Fresh Wild Caught Salmon on the Traeger.
Recommended pellets: Alder, Apple, Mesquite. Hickory is nice too.
1 large Salmon filet (about 2 pounds)
Traeger Salmon Shake
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Large Lemon
Rinse salmon in cold water and pat dry with a paper towel.
Unlike many other recipes, you do not need to remove the skin before grilling.
Sprinkle the salmon liberally with Salmon shake or your favorite rub. Cover very lightly with Olive Oil. You don't need much oil, it's really just to keep the rub on the fish. Cut thin slices of lemon and put 2 or 3 on each serving size of salmon. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the whole filet. For a nice presentation, snip the lemon slices from the edge to the middle in one spot, then twist the two halves in opposite directions and place on the salmon. Very nice looking (did not do it for the one in the picture).
Start your Traeger grill on Smoke setting with lid open for 5 minutes. Place the Salmon directly on the grill grate, skin side down, and smoke for at least 20 minutes. Optional: place salmon on cedar or alder plank. But since you are using wood pellets already this is a little redundant.
Increase heat to 300 degrees and continue to cook salmon for 20-30 minutes. Monitor with an instant read meat thermometer. Your target temp is 135. Don't over cook it. At 135 degrees, remove from grill and serve.
If grilling with the salmon right on grate, you can actually use your spatula to remove the fish and leave the skin stuck on the grill. Very slick and much easier than removing the skin prior to cooking. No worries your grates will clean right up.
Cold weather notes: The smoke setting on your grill may not be adequate in cold weather. I have to set mine at 180 to maintain proper temp. Your cooking time at 300 can be as long as an hour depending upon the outside temp. Just monitor the fish until it hits 135 internal.
This method gives the salmon just the right amount of smoke flavoring. I used to cook salmon (or any fish) using the "Canadian rule" - http://orcabayseafoods.com/cooking-recipes/cooking-tips/10-minute-rule-cooking-fish - but with the shorter cooking time the fish didn't get that smokiness I was after. Additionally, this method allowed me to cover the thinner portion of a salmon filet with foil so as not to overcook while the thicker portion cooks.
ReplyDeleteI prefer the simple seasoning of the salt, pepper and lemon and 9 times out of 10 will use just these three ingredient along with butter. (I often wonder how the Pacific Native Americans seasoned their salmon.) But I am going to experiment with this method of grilling with Yoshida's Original Gourmet Sauce for variety.
Thanks so much for this recipe
Unfortunately, I could not find this recipe/instructional the second time I smoked salmon. It was terrible! I went by your recipe the very first time and it was unbelievably good. Now that I have located this again, I can't wait to make it for my family!
ReplyDelete