Once you have made tea-smoked salmon, whether in a stove-top smoker, a wok, or on the grill, you’ll wonder how a piece of fish with almost no embellishments can taste so good. Serve the salmon on a bed of jasmine rice with stir-fried sugar snap peas or steamed baby bok choy.
Serves 6
One 11/2-lb [680-g] center-cut salmon fillet, skin on and scaled, pin bones removed
1/4 cup [20 g] Earl Grey, oolong, or Lapsang souchong whole-leaf tea
1/4 cup [50 g] firmly packed golden brown sugar
1/4 cup [50 g] uncooked white rice
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1Remove the salmon from the refrigerator 30 minutes before smoking to bring it to room temperature.
2In a small bowl, combine the tea leaves, brown sugar, and rice and mix well. Set aside.
3Using a stove-top smoker or a wok, line the bottom of the pan with a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil. (Using heavy-duty foil makes for easier cleanup.) Pour the tea-rice mixture onto the foil in the center of the pan and spread in an even layer over the center. If using a stove-top smoker, lay another piece of foil on top, covering all of the tea-rice mixture. Cover a drip tray with foil and place it on top of the second piece of foil. If using a wok, lay a large sheet of foil loosely over the tea-rice mixture. Coat a wire rack with nonstick cooking spray and place on top of the drip tray or foil.
4Arrange the salmon on the rack and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Slide the lid on the stove-top smoker or cover the wok, leaving it slightly open, and then place the smoker or wok over medium heat. When the first wisp of smoke appears, close the lid or tightly cover the wok. Smoke the salmon for 15 to 17 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the salmon in the smoker, covered, for an additional 5 minutes.
5Transfer the salmon to a cutