Best Smoked Salmon Recipes

CUCUMBER CUPS WITH DILL CREAM AND SMOKED SALMON

Steps:

• Trim ends from cucumbers and cut crosswise into 24 (3/4-inch-thick) rounds. Scoop a 1/2-inch-deep depression from one side of each round with a small melon-baller, forming little cups. Drain cucumbers, cup sides down, on paper towels for 15 minutes.
• Beat cream cheese, chopped dill, lemon zest, lemon juice, and black pepper together in a bowl. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon cheese mixture into each cucumber cup. Top each cup with 1 salmon strip and 1 dill sprig.

THE BEST SMOKED SALMON SPREAD

Steps:

• Process cream cheese in a food processor to soften completely; add salmon, capers, green onion, dill, cream, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, and lemon juice. Process the mixture again until creamy and smooth.

BRINE FOR SMOKED SALMON

Steps:

• Pour the water into a large bowl or small bucket. If you must use a pot, use one that does not contain aluminum. Stir in the kosher salt, white sugar, brown sugar, lemon pepper, parsley and seasoning mix. Add the garlic, hot pepper sauce, lemons, oranges, lime and onion.
• Soak your salmon in this brine in the refrigerator for 12 to 36 hours. Smoke using your desired method (see Cook's Note).

BLINI WITH SMOKED SALMON

Steps:

• Combine both flours, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, and 1 tablespoon of the clarified butter, then whisk into the flour mixture. Heat 1 tablespoon of the clarified butter in a medium saute pan and drop the batter into the hot skillet, 1 tablespoon at a time. Cook over medium-low heat until bubbles form on the top side of the blini, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook for 1 more minute, or until brown. Repeat with the remaining batter. (I clean the hot pan with a dry paper towel between batches.) Set aside.
• To serve, top the blini with a piece of smoked salmon. Add a dollop of creme fraiche and a sprig of dill.

SMOKED SALMON DIP

Steps:

• Cream the cheese in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until just smooth. Add the sour cream, lemon juice, dill, horseradish, salt and pepper, and mix. Add the smoked salmon and mix well. Chill and serve with crudites and/or crackers.

SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH SMOKED SALMON

Steps:

• Reserve 2 slices of salmon for garnish. Chop the remaining salmon into very small pieces.
• Whisk your eggs and cream together. Add 1/2 of your chopped chives and season eggs with salt and pepper. Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Melt butter in the pan and add eggs. Scramble eggs with a wooden spoon. Do not cook eggs until dry. When eggs have come together but remain wet, stir in chopped salmon. Remove pan from the stove and place on a trivet. Garnish the eggs with remaining salmon and chives and serve right out of the warm pan.
• Note: If you are serving these eggs with the other recipes provided as a brunch, a platter of store bought fruit filled dainties will complete your elegant brunch. Allow 1 dainty per person but halve dainties so that guests may mix and match varieties.

HOT SMOKED SALMON

Steps:

• The night before serving, combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons salt, the peppercorns, and lemon zest in a small bowl. Place the salmon fillets skin-side down on a large flat ceramic or glass dish. Spread the mixture evenly on top of the salmon. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
• At least 1 1/2 hours before you plan to cook the salmon, soak the wood chips in water.
• Thirty minutes before you¿re ready to cook, heat the charcoal. Place a double layer of coals on one side of the grill, light them, and allow them to burn until the coals are gray on the outside. (I use a charcoal chimney to light the coals.) Sprinkle half the soaked wood chips on the hot coals (you will see lots of smoke). On the other side of the grill, place the foil pan and pour in 1 cup water. Place the cooking grate over the coals and the pan.
• Scrape most of the sugar mixture off the salmon and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt. Place the salmon skin-side down on the side of the grill directly over the foil pan. Put the lid on the grill, making sure the top and bottom vents are open. Smoke the salmon for 10 minutes. Add the remaining wood chips directly on the coals and cook for 5 to 10 more minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon, until it's firm to the touch and barely cooked. Don't overcook the salmon or it will be dry!
• Transfer the salmon to a clean platter and immediately cover tightly with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Remove and discard the skin, if desired, and serve hot, at room temperature, or cold with the Fresh Dill Sauce.
• Place the mayonnaise, sour cream, yogurt, cream cheese, scallions, dill, parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Puree for a few seconds, until well mixed. Add the cucumber and puree for another few seconds, until combined. Pour into a container and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to develop.

