Best Dees Sweet Salty Smoked Salmon Recipes

SMOKED SALMON CANDY

Steps:

• Mix the salt and brown sugar together. Find a lidded container large enough to hold the salmon; a big plastic tub works well. Lay down a layer of the salt/sugar mixture about 1/4 inch deep. Put a layer of salmon down on this, skin side up. Cover the salmon with more salt/sugar mixture. If you need a second layer of salmon, make sure the layer of salt and sugar between them is thick enough so that the pieces of salmon are not touching. Basically you are burying the salmon in salt and sugar. Cover and let cure in the fridge at least 30 minutes, and up to 3 hours. The longer the cure the saltier it will be; I cure for 2 hours.
• Remove the salmon from the cure, which will get wet, and briefly rinse the fish under cold water. Pat dry with a paper towel and set the salmon on a drying rack skin side down. Let this dry in a breezy place for 2 hours, or in the fridge, uncovered, overnight. I put the racks under a ceiling fan near an open window with another fan blowing at the fish from the side. You are doing this to form a pellicle on the salmon, which helps it smoke properly. Don't skip this step!
• Traditionally salmon candy is cold smoked for several days. If you can do this, go for it. Regardless, you want to bring the temperature up gradually over the course of an hour or so and let it sit at around 165°F to 200°F for at least 3 hours, and up to 6 hours if you like your salmon candy harder and smokier.
• Every 90 minutes to 2 hours, paint the salmon with the maple syrup. This also helps to remove any albumen -- the icky white stuff -- that can form between the fish flakes if your smoker gets a little too hot too fast.
• When the salmon looks good and lacquered, typically about 3 to 4 hours, remove it to the drying racks again and paint it one last time with the maple syrup. Allow to cool to room temperature before storing. Salmon candy will last a week in the fridge, longer if vacuum sealed. It freezes well, too.

SWEET GLAZED SALMON

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 teaspoon olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Saute garlic in hot oil until just beginning to brown.
• Mix sauteed garlic, soy sauce, lemon juice, honey, 1/2 teaspoon olive oil, brown sugar, sea salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes together in a bowl; pour into a large resealable plastic bag. Add salmon fillets, turning to coat with the marinade, squeeze bag to remove excess air, and seal the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Remove salmon from the marinade and shake to remove excess liquid. Reserve 3 tablespoons marinade and discard remainder.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Arrange salmon fillets in the hot skillet, pour reserved marinade over the salmon, and place a lid on the skillet; cook until salmon is browned on each side and flakes easily with a fork, occasionally spooning liquid from the pan over the fillets, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Garnish salmon with additional sea salt and black pepper.