Big compliment

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cmayna

Master of the Pit
Original poster
OTBS Member
★ Lifetime Premier ★
Jun 23, 2012
3,970
1,696
SF Bay Area, CA
Yesterday, wife and I went Salmon fishing aboard the infamous Wacky Jacky sportfishing vessel out of San Francisco. I brought a bunch of my Salmon Jerky and nuggets to share. Everyone went crazy over the fish but most importantly was a compliment from Greg the deck hand as we were getting ready to get off the boat. He apparently was the head smoker at Paladini's Seafood of San Francisco before they were sold out to a larger firm. He raved over the nuggets and went for seconds.

ba9e4u9y.jpg




So here I am yesterday replenishing the Salmon stock for the freezer.
uhyvyta9.jpg



Tapayakin' from my iphone
 
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I know you've posted your recipe for those nuggets...I'm gonna have to get off my butt and find that recipe, buy some salmon and give it a try.  They look awesome!!

Nice fish!

Bill
 
You're not freezing that whole beautiful salmon are you? And yeah, those nuggets I have to try. Is the recipe in your history?
 
Stunning! Truly great looking fish in both shots.

Disco
Hey Disco,
You like to do salmon, don't you? Got a nice recipe for something like that? Kind of want to get something goung beyond the chicken beef pork stuff. I'm getting bored.
 
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Hey Disco,
You like to do salmon, don't you? Got a nice recipe for something like that? Kind of want to get something goung beyond the chicken beef pork stuff. I'm getting bored.
My favourite way to do salmon is simple but takes a little time. Start an alder fire (you could use any hardwood but alder is traditional). Let it burn down to a large pile of coals. Take a fresh plank of cedar and butterfly  a whole salmon. Tack the salmon to the board with the skin out. Push the base of the plank in the ground near the coals. Put a small tin can under the salmon tail. As juices drip into the can, brush the salmon with them. Simple with a nice smoke taste.

I also have a favourite grilled salmon recipe.

                      -= Exported from BigOven =-

                        Peppered Salmon Fillet

Serving Size: 12

-= Ingredients =-

1 cup brown sugar ; firmly packed

6 tablespoons salt 

1 tablespoon fresh ginger ; minced

3 dried bay leaf 

1 teaspoon whole allspice ; crushed

3 pound salmon fillet with skin ; 1 1/2 inch thick

1/2 cup mixed whole peppercorns 

1/2 cup apple or hickory wood chips 

1 tablespoon honey 

3 red onion slices 

fresh dill sprigs 

-= Instructions =-

In a 1 to 1 1/2 qt. pan, bring 1 1/2 cup. water, sugar, salt, ginger, bay leaves, and allspice to boiling over high heat; stir until sugar dissolves completely. Let cool slightly. Rinse salmon fillet, pat dry, and lay flat with skin down in a rimmed pan (12 x 15 in.). Pour sugar-salt mixture over salmon. Cover pan tightly and chill fish at least 4 hours or up to 24 hrs. Occasionally spoon brine over the fish. Mound 16 charcoal briquettes on the fire grate of a barbeque with a lid. Ignite briquettes. Meanwhile, pour enough hot water over peppercorns to float them; soak at least 15 minutes. Also pour enough warm water over wood chips to make them float; let soak at least 15 minutes. Pour brine off fish; rinse fish with cool water and pat dry. Set skin side down on a large sheet of foil; cut foil along outline of fish.Rub honey over top of fish; drain peppercorns and scatter evenly over fish, patting to set them lightly in place. When coals are dotted with grey ash, 25-30 minutes, push half to each side of fire grate. Drain wood chips and scatter 2 T. on each mound of coals. Set grill 4-6 in. above the fire grate; lightly oil the grill. Place salmon on foil in center of grill (no coals should be beneath the fish), Set an oven thermometer on the centre of the fish. Put lid on barbeque and close vents to make 1/4 in. openings. After 30 minutes., add 3 briquettes to each mound of coals; repeat every 30 minutes. of cooking. Check thermometer often to be sure temp. stays about 160°. Add wood chips as needed to produce a faint, steady stream of smoke. Cook salmon until itis 140°F  in center of thickest part, about 1 1/2 hours. Using foil and wide spatulas, slide fillet onto a baking sheet, then transfer fish to a platter. Serve salmon warm, cool, or chilled. If making ahead, cover airtight and chill up to 3 days. Garnish with onion and dill. Cut fish across grain into 3/4 in wide slices; lift off skin. Makes 12-14 servings.

This recipe goes back to the old days when I could still get a 3 pound fillet. They seem to be harder to find these days and I have made it with smaller fillets cutting the cooking times. Also, I started using indirect heat on my gas grill when I got it. Now, I am considering doing it on the smoker and I think it will be better. One thing, I brush most of the peppercorns off before I serve it but don't do without them, they give the salmon an incredible taste.

I intend to try Bear's smoked salmon recipe before I convert this one as I haven't done salmon in the smoker and I want to try a proven smoker recipe first. If you would like to give this a go in the smoker, I would love to see your results

Disco
 
Woah!! That looks incredible!!!!! Yummmmmm! Love salmon (any way...every day!) Is there perchance,  a recipe for those nuggets...pray tell?
Very simple recipe.

