Hot Tea Smoked Salmon
Hot tea smoking brings an exciting way to prepare salmon and all other types of fish. The amazing thing is you can cook it right on your stovetop with very little effort. This method of cooking produces a unique multiflavored profile that is influenced by the smoking aromatics that are used. While there are a lot of moving parts to this recipe, it is a simple process. Your salmon can be on the plate within 8-12 minutes. In this recipe, the 2–4-hour window for brining is just one of the methods that can be used to hot tea smoke fish. You don’t have to brine; you can marinade or simply season with salt and pepper before smoking. This is your adventure, and journey. With the knowhow, you get to choose what that adventure looks like. Be sure to read the dos and don’ts in the note section of this blog to support you in creating a successful outcome.
Equipment
- Large pot with tight fitting lid.
- Trivet or rack for smoking
- Heavy duty foil 1 large piece or 2-3 large pieces of regular foil or a small foil container or a small store bought foil container.
Ingredients
- 2-4 6oz center cut portions of Atlantic salmon skin off or on. If you leave the skin on make sure to remove the scales.
Dry Brine
- 2 tbsp kosher salt If using table salt cut amount by half.
- 2 tbsp sugar granulated or brown
Smoking Aromatics
- 1/3 cup sugar granulated of brown
- 1/3 cup rice jasmine
- 1/3 cup loose tea leaves do not use fruit herbal teas
- 1 tsp neutral tasting high temperature oil
- 1/4 tsp sesame seeds
- 1 tsp chopped parsley
Instructions
- Rinse the salmon and pat dry. Set aside.
- Mix the dry brine by thoroughly combining 2 tbsp salt and 2 tbsp sugar together and set aside. Kosher salt has a much bigger circumference than table salt. if using table salt cut the amount by half.
- Cover your cutting board or countertop with a long piece of cling film. Sprinkle half the brining mixture over the center of the cling film. Leave a 2-inch border free of the brine mix.
- Roll the salmon portions in the brining mixture making sure that all sides are coated. Place the salmon skin side down (skin is facing the board) sprinkle the rest of the brining mixture all over the fish portions.
- Seal the salmon by creating a tight parcel expelling as much air as possible. Lay the salmon flat on a plate or in a container and refrigerate for 2-4 hours. The brine will draw moisture/liquid from the fish, which is natural. Note: If it’s not put on a plate or in a container large enough, the liquid drawn out of the salmon will leak out into your refrigerator. Salmon must lay flat.
- Meanwhile, get your smoker ready. Fold the heavy-duty foil into half and place it into the bottom of the wok. Twist the foil to crimp the edges to form a rim, creating a disposable tray that fits into the base of your wok or pot.
- Sprinkle the sugar over the base of the foil tray, then the rice, and then the tea. Gently mix to incorporate. Set aside for later use.
- Once the salmon has been brined, remove it from the refrigerator. The next step is very important for the salmon’s taste profile. Rinse thoroughly under cold running water. Remove all traces of the dry brine and liquid extracted. Failure to thoroughly rinse the salmon will make it very salty and or overly sweet when smoked.
- Pat with kitchen paper so it is completely dry. Brush the skin side of salmon with a little oil to prevent it sticking to the trivet or rack. DO NOT BRUSH THE SALMON ALL OVER WITH OIL. Put the salmon on the smoking trivet or rack, then place that on a plate large enough to hold it. Allow to air dry uncovered in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.
- During that time a sticky layer called the pellicle will form over the surface of the salmon. The pellicle brings many favorable things to smoking fish and meat. By far the biggest is that it helps to maintain moisture and allows the smoke to stick to the fish or meat.
- When the salmon has finished processing, remove from the refrigerator, and set aside.
- With the tray of smoking aromatics, centered in the wok or pot turn the heat to high. Leave the wok or pot uncovered for now. It can take 3-5 minutes for it to begin smoking. What you will see first is the rice and the tea gently moving in little puffs. This indicates that it is getting ready to smoke.
- Soon after you will see puffs and wisps of white smoke. When you first start seeing the smoke forming immediately place the trivet or rack with the salmon into the wok, and cover with the tight-fitting lid. There needs to be 3-4 inches or more of space between the smoking aromatics and the salmon on the trivet.
- IMMEDIATELY reduce heat to low. Set a timer for 8-12 minutes depending on the thickness of the salmon portion and the desired doneness.
- Do not lift the lid to peak, because you’ll release the smoke and heat. You will know that your salmon has cooked, by its golden color and the white streaks or dots of albumin that has developed. Alternatively, you can test with a thermometer for your desire doneness or with the tip of a paring knife.
