Chicagoboyz are connoisseurs of fine foods. I love smoked salmon in particular. Here’s an easy but really good recipe:
Buy fresh salmon, the fresher the better, and a bottle of salt. Get a zip-lock bag, or any sealable container. Cut the salmon filet/section in half, leaving the skin on, and de-bone. Rub handfuls of salt all over the salmon. Don’t worry about putting too much salt, it won’t affect the taste. Put the salmon in the bag, seal, and refrigerate for a day. Serve with bread.
Bon appetite.
Update: My mother in law corrected me. It’s not handfuls of salt, rather a good amount but not too much. I guess this is where the art of cooking comes into play.
What about the smoke?
Nope, not in this case. It turns out fine without the smoke, which is what makes it impressive.
The best cole slaw I ever had was made along similar principles as your salmon. Shredded & salted cabbage was packed tightly in a jar, poked with holes and left to sit for a while. I think it was ultimately mixed with sunflower oil, too.
Nice Jonathan, simple has a beauty of its own.
How do you poke holes in a jar?
With a piece of copper tubing, a drill press, abrasive powder, and a bit of clay and water. Poking holes in the lid is probably easier, though. ;)
I’ve had great success smoking both salmon and suckers with Alton Brown’s recipe, and a smoker made out of a couple of cardboard boxes and an old electric skillet:
Link
I generally use bark shed by one of my hickory trees, though cherry sawdust from my woodworking impart a nice flavor, too.
BTW, you’ve got an over-active obscenity filter.
This is, of course, not smoked salmon, but cured salmon. (Smoked salmon being a subset of cured salmon). Here’s a jumping off link for explorations in this recipe space.
“Handful?” “Good amount?” What’s this, the infernal communist metric system?
BTW, I use a smoker. Mmmmm.
Forgot: I cut down an apple tree a few years ago and still have some wood to smoke with. It’s almost a flowery scent. Oak is nice, too, with a vanilla flavor. I want to try black birch (Betula lenta) on something neutral like chicken — it was originally the source for root beer flavoring. Has anyone tried it?
Smoked jalapenos = chipotle. I try to throw a couple peppers, hot or sweet, onto the spare places on the smoking rack. There is also a German sausage kitchen nearby, and their sausages are the food of the gods when smoked. They can fit in almost anywhere while you smoke something big, like a turkey breast. You can also freeze the sausages after smoking them, then grill them quickly when you want them. Treat pork chops & ribs the same way.
I hope you’re using kosher or sea salt instead of regular table salt. The difference is huge! I always thought salt had a metallic taste to it, but that turns out to be the various things they add to table salt.