Smokin'

I'm spending the weekend in Bloomington, IN, basketball mecca in past years, watching the Final Four with my son as he live blogs for Fox sports.

I taught 2 classes in West Lafayette, IN this week and promised my students I'd share a few recipes that we prepared before class, and I hope you'll enjoy them.  Today's recipe is for smoked salmon, which we then turned into a great smoked salmon spread covered with sweet and spicy pecans.  It's a great nibble for your next party.


Dry Smoked Salmon

2 sides of salmon
3/4 cup coarse salt
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns

Lay one side of the salmon on a large piece of plastic wrap.  In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients.  Rub the mixture into the flesh of the two sides of salmon and press the salmon together, and wrap in the plastic wrap.  Refrigerate the fish overnight   Rise the fish with cold water, and dry the fish.  Using a stove top smoker, sprinkle the chips into smoker, and lay the salmon into the smoker.  Cover the smoker, and cook until the salmon is 150 to 160 degrees.  The smoked salmon will keep refrigerated for 3 days.

Smoked Salmon Spread with Spicy Nuts

Makes two 12-inch logs

Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 pound dry smoked salmon, (not lox, or Norwegian cured salmon) chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion

1 teaspoon prepared horseradish

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 cup Sweet and Spicy Nuts (see below)

1.      In a medium-size bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth.

2.      Gradually fold in the salmon, dill, onion, horseradish, and lemon juice, stirring to blend.

3.      Place the mixture on a piece of plastic wrap and form into a log 1 inch in diameter. 

4.      Place the pecans on another sheet of plastic wrap and roll the log in the pecans until coated.  Twist the plastic wrap to seal.

5.      Do-Ahead: At this point, refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight, or freeze for up to 1 month. (Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.

Sweet and Spicy Nuts

Makes 2 cups

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/2 teaspoon Lawry’s garlic salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts

1.      Melt the butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. 

2.      Add 2 tablespoons of the sugar, the seasoned salt, garlic salt, and cayenne and stir until the spices give off some aroma, 1 to 2 minutes. 

3.      Add the nuts and toss until well coated, about 4 minutes. 

4.      Remove from the heat and place the nuts in a glass bowl. 

5.      Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar over the nuts and toss until coated.

6.     Do-Ahead: At this point, you can let cool, transfer to zipper-top plastic bags, and freeze indefinitely.

I'll be back tomorrow with some caramelized onions you can make in your slow cooker and a dynamite recipe for using them, so stay tuned, and go Butler bulldogs!