Smoked Salmon

Salmon is an impressive meal to serve, but it is SO easy to make. Salmon is meaty, fatty (good fat), and flavorful. You might even feel like you’re cheating on you diet. No worries, you not. I add a bit of flair to my salmon just for that extra wow.

1 pound salmon (feeds 4)
2 tablespoons (or two sprays) of spray avocado oil (or extra virgin olive oil)
2 tablespoons non fat greek yogurt
2 springs fresh dill
1 lemon
Whisk (or spoon)
Small bowl
Zester
Herb scissors (optional – just one of my fav kitchen toys)
Thin flexible fish spatula
Fry pan
Dish

Smoking Gun Necessities

Smoking gun
Freezer plastic bag
Paper towel
Lighter
Clear bowl

Heat the fry pan and add a few sprays of avocado oil
Pan sear the salmon (skin side down) for 5 minutes
Release the fish from the pan slowly (it’s ok if the skin comes off the fish, I like to serve just a little of the crispy (but fatty) skin as a topping
Carefully flip the fish over and cook for 1-2 minutes until it’s slightly pink inside
While the fish is cooking, zest the lemon into a bowl (set aside a few zest pieces), whisk (or mix) together in the bowl the zest and lemon juice from 1/2 of the lemon, yogurt. Cut the dill with the scissors and add to the yogurt. Set aside.

Smoking Gun

Put a piece of paper towel on a plate, then put the plate in the freezer bag
Put the cooked salmon on the plate
Insert the hose of the smoking gun into the plastic bag and seal up the bag
Put a teaspoon (should come with the gun) of the wood chips (also comes with the gun) into the gun, turn on the gun, then light the wood chips with the lighter
Once the plastic bag is full of smoke (1 minute), turn off the gun, take the hose out of the bag and immediately seal up the rest of the bag.
Let set for a few minutes
Plate the salmon, and add a dollop of the dill yogurt and top it with the rest of the zest and a piece of crispy skin
Put a clear bowl over the fish
If needed, add more chips to the smoking gun
Insert the hose of the gun under the bowl and let the bowl rest on the hose
Turn the gun on and light the wood chips with the lighter
When the bowl fills with smoke, turn the smoking gun off, remove the hose from the bowl and immediately rest the bowl flat on the plate (when you present this meal, and they take the bowl off, the smoke will flow out of the bowl and give quite the show)