Tea-smoked Salmon

Don't be Chai



As a Southerner, cooking meats in smoke is an important part of my culinary heritage. And the truest example of this is meat cooked low and slow in smoke: barbeque.

We barbequers have been known to argue for hours over the best wood to use in smoking different kinds and cuts of meat so the idea of tea-smoked meat intrigued me. In fact, I've been meaning to try it for quite some time. Last night I finally did.

I bought a salmon filet, marinated it in a pineapple/rum mixture, and then served it topped with a pineapple salsa. On a scale of one to 10 I'd give it a five, mainly because I was completed unimpressed with the tea smoking. If I'd used alder or a fruit wood such as cherry (which I've done several times in the past) I'd have been happier with the final result. I also would have been happier if I'd marinated the salmon for more than three hours -- I think eight would have been about right.

As you can see, though, it looked gorgeous. And the pineapple flavors were a wonderful counterpoint to the salmon and so I plan to do this again.

Tea-smoked Salmon

2 ea 6oz salmon steaks (or thick sections of filets)
1/3 c long-grain rice
1/4 c oolong tea
1/4 c packed brown sugar
**** Marinade ****
1/2 c unsweetened pineapple juice
1/2 c olive oil
1/3 c rum
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp fresh ginger -- grated
2 cloves garlic -- crushed
1 tsp ground black pepper
salt
**** Salsa ****
1/2 c diced fresh pineapple -- small dice
1/4 c diced green bell pepper -- small dice
1/4 c diced read onion -- small dice
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp pineapple juice
hot sauce to taste
salt to taste

Mix all marinade ingredients in a one qt zipper bag. Add salmon and marinate in refrigerator six to eight hours.

Mix all salsa ingredients together and allow flavors to meld at room temperature for at least an hour. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Mix together rice, tea, and brown sugar. Line a deep, lidded pan with foil and spread tea mixture evenly over bottom. Place a cake rack over mixture and set salmon on rack. Heat over high heat until tea mixture begins to smoke. Cover tightly with lid or aluminum foil, reduce heat to medium low, and cook 10 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to cook another five minutes. Plate and top generously with salsa. Serves 2.

Credits: Pineapple Marinade -- Weekly Recipes