- Immediately, remove the salmon from the smoker as it will continue to cook with residual heat and can overcook the fish. Garnish with sesame seeds and chopped parsley if desired.
Video
Notes
Here are some Dos and Don’ts
First and foremost, do not be put off by anything that you read here. All of the dos and don’ts are about safety and achieving a successful outcome. I have tried several experiments, of which most have failed. But I quickly learned what I needed to do to create delicious hot tea smoked salmon, so I’m sharing this with you.
Salt
When substituting kosher salt for table or fine salt use half the suggested amount. Why? Because the grains of kosher salt are approximately 2 times bigger than the grains of table salt.
1 tsp of kosher salt = 1/2 tsp of table salt. Do Not Touch Do not touch the aromatic once heated. The sugar, which is molten, will make this stick to your skin and has the potential to create serious burns. Allow the aromatic tray to cool completely before touching and or discarding. If you accidentally get burned, run the area under cold running water and seek medical attention. Cooking Temperature Do not cook this recipe on high heat, you will ruin the salmon, because the aromatic will burn and produce an acrid smoke. This burnt smelling smoke is what will penetrate and color the salmon.
This recipe can be cooked inside on the stovetop or on a balcony. Make sure you have good ventilation if cooking this recipe on your stovetop.
Do not be tempted to turn the heat up to medium low or medium high because it seems like nothing is happening. All you require are those whisps and little puffs of white smoke. The smoke will not billow out of the wok. If your smoke is billowing out of the wok, then your temperature is too HIGH! Low heat! Low heat!
Creating Your Foil Tray
Only use foil for this method. Parchment paper WILL NOT work for this recipe, because it has the potential to ignite, and it won’t protect your wok from being damaged. I don’t suggest silicone. Some recipes online suggest using sugarcane leaves. Once again, unless you have experience in using this method, your pot or wok will be totally ruined.
Do not use plastic for this process. It will melt and has the potential to be toxic.
Do not allow the smoking aromatic to come in contact with the wok or pot. It will ruin it. The sugar becomes molten and when it cools, it hardens and almost bonds with the surface, and it is nearly impossible to remove. Tea Do not use herbal teas for this recipe. The ingredients and essential oils used in the herbal tea blend may cause it to burn rapidly rather than smoke. Use loose leaf black, white, green, or red teas. Jasmine, oolong, PG Tips etc. Rice I suggest jasmine or basmati rice. They both have a wonderful natural fragrant aroma. You can use any rice as long as it is not instant rice or has been par-boiled, Uncle Ben’s. For those of you who know me, y’all know, that for me, brown rice is a definite, HELL NO! Herbs And Aromatics If you choose to use herbs in with your tea, make sure that they are the hard variety instead of soft. Hard herbs are thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, lemongrass, oregano, and sage. Soft herbs are basil, cilantro, mint, tarragon etc. Onions, garlic, ginger, galangal etc., will burn. If you want to use these aromatics, it would be better to place them on top of the fish, or inside the fish if smoking a whole fish, or create a bed for the fish to lay on. Dos You can smoke your salmon with any glaze of your choosing. Once the air-drying process has been completed in the refrigerator and the pellicle has formed, brush the salmon portions with your desired glaze and continue the smoking process. Trivet And Rack Use a trivet or rack so that both air and smoke can freely circulate around the wok and salmon. The trivet or rack needs to be positioned 3-4 inches or more above the smoking aromatic tray. If the trivet is too low, you can create 3 equal sized balls from foil to give you the height you need.
Do a test run by positioning the trivet or rack on the balls and covering it with the lid. The position of the trivet or rack should not prevent the wok from closing properly. You can purchase a set of trivets from Amazon, these are what I use.
Creating A Tight Seal With Lid
If the wok lid cannot create a tight fit, the smoke and heat will be lost, and the salmon will not cook properly. To help that process, you can use a piece of foil to put over the top of the wok or pot. Put the lid on and push down gently and then crimp the foil around the edge of the lid and wok or pot to create a seal.
Tray
Make sure that the tray doesn’t have any holes in it, and it needs to be large enough to cover the base of the wok that you are using.
If using a small store-bought foil container, make sure it has a large enough surface area to spread the aromatics used for smoking. What Else Can I Hot Tea Smoke? You can smoke any kind of fish, poultry, or meat. Although not covered in this recipe, when using this method for poultry or meat, it needs to be cooked and finished in the stovetop smoker. Depending on what you are cooking the smoke time is anywhere between 8-12 minutes. Hot Tea Smoking Fish You can smoke fillets, steaks, pieces, portions, and whole fish. You can marinade the fish the way in which you want it. Note: The fish doesn’t have to be brined too hot tea smoke.