CREAMY SMOKED SALMON PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion in butter until tender.
• Stir flour and garlic powder into the butter and onions. Gradually stir in milk. Heat to just below boiling point, and then gradually stir in cheese until the sauce is smooth. Stir in peas and mushrooms., and cook over low heat for 4 minutes.
• Toss in smoked salmon, and cook for 2 more minutes. Serve over pasta.

DRY-BRINED SMOKED SALMON

Steps:

• Mix 1 cup brown sugar and kosher salt together in a small bowl.
• Spread a thin layer of the brown sugar mixture in the bottom of a 9-inch baking pan. Arrange 2 to 3 salmon fillets on top; cover with some of the brown sugar mixture. Repeat layers until all the salmon fillets are coated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate, 8 hours to overnight.
• Preheat a smoker to 195 degrees F (91 degrees C) according to manufacturer's instructions.
• Rinse brown sugar mixture off salmon fillets. Brush fillets lightly with honey and sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar on top.
• Pour cola-flavored beverage into the smoker's water pan; add water to within 1 inch of the top. Place half of the wood chips around the perimeter of the hot charcoal. Place salmon on the cooking racks.
• Cook salmon, adding more wood chips if needed, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 145 degrees F (63 degrees C), about 2 hours. Cool before serving, at least 15 minutes.

PASTA WITH SMOKED SALMON AND CAPERS

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, but not browned. Add the smoked salmon and continue cooking just until the salmon turns opaque, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in the cream and add the capers. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Be careful how much salt you add because the smoked salmon and capers are both salty. Add the pasta and toss to coat. If there doesn't appear to be enough sauce, add a couple of tablespoons of the pasta cooking water to thin it down. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

SMOKED SALMON

Steps:

• In a bowl, mix together salt, sugar, brown sugar and peppercorns. Spread extra-wide aluminum foil a little longer than the length of the fish and top with an equally long layer of plastic wrap. Sprinkle 1/3 of the rub onto the plastic. Lay 1 side of the fish skin down onto the rub. Sprinkle 1/3 of the rub onto the flesh of the salmon. Place second side of salmon, flesh down onto the first side. Use the remaining rub to cover the skin on the top piece. Fold plastic over to cover then close edges of foil together and crimp tightly around the fish. Place wrapped fish onto a plank or sheet pan and top with another plank or pan. Weigh with a heavy phone book or a brick or two and refrigerate for 12 hours. Flip the fish over and refrigerate another 12 hours. Some juice will leak out during the process so make sure there's a place for the runoff to gather. Unwrap fish and rinse off the cure with cold water. Pat salmon with paper towels then place in a cool, dry place (not the refrigerator) until the surface of the fish is dry and matte-like, 1 to 3 hours depending on humidity. A fan may be used to speed the process. Smoke fish (see Note) over smoldering hardwood chips or sawdust, keeping the temperature inside the smoker between 150 degrees F and 160 degrees F until the thickest part of the fish registers 150 degrees. Serve immediately or cool to room temperature, wrap tightly and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Cook's Note: Trout, mackerel, and bluefish also smoke well.

EASY SMOKED SALMON PASTA

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with lightly-salted water and bring to a rolling boil. Stir the linguine into the water and return to a boil. Cook uncovered until the pasta has cooked through but is still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes; drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of the water.
• Melt the butter with the olive oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat; when the mixture begins to bubble, add the shallots and cook until softened. Stir the salmon, cream cheese, and milk into the shallot mixture. Mix the reserved water from the pasta into the mixture. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with the pasta to serve.

SMOKED SALMON TARTINES

Steps:

• Place the toasted bread on a cutting board and overlap slices of avocado on each piece of bread, using a quarter to half an avocado for each, depending on the sizes of the avocado and the bread.
• Sprinkle the avocado with lemon juice, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place one large slice of salmon on top, ribboning it to fit. Drizzle with a tablespoon of the Gravlax Sauce. Garnish with some red onion, sprinkle with the dill fronds, salt, and pepper, and serve with extra sauce on the side.
• Whisk together the Dijon mustard, honey mustard, whole-grain mustard, ground mustard, sugar, and vinegar in a medium bowl. Combine the olive and grapeseed oils in a small measuring cup. Slowly add the oil mixture to the mustard mixture, whisking constantly, until emulsified. Stir in the dill and salt.