Brine:

4/1 ratio of dark brown sugar / non iodized salt

Lots of minced garlic

Yoshida's gourmet sauce

Brined for 4 hours, stirring hourly

Rinsed and dried for 2 hours

Smoked with Alder for 2.5 - 3 hours, until IT of 140 is met.
 
Last edited:
My favourite way to do salmon is simple but takes a little time. Start an alder fire (you could use any hardwood but alder is traditional). Let it burn down to a large pile of coals. Take a fresh plank of cedar and butterfly  a whole salmon. Tack the salmon to the board with the skin out. Push the base of the plank in the ground near the coals. Put a small tin can under the salmon tail. As juices drip into the can, brush the salmon with them. Simple with a nice smoke taste.

I also have a favourite grilled salmon recipe.

                      -= Exported from BigOven =-

                        Peppered Salmon Fillet

Serving Size: 12

-= Ingredients =-

1 cup brown sugar ; firmly packed

6 tablespoons salt 

1 tablespoon fresh ginger ; minced

3 dried bay leaf 

1 teaspoon whole allspice ; crushed

3 pound salmon fillet with skin ; 1 1/2 inch thick

1/2 cup mixed whole peppercorns 

1/2 cup apple or hickory wood chips 

1 tablespoon honey 

3 red onion slices 

fresh dill sprigs 

-= Instructions =-

In a 1 to 1 1/2 qt. pan, bring 1 1/2 cup. water, sugar, salt, ginger, bay leaves, and allspice to boiling over high heat; stir until sugar dissolves completely. Let cool slightly. Rinse salmon fillet, pat dry, and lay flat with skin down in a rimmed pan (12 x 15 in.). Pour sugar-salt mixture over salmon. Cover pan tightly and chill fish at least 4 hours or up to 24 hrs. Occasionally spoon brine over the fish. Mound 16 charcoal briquettes on the fire grate of a barbeque with a lid. Ignite briquettes. Meanwhile, pour enough hot water over peppercorns to float them; soak at least 15 minutes. Also pour enough warm water over wood chips to make them float; let soak at least 15 minutes. Pour brine off fish; rinse fish with cool water and pat dry. Set skin side down on a large sheet of foil; cut foil along outline of fish.Rub honey over top of fish; drain peppercorns and scatter evenly over fish, patting to set them lightly in place. When coals are dotted with grey ash, 25-30 minutes, push half to each side of fire grate. Drain wood chips and scatter 2 T. on each mound of coals. Set grill 4-6 in. above the fire grate; lightly oil the grill. Place salmon on foil in center of grill (no coals should be beneath the fish), Set an oven thermometer on the centre of the fish. Put lid on barbeque and close vents to make 1/4 in. openings. After 30 minutes., add 3 briquettes to each mound of coals; repeat every 30 minutes. of cooking. Check thermometer often to be sure temp. stays about 160°. Add wood chips as needed to produce a faint, steady stream of smoke. Cook salmon until itis 140°F  in center of thickest part, about 1 1/2 hours. Using foil and wide spatulas, slide fillet onto a baking sheet, then transfer fish to a platter. Serve salmon warm, cool, or chilled. If making ahead, cover airtight and chill up to 3 days. Garnish with onion and dill. Cut fish across grain into 3/4 in wide slices; lift off skin. Makes 12-14 servings.

This recipe goes back to the old days when I could still get a 3 pound fillet. They seem to be harder to find these days and I have made it with smaller fillets cutting the cooking times. Also, I started using indirect heat on my gas grill when I got it. Now, I am considering doing it on the smoker and I think it will be better. One thing, I brush most of the peppercorns off before I serve it but don't do without them, they give the salmon an incredible taste.

I intend to try Bear's smoked salmon recipe before I convert this one as I haven't done salmon in the smoker and I want to try a proven smoker recipe first. If you would like to give this a go in the smoker, I would love to see your results

Disco
Disco, Every year in the small town of Depoe Bay, where I grew up and used to have my charter fishing business they do a salmon bake fund raiser every year. This is how they do it, very similar to your method. When I was there I worked the fire line, morning shift. We'd fire up the alder at 5am to get the coals ready for cooking. Lots of fun.

 
Yep, Case, that is almost identical. I have been to Depoe Bay, Oregon a couple of times. I wish I'd been there for this!

Disco
 
That sound like fun.   This year it looks like it's on Sept 21st.  Wish I could attend.
 
That sound like fun.   This year it looks like it's on Sept 21st.  Wish I could attend.
If you ever do get up to Depoe Bay go out fishing with my Uncle on the TackleBuster. He has been there for over thirty years. In fact his second boat a 43' Delta, he bought in San Fransisco, it was called the Butchie B, run by Phil Bentiveno (Sp??). We ran that boat up to Oregon when I was 14. A couple years ago my uncle bought his third boat, same boat as the Wacky Jacky, a 50' Delta. We ran that boat up from Marina Del Rey. We were 20 miles off San Fran when the Tōhoku tsunami hit the West coast. Nothing noticeable until we got to Fort Bragg. The surges continued all night!
 
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