Salmon Question

tshuggz

Hi everybody!

I recently had salmon that was cooked over a fire on a white water rafting trip.  I'm pretty sure it was cooked while wrapped in tin foil.  Whatever they used to get the smokey flavor made it taste unreal.  I've had similar smoked flavor in packaged cold smoked salmon I've bought at the store too.  Can anyone help me out on what type of wood goes best with salmon?

Thanks.

buzd504

Everything I've read says Alder, but I've never had it.  The key is to get a fairly mild wood - salmon soaks it up.

I like pecan.

fishlessman

alder is traditional,in the egg apple is good, and guava but you would have to mail order it

Skiddymarker

Alder and pecan are my favourites with springs or pinks. Apple is like bacon, IMO, good with anything. Sockeye is best served like a fine whiskey, straight up, just the lump smoke. 

tshuggz

What do you season the sockeye with?

leo123

this is my go to cedar plank salmon. Always turns out great. No complaints even from wife.

buzd504

tshuggz said:

What do you season the sockeye with?

The fresher it is, the less you need.  I usually just use a light dust of Tony's.

Ragtop99

Peach and apricot wood are good.  Neither will overpower the fish.  I add just one chunk. 

I grill it on the grate.  Steaks come out nice at 325-350* direct or 375-400* raised direct.  Filets I do at 325 - 350 no matter which level.

Big_Green_Craig

Here is some keta salmon wrapped in cedar grilling papers. I soaked the papers in water for approx 30 minutes. Seasoned the salmon to taste. Grill direct at 400 for approx 4-1/2 minutes each side. Great cedar flavor. 

anzyegg

@Big_Green_Craig‌ neat idea, where did you pickup the paper to cedar wrap?

pigoutsc

I like mine blackened and grilled direct at 425-450. I normally use Zataran's.

Skiddymarker

tshuggz said:

What do you season the sockeye with?

Avocado oil rub (any will do - just in the cupboard at the moment) S&P. Like I said, sockeye does not need help. Pinks or springs need lemon, dill, and anything else you might like. 

blind99

Great looking cooks.  @pigoutsc do you do flesh side down on the grill direct?  

The cedar paper looks very cool, never seen it before.

R3K

A1 has a sweet mesquite that the kids and I really like along with salt & pepper (wife isn't very particular but tends to just like salt & pepper).  Once the salmon is cooked, I'll drizzle a little Lawry's Hawaiian marinade on it.  Delicious!  Just had some yesterday as a matter of fact.

 

That cedar paper is a great idea, had never heard of that before.  I'd also like to know where you got it.

stemc33

@tshuggz‌, if the fish you ate was cooked in foil, it might of had wood chips placed in the foil pack while it was on the fire. If your rafting trip was in the NW, it's a good chance that they used alder. The other thing that could of made your sense of taste heightened was the type of salmon you ate.

I agree with @Skiddymarker‌ on the sockeye. IMHO sockeye is the best when it comes to eye appeal/color, texture, and taste. I'm not a big fan of the cedar plank craze, but that's just me. My preferred method is raised direct on the egg filled with applewood smoke. I start with flesh side down and then flip to skin-side down. When the fish is done, just slide a spatula under the fillet leaving the skin behind when you put it on the platter.
The kings and sockeye have the most fat and oil making them easier to cook than the other types of salmon. The high fat content gives you more leeway during cooking without drying it out.

One last thing. I will not purchase or eat Atlantic farm raised salmon. I'll just choose another type of fish if I can't get Pacific Northwest salmon.

Skiddymarker

@stemc33 - "One last thing. I will not purchase or eat Atlantic farm raised salmon. I'll just choose another type of fish if I can't get Pacific Northwest salmon."

and we do thank you, the PNW is good for other tha building airplanes! 

)

pigoutsc

blind99 said:

Great looking cooks.  @pigoutsc do you do flesh side down on the grill direct?  

The cedar paper looks very cool, never seen it before.

I start skin side down and keep it there well over half the cook. After flipping to flesh side I leave it long enough to get some crust and meet proper temps( thermapen )

GreenWave36

I think this stuff is the best it have found on salmon...

https://www.chefpaul.com/site.php?pageID=285&iteminfo=1&productID=178

Big_Green_Craig

anzyegg said:

@Big_Green_Craig‌ neat idea, where did you pickup the paper to cedar wrap?

Honestly, I can't remember! I've had them for a while and finally got around to using them. They are made by Fire & Flavor so you might check their website.