Salmon filets and steaks - quick prep/no brine recipe?

Yo, Danman, let me mess up your salmon....

Sprinkle some salty rub on your salmon, and run it in a hot, smokey stove for not very long. It's great. We're not talkin lox, here. But you can smoke quick, as well as slow.

There's an old Alaskan woman I could introduce you to, but she's banned in Oklahoma. ...that bad, but she knows her salmonids!

Did ya cook it alread, danman??

I have been just mixing up some olive oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic, salt and pepper, and rubbing that on the salmon and smoking. Yum.

Really really easy method when you just got home and you're really really hungry for a good meal:

Just put salmon in the smoker at 175F with a few little sticks of mild flavored wood. If the skin's still on, cook skin side down and you don't even have to oil the racks. Otherwise, spray the racks or the fish with a bit of spray oil to prevent sticking.

Depending on how thick the pieces are and how done you like it, it'll take between 45 minutes and 1.5 hours. If you've got really thin pieces, set them on some oiled foil.

While you wait, whip up your favorite sauce. I like sour cream with a bit of salt, lemon juice, and dill. You could put some on the fish and some on some cut up cucumbers or boiled potatoes. By the time you're done fooling with that, the fish'll almost be done.

thanks for suggestions.... still wondering what benefit I would get if I did brine overnight as the Cookshack recipe recommends...

After trying both ways, I'd say it's sort of a denser, more substantial texture when brined. Plus having a saltier, sweeter taste.

I guess for serving cold, I liked the brined salmon better but for eating fresh out of the smoker, I preferred the quick process.

Another thing you can do with smoked salmon is beer-batter-fry chunks.

I have never tried brining, only rubbed with olive oil and hit with some coarse ground black pepper and kosher salt. smoke at 250 deg until temp hit 140. I have also just put on some Montreal Steak seasoning and did in the same manor.

Dave

Howdy danman,

Try this one: Squeeze the juice of an orange (large Valencia) over the fillet, lightly dust with white pepper and sprinkle with dill. The orange brings out a flaver in salmon you would never know was there.

Smoke @ 225 approx. 1 to 1-1/2 hrs (depends on thickness of fillet) w/small piece of apple or oak.

Enjoy

I typically only brine my salmon for about an hour to an hour and a quarter. Much longer than that and I feel that it gets too salty. I have smoked salmon brining and not brining, both are good. However, I feel that the brined efforts result in a more even distribution of seasoning and flavors throughout the meat rather than just on the surface. Try two fillets, one with and one without and see what you think. Just my two cents.

Richard

I always brine also- but only for about an hour. The salt seems to mellow the fish taste. I add salt, sugar and vermouth with the water to make the brine. I brine in the refer, wash the salmon and pat it dry, rub with a little olive oil, and smoke at least 1 1/2 hours (with skin). This smoked slamon is always the hit of the party/.