SMOKED SALMON SPREAD (BAREFOOT CONTESSA) INA GARTEN

Steps:

• Cream the cheese in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until just smooth.
• Add the sour cream, lemon juice, dill, horseradish, salt, and pepper, and mix.
• Add the smoked salmon and mix well.
• Chill and serve with crudites or crackers.

SMOKED SALMON AND HERB BUTTER

Steps:

• For the herb butter, combine the butter, garlic, scallions, dill, parsley, juice juice, salt and pepper in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat until mixed, but do not whip.
• To serve, spread some herb butter on a slice of bread and top it with a slice of smoked salmon.

EASY SMOKED SALMON

Steps:

• Place salmon, skin side down, in an 11x7-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with brown sugar, salt and pepper. Drizzle with liquid smoke. Cover and refrigerate for 4-8 hours., Drain salmon, discarding liquid. Bake, uncovered, at 350° until fish flakes easily with a fork, 35-45 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. If desired, serve with capers and lemon slices.

POTATO GALETTE WITH SMOKED SALMON

Steps:

• Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat; let solids sink to bottom. Skim foam. Carefully pour off clarified butter, discarding solids.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice potatoes a little less than 1/8 inch thick, and lay on a kitchen towel. Heat a large ovenproof skillet (preferably cast-iron) over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons clarified butter; swirl to coat. Arrange some potatoes in concentric circles. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and some freshly ground pepper to coat. Repeat with remaining potatoes to form 2 more layers. Pour 3 tablespoons clarified butter down sides of skillet to seep under potatoes. Brush underside of a medium heavy skillet with remaining clarified butter; set over potatoes as a cover. Reduce heat to medium. Cook until underside is golden and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes more. Flip potatoes using 2 metal spatulas. Cover with skillet. Cook until potatoes start to brown, about 4 minutes. Remove top skillet. Bake until underside is crisp, 7 to 9 minutes.
• Remove galette from skillet; transfer to a wire rack. Let cool for 10 minutes. Beat cream cheese with creme fraiche until fluffy; spread over potatoes. Top with salmon. Sprinkle with chives. Cut into wedges.

SMOKED SALMON, DILL & LEMON PATé

Steps:

• If you aren't using smoked salmon trimmings then chop the salmon into small pieces. Tip the soft cheese, crème fraîche (if using) and lemon juice into a food processor, season generously with black pepper and blitz to your liking. Add the smoked salmon and pulse a few times if you want the paté chunky or blitz some more if you want the paté smooth and pink.
• Stir the herbs into the paté and spoon into a large or four smaller bowls and serve with warm toast as a starter or with breadsticks as a dip.

ASPARAGUS AND SMOKED SALMON BUNDLES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Lay the asparagus on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with rosemary, salt, and pepper. Roast until cooked and starting to brown around the edges, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to another baking sheet to cool.
• Once the asparagus have cooled, wrap each spear in a slice of smoked salmon. Arrange on a serving platter and serve at room temperature.

SMOKED SALMON BRINE

Steps:

• 1. Mix all ingredients together well. I use a fork to make sure everything is stirred together well.
• 2. Can use it right away or store in an airtight container.
• 3. HOW TO DRY BRINE AND SMOKE YOUR SALMON.
• 4. Cut salmon into fillet-size pieces (about the size of your hand or palm. Leave the skin on and rinse well under cold water.
• 5. Drain and pat as dry as possible with paper towels. Place salmon, skin-side-down in a plastic tray (I use a meat lug). You'll want something with high sides to hold all the moisture that will be drawn out of the fish.
• 6. Completely cover the salmon with the dry brine mixture. Be sure to pat mix around the sides as well. You want to cover up as much of the meat as possible. Cover the tray/fish with plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge or a very cold place for 24 hours.
• 7. Remove plastic wrap and thoroughly rinse fish under cold water. Remove as much of the brine as possible from the fish. Dry the fillets with paper towels (you want it as dry as possible). Let sit on a tray for 2-3 hours or until a sticky pellicle can be seen/felt on the skin of the fish.
• 8. Bring the smoker up to 200 degrees. Use ONLY alder wood chips when smoking fish. Get the smoker smoking and, working quickly, put the trays of fish in the smoker. Smoke for 2 hours and allow the temperature to come down to 70 or below.