Food of the Gods ~ Wild Salmon Part Deux

The wild salmon has marinated covered in my refrigerator for about 36 hours. In preparation to the next step, I covered my maple butcher block counter with cut-up kraft grocery bags.

Then, I put the grates from my smoker on the counter just before I took the large enameled roaster out of the refrigerator. It's a good idea to spray the grates with oil (I don't always remember which is one of the reasons I smoke my wild salmon with the skins on.)

Once I have the marinated pieces placed on the grates, I turn on the fan.

There are several keys to successful smoked fish. First is fish worth smoking ~ fresh, fresh, fresh and wild, wild, wild. Next is your marinade. I've posted a link below for a site I used at the beginning of my wild smoked salmon journey. The final next step before putting the fish in the smoker ~ form the pellicle. This glaze or film helps the smoke adhere to the fish.

Don't make the rookie mistake and smoke your fish without this step. There are several ways to form the pellicle. I usually put the salmon pieces on the racks and turn the fan on them for at least 2 hours. You can go longer. Don't worry, the salt protects the fish. Doing it in the house means fewer opportunities for flying insects. But, I must remain vigilant. Ramses can surf the counters without even raising his head.

You can also allow them to dry outside on a breezy day. When I do that, I cover the fish on the grates with cheese cloth from my giant cheese cloth roll I have that I have no idea when or why it arrived in my studio. Now, I use it when I smoke my fish.

While the pellicle is forming, I start soaking the wood chips.

Now, into the smoker. I have three racks. I've rigged two additional smaller racks to hang under the top two racks. I really had a lot of fish this time. I was a little worried about adding the extra racks so I called Byron. He assured me the smoke would get to all the fish and I could make use of the space between the factory installed grates. I'll let you know.

The key is to put the thinner pieces on the top rack. In about an hour, I'll start checking the fish on the remaining racks for doneness (is that a word?) It's OK to remove fish from the top rack if it is done and leave the lower racks which have thicker fish on them. Do keep checking them often. It's easy to overcook. They will still be delicious, just not as moist as you might want them.



Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

My client called to ask about some handmade tile. I asked her to come by for dinner since she was coming from so far. Let's mange, OK. With that decided, it's off to the store for fresh romaine and other salady things. Mmmm, maybe some risotto to go with the Smoked Salmon Caesar. Back on a flash!

OMG ~ almost done.

Oh, yeah! We have lift-off! Meet you in the kitchen.

The dinner party that started out with one, ended up with six! The picture is less than to be hoped for but the Smoked Salmon Caesar salad? Divine! You know it is good when people offer to help empty the smoker. Then, they crowd around as you bring out each layer and take a piece to munch on as they go back to the kitchen. Oh, that makes me feel so good!

Wild Salmon is a clean and elegant food. Smoked Wild Salmon really is the food of the Gods.

Here is another capital "T" truth ~

If you care about the future, protect wild salmon. Everything our children need, wild salmon need ~ clean air, clean water, abundant food and a healthy place to live.

For more information ~ www.greatwildsalmonrun.org

Hank Shaw has excellent step-by-step instructions. Between he and my friend, Byron, I  gained the confidence to try this amazing process. The truth is ~ it really is easy. Sure, it's time consuming, but . . . oh, the results! Heavenly

http://fishcooking.about.com/od/smokebrine/ss/smokingfish.htm

Day 8+ Everyday Grateful ~ friends over for dinner and eating freshly smoked wild salmon. Oh, dear ~ how wonderful is that!