Sprig Originals's kitchen / Alder-Smoked Sockeye Salmon
Alder-Smoked Sockeye Salmon
By Sprig Originals · with credit
Adapted from askchefdennis.com
Worked out from this recipe's ingredients. If you're cooking for an allergy, always read the full ingredient list.
A whole side of sockeye cured briefly in a four-ingredient rub, then smoked low over alder until it's silky and just barely firm. Serve it warm as a main, or chill it for bagels, boards and snacking.
Ingredients
Salmon
- 1.5 lb sockeye salmon side, skin on
Dry rub
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 0.5 tsp white pepper
Instructions
- Stir the kosher salt, brown sugar, garlic powder and white pepper together in a small bowl until evenly blended.
- Tear off a sheet of foil a little larger than the salmon and mist it with cooking spray. Pat the salmon completely dry with paper towels and set it skin side down on the foil.
- Sprinkle the rub evenly over the flesh, right out to the thin tail end, and press it in lightly. Leave the fish uncovered in the fridge for at least 30 minutes — the surface will turn tacky and slightly glossy, which is the pellicle that keeps the fish moist and helps the smoke stick.
- Heat your smoker to 225°F and load the smoke tube or box with alder wood chips. Alder is the classic partner for salmon: light, faintly sweet, and it won't bulldoze the fish.
- Slide the foil and salmon onto the grate and push a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the fillet. Smoke until the internal temperature reaches 140°F, roughly 60 to 90 minutes depending on thickness.
- Lift the salmon out on its foil and rest it for 15 minutes before serving — the juices settle and the flesh firms up just enough to lift off the skin in clean pieces.
Chef's tips
- Sockeye is lean, so the probe matters more than the clock. Thin tail sections can hit 140°F 20 minutes ahead of the thick shoulder end; slice off and pull any piece that finishes early.
- If you only have a bag of chips and no smoke tube, wrap a handful in a foil pouch, poke a few holes in the top and set it directly over the heat source.
- Leftovers are excellent cold. Flake the salmon into cream cheese with lemon zest and dill for a fast dip, and keep it refrigerated up to 4 days.
- No alder on hand? Apple or cherry are the next-best choices. Skip mesquite and hickory here — they overwhelm the fish.
Nutrition (per serving, estimated)
221calories
34gprotein
1gcarbs
9gfat
Estimates only — values vary with brands and portions.
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