1 tsp of kosher salt = 1/2 tsp of table salt. Do Not Touch Do not touch the aromatic once heated. The sugar, which is molten, will make this stick to your skin and has the potential to create serious burns. Allow the aromatic tray to cool completely before touching and or discarding. If you accidentally get burned, run the area under cold running water and seek medical attention. Cooking Temperature Do not cook this recipe on high heat, you will ruin the salmon, because the aromatic will burn and produce an acrid smoke. This burnt smelling smoke is what will penetrate and color the salmon.
This recipe can be cooked inside on the stovetop or on a balcony. Make sure you have good ventilation if cooking this recipe on your stovetop.
Do not be tempted to turn the heat up to medium low or medium high because it seems like nothing is happening. All you require are those whisps and little puffs of white smoke. The smoke will not billow out of the wok. If your smoke is billowing out of the wok, then your temperature is too HIGH! Low heat! Low heat!
Creating Your Foil Tray
Only use foil for this method. Parchment paper WILL NOT work for this recipe, because it has the potential to ignite, and it won’t protect your wok from being damaged. I don’t suggest silicone. Some recipes online suggest using sugarcane leaves. Once again, unless you have experience in using this method, your pot or wok will be totally ruined.
Do not use plastic for this process. It will melt and has the potential to be toxic.Do not allow the smoking aromatic to come in contact with the wok or pot. It will ruin it. The sugar becomes molten and when it cools, it hardens and almost bonds with the surface, and it is nearly impossible to remove. Tea Do not use herbal teas for this recipe. The ingredients and essential oils used in the herbal tea blend may cause it to burn rapidly rather than smoke. Use loose leaf black, white, green, or red teas. Jasmine, oolong, PG Tips etc. Rice I suggest jasmine or basmati rice. They both have a wonderful natural fragrant aroma. You can use any rice as long as it is not instant rice or has been par-boiled, Uncle Ben’s. For those of you who know me, y’all know, that for me, brown rice is a definite, HELL NO! Herbs And Aromatics If you choose to use herbs in with your tea, make sure that they are the hard variety instead of soft. Hard herbs are thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, lemongrass, oregano, and sage. Soft herbs are basil, cilantro, mint, tarragon etc. Onions, garlic, ginger, galangal etc., will burn. If you want to use these aromatics, it would be better to place them on top of the fish, or inside the fish if smoking a whole fish, or create a bed for the fish to lay on. Dos You can smoke your salmon with any glaze of your choosing. Once the air-drying process has been completed in the refrigerator and the pellicle has formed, brush the salmon portions with your desired glaze and continue the smoking process. Trivet And Rack Use a trivet or rack so that both air and smoke can freely circulate around the wok and salmon. The trivet or rack needs to be positioned 3-4 inches or more above the smoking aromatic tray. If the trivet is too low, you can create 3 equal sized balls from foil to give you the height you need.
Do a test run by positioning the trivet or rack on the balls and covering it with the lid. The position of the trivet or rack should not prevent the wok from closing properly. You can purchase a set of trivets from Amazon, these are what I use.
Creating A Tight Seal With Lid
If the wok lid cannot create a tight fit, the smoke and heat will be lost, and the salmon will not cook properly. To help that process, you can use a piece of foil to put over the top of the wok or pot. Put the lid on and push down gently and then crimp the foil around the edge of the lid and wok or pot to create a seal.
Tray
Make sure that the tray doesn’t have any holes in it, and it needs to be large enough to cover the base of the wok that you are using.If using a small store-bought foil container, make sure it has a large enough surface area to spread the aromatics used for smoking. What Else Can I Hot Tea Smoke? You can smoke any kind of fish, poultry, or meat. Although not covered in this recipe, when using this method for poultry or meat, it needs to be cooked and finished in the stovetop smoker. Depending on what you are cooking the smoke time is anywhere between 8-12 minutes. Hot Tea Smoking Fish You can smoke fillets, steaks, pieces, portions, and whole fish. You can marinade the fish the way in which you want it. Note: The fish doesn’t have to be brined too hot tea smoke.
Nutrition
Serving: 4ServingsCalories: 119kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 0.5gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.3gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 0.3mgSodium: 3490mgPotassium: 22mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 2IUVitamin C: 0.03mgCalcium: 8mgIron: 0.2mg
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