you remove it from the oven.

Serve immediately on warmed plates, or even better top a swirl of hot, cooked pasta with a fillet and a dollop of sauce.

Notes:

*Next time I’ll try adding ¼ cup chopped scallions (white and green parts) and a handful or two of baby spinach leaves or kale to the sauce… just because.

*Halibut is another good choice for this preparation.

Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs with a Lox Rosette

A Spring 2015 Brunch Menu

Mention a celebration brunch and I immediately envision Eggs Benedict with extra Hollandaise... Sticky Buns dripping with caramel... Onion Bagels loaded with Lox and Cream Cheese... Creampuffs... Shrimp and Creamy Cheese Grits... Oh, how that list goes on. This year I aimed for a lighter menu when planning a brunch with friends to welcome Spring. Reality check: Pat prefers healthy meals and Rick is training for an April IronMan triathlon, so I lost any real excuse to get wild and crazy with butter and sugar. Okay, that also meant I would spend less time on last-minute cooking and more time visiting with guests - always a good thing.   

Not that every item was light and low calorie (think ham-and-cheese filled croissant with herb sauce), but the buffet did offer a variety of choices; hopefully something for everyone. Conversation flourished, the hours flew by, and Spring joined the party with a fine display of ever-changing weather. 

Brunch Menu: Spring 2015

Smoked Salmon Squares

Caprese Salad with a Light Vinaigrette

*Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs With Lox

Fresh Fruit Platter with Minty Honey Lime Sauce

Baked Croissants with Ham, Havarti, Sliced Pear & Herb Sauce

Mini Cheese Quiches with Peppers, Spinach & Chicken Sausage

Orange Juice (Champagne available)

Coffee

My favorite brunch choice? I thought it would be the small croissant sandwiches, but instead I ate more than my share of the deviled eggs. That shouldn't have been a surprise when both smoked salmon and lox were involved! The filling was an unusual flavor departure from any of my previous favorites (link), but why stick to just one filling when so many tempting recipes are available? (link) 

Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs Plus Lox

adapted from a recipe in a SeriousEats post by J. Kenji López-Alt: 9 In-Your-Face Deviled Egg Variations

Ingredients:
6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and halved lengthwise
2 heaping tablespoons cream cheese (reduced fat)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (Best Foods lite)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

zest of 1 lemon, grated

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard (Colman's)
1 teaspoon toasted white sesame seeds, plus extra for garnish
1 teaspoon toasted onion powder (not onion salt)
heaping 1/4 cup minced smoked salmon
Kosher Salt

For garnish:
Thinly sliced scallions 

Paper-thin slices of lox, cut into strips and rolled into rosettes

Capers, rinsed and drained

Directions:
Place all of the yolks in a medium bowl. Add the cream cheese, mayonnaise, lemon juice, lemon zest, dry mustard, sesame seeds, onion powder, and smoked salmon to the yolks. Use a sturdy whisk or a fat fork and combine thoroughly -mash, stir and whip together until thoroughly combined. Season with salt to taste.



Note: To prepare these ahead of time, the filling and egg white halves can be stored separately overnight in covered containers in the refrigerator before filling. (Place the egg white halves cut-side-down in a single layer.) 

If you have a steady hand, use a spoon to fill each egg white half. For a more attractive result spoon the filling into a ziplock bag, cut off a corner of the bag and pipe the yolk mixture into the egg white halves. Either way, mount the filling to slightly overstuff each cavity. Garnish each deviled egg with sesame seeds, scallion rings, capers and a lox rosette. Serve immediately.

A Lighter Lox Omelet

Lox - there's still one small chunk remaining in the fridge, part of the summer's salmon catch. I woke up thinking about that treasure, considering how to enjoy it this morning. So many choices! It's hard to beat the classic combination of thinly sliced lox piled on a fresh bagel, loaded with layers of cream cheese, red onion, capers, and a bit of dill weed. Each bite is salty, sour and tangy, smoothly creamy yet chewy, and downright delicious. Those same ingredients (minus the bagel) plus some added bacon and soft cheese, translate well into the richly satisfying Lox Omelet Loaded With Flavor (link). Rich, however, isn't always a good thing, not if I want to fit in my jeans instead of sweatpants. 

Here's today's lighter version of that favorite breakfast dish, still tasty and satisfying but a lot less filling.

Photo: Omelet ingredients without any bacon or meltable cheese.

Photo: It's important to slice the lox super thin.

Photo:Barely-set omelet topped with slivers of lox, sliced onion, capers and a sprinkle of dill weed.

Photo: Lighter Lox Omelet topped with sour cream and a few more slices of lox on the side.

A Lighter Lox Omelet

2 eggs (I used 2 eggs + an extra egg white)

Sprinkle of dill weed (NOT dill seed)
a splash of milk
lox (smoked salmon) torn into piecesthin slices of onion

1 tsp capers, rinsed & drained

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon butter

Sour cream for topping (optional)

1. Whisk eggs, egg white if using, dill weed and milk together in a mixing bowl.
2. Heat a medium nonstick pan over medium-low heat. Add the butter and as it melts, rotate the pan to spread it out. Add the egg mixture and let it cook undisturbed for a bit to set the bottom. After the bottom begins to firm up, use a spatula to gently push the sides toward the center, tilting the pan to let the liquids run out to the edge.  
3. While the center is still somewhat moist but liquid no longer flows, scatter the pieces of salmon, onions and capers over the top. Season with salt and pepper, then fold one side over the other to form an omelette.
4. Serve topped with sour cream and sprinkle the top with a bit more dill weed. Add a toasted mini bagel if you need some crunch.

Salmon Croquettes with Creamy Cucumber Tartar Sauce

These are SO very much Not-Your-Mother’s-Croquettes! Well, at least not my mother’s version of croquettes, those dreaded salmon patties of memory. My father absolutely loved those canned salmon patties with skin and bones included, while I was still in my non-seafood loving years, so it might not be fair to slight my mom’s cooking. I do remember moving them around on my plate, pushing them from side to side, wishing they would just disappear, long after the homemade crinkly French fries had been inhaled. But that was then, and these little cuties are so delicious they would tempt even the fish-avoiding me of long ago. 

Working with the previous night's salmon, grilled with our Not-So-Secret Sauce, I added an equal amount of Cheesy Mashed Potatoes loaded with grated cheddar & Parmesan cheeses, cream cheese and sour cream. Next came some Italian parsley, green onions and a few seasonings. Don’t have any great tasting leftover salmon or mashed potatoes? Get creative and add some onion, bacon, lemon zest, dill weed, cheese and seasonings to plain salmon and taters – you know you want to!

Salmon Croquette recipes abound online and in hardcopy, each version with its own slight variation in ingredients and technique. I skimmed a few seafood cookbooks from my onboard collection, then decided to wing it and improvise. Many croquette recipes use bread crumbs as a binder, a lot of bread crumbs, stretching a small amount of salmon into a meatloaf-sounding dish. Replacing bread crumbs with a mashed potato mixture creates a lighter, fluffier texture that doesn’t mask the salmon component, and the light panko coating produces just enough crispy crunch without making the croquettes too bready.   

Add some Cucumber Tartar Sauce to take this dish over the top.  Change things up a little and form tiny patties for appetizer plates. Or pop them into small biscuits or rolls to serve as Salmon Sliders. Perhaps make larger croquettes for a more substantial entrée. Mmmmmm, I get hungry all over again just thinking about the possibilities. 

Capt. Ron, it’s time to go fishing again.

Mini Salmon Croquettes with Creamy Cucumber Tartar Sauce

2 servings (6 croquettes)

For the Croquettes:

Generous ¾ cup cooked salmon (grilled with Not-So-Secret Sauce)

Generous ¾ cup Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

¼ teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon dried dill

Salt & white pepper to taste

½ cup panko flakes

¼ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated or even the dried variety in a can

1 tablespoon oil

1 tablespoon butter

Creamy Cucumber Tartar Sauce (recipe below)

Directions:

1. Add the cooked, skinned and boned salmon to a mixing bowl, and include as much of the cooking sauce (bacon, green onion, lemon, dill, etc) as possible. Add the mashed potatoes, onion powder, garlic powder, dill, salt and pepper; use a fork to mix thoroughly.
2. Divide the mixture into six equal portions and form into golf-ball sized spheres. For each ball, pack together firmly and then flatten into a patty about ½-inch thick.
3. Use a flat plate or pie tin and combine the panko and Parmesan cheese. Coat each salmon patty on all sides and leave on the plate with any remaining panko/cheese breading. Cover with plastic film and chill for at least one hour.
4. Heat the oil and butter over medium-high heat until bubbly but not smoking. Cook the patties, turning once, until browned on the surface and warm in the center, about 1 ½ to 2 minutes per side.  

For the Creamy Cucumber Tartar Sauce:

Scant ½ cup mayonnaise (homemade or purchased, or substitute MiracleWhip if you really must)

1 dill pickle sandwich spear, minced (about 2 tablespoons)

1 tablespoon dill pickle juice

2 tablespoons chopped Spring onion, green and white parts

1 teaspoon creamy horseradish

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2-inch piece of English cucumber, diced small

1 teaspoon dried dill weed

2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley

Pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients in small bowl. Taste and adjust to suit your taste. Refrigerate until serving time.