When people think of smoked salmon they normally mean the cured and cold smoked variety which is served in most restaurants or sold in supermarkets.  This is an alternative, which we believe to be better, and can be simply produced on your smoker with a little forethought. 

To make enough for a good sized starter for 2 people take …

6oz Fresh Salmon Fillet
4oz Dark Navy Rum

The Cure
4oz Maple syrup or 6oz dark brown sugar (or a mixture of the 2)
2oz Sea Salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper

 
Remove the skin from the salmon and pull out any bones.  Lay the salmon in a shallow dish (as small as the salmon to save wasting the rum) and pour enough rum to cover.  Leave for 15 minutes – do not leave any longer than this as the salmon will be ‘over flavoured’.

Drain the rum (sorry but you have to throw it away … unless you like to drink it fishy) … pat the salmon dry on kitchen towel.  

Make the cure by mixing the cure ingredients together and cover both sides of the salmon.  Cover and leave to cure, in the fridge, for 4 hours.

Remove salmon from the cure and rinse under cold running water.  Pat dry on kitchen towel … this is important as the fish will take the smoke better when dry.

Place on the grill of the smoker and cook on the ‘smoke’ setting until the fish turns from translucent to opaque and is cooked.  This will take approximately 20 – 30 minutes (larger / thicker pieces of salmon will take longer).

Remove from smoker and cool quickly.  Cover and refrigerate.

To serve cut into slices approx ½ thick across the grain.