Hot Smoked Salmon With Salad Of Apples Dried Cherries Hazelnuts And Greens And Apple Cider Vinaigrette Recipes

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.

Steps:

• 1. Cure the salmon: Mix together the salt, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and peppercorns in a medium bowl. Line a piece of extra-wide aluminum foil that's a little longer than the length of the fish with an equally long layer of plastic wrap. Sprinkle half of the salt rub on the wrap. Lay the salmon on the rub. Sprinkle the remaining rub on top of the salmon. Cover with plastic and wrap in foil, crimping the edges together tightly around the fish. Put the wrapped fish on a rimmed baking sheet and top with another baking sheet. Weight with a brick or two and refrigerate for 24 hours.
• 2. Unwrap the salmon and rinse off the cure mixture with cold water. Pat dry with paper towels and put the salmon in a cool, dry place (not the refrigerator) until the surface of the fish is dry and somewhat matte, 1 to 3 hours, depending on humidity. A fan may be used to speed the process.
• 3. Soak 2 cups alder wood chips in water for at least 30 minutes.
• 4. Heat your smoker according to the manufacturer's instructions. If using a charcoal or gas grill, set up a drip pan with water on the bottom grates and heat the grill to low for indirect grilling. For a charcoal grill, put the drained wood chips over the hot coals, add the cooking grate, and close the cover. For a gas grill, add the wood chips to a smoker box or foil pouch, put on the cooking grates toward the back, and close the cover. For both grills, open the vents halfway and maintain a temperature of 200°F. Let smoke build for 10 minutes.
• 5. Add the salmon to the smoker, skin side down, and cover the smoker. Adjust the heat as needed to maintain the temperature and smoke until the thickest part of the fish registers 150°F, about 1 hour. Serve immediately or cool to room temperature, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
• 6. Make the salad: Whisk together the vinegar, mustard, and honey in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the oil until emulsified. Add the greens, apple, onion, cherries, and hazelnuts and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
• 7. Put the salmon on a platter and arrange the salad on top.

Steps:

• To make the salmon: In a medium bowl or container, combine the hot water, brown sugar, white sugar, salt and lemon zest. Add the salmon, skin side up, to the brine, pressing it down to submerge. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
• Remove the salmon from the brine, and discard the liquid. Rinse the fillet under cold running water briefly to remove the excess salt. Place the salmon, skin side down, onto a rack. Let it stand until the top is dry to the touch, for about 1 hour. Do not pat dry.
• To prepare your wok smoker: Lay 2 layers of foil in the bottom of a wok if you want to protect the pan from getting charred. Add 2 handfuls of wood chips to the wok and place it over high heat. Add the 1/2 cup water.
• Position the bamboo steamer over top of the chips, and set the salmon fillets inside.
• Cover the wok with a lid or aluminum foil, and let the salmon smoke for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until its flesh is firm to the touch, and its edges are brown, crustier and caramelized.
• Remove the salmon from the steamer and transfer to a plate. Drizzle the smoked salmon with olive oil for garnish, and serve it alongside the salad.
• To make the vinaigrette: Pour the apple juice into a small pot, then boil it on high to reduce the liquid by half.
• Into a bowl, add the mustard and grind over some black pepper.
• Add a nice pinch of coarse salt, then add a dash of the apple cider vinegar. Whisk in your reduced apple juice along with the canola oil. Taste for seasonings and adjust if necessary.
• To make the salad: Toss the frisee, radishes, beets, green beans, arugula, and celery leaves into a bowl with just enough vinaigrette to barely moisten the leaves.
• Partially crush your crunchy croutons by placing them into a bowl, then crunching them with the bottom of a second bowl. Then add them to the vegetables.
• Grate a little lemon zest over the salad with a grind of black pepper. Give everything a final toss and plate.

Steps:

• To make the brine: In a saucepan, combine the brown sugar, salt, and apple juice and bring to a boil. Add the remaining brine ingredients, remove from the heat, and cool. This brine can be made 2 to 3 days in advance and kept in the refrigerator.
• Submerge the salmon fillets in the liquid brine for at least 6 hours or overnight, refrigerated. Remove the salmon from the brine and place, uncovered, on a wire rack set in a sheet pan. Refrigerate the fillets for at least 6 hours, or overnight, to dry them out. (A dry fillet will take on smoke quicker than a moist fillet)
• To smoke the salmon: In an outdoor grill, make a small fire using mesquite charcoal or briquettes. Once the fire has burned down to a hot bed of coals, after about 1 hour, place the soaked wood on the coals. Position the grate 8 to 12 inches above the smoking wood and place the salmon fillets on the grate.
• Cover the grill and shut any open-air vents. After 5 minutes, check the heat of the grill; large fillets will be cooked and smoked through in approximately 30 minutes if the heat is low, about 300 to 350 degrees F, while a hotter fire will cook the fillets in 15 to 20 minutes. Serve the salmon hot off the grill.

Steps:

• Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place the bread on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until lightly brown and crisp. Cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
• Arrange the smoked salmon in a single layer on a serving platter. Lay the apple slices on top. Sprinkle the capers over the salmon and apple slices. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with the toasted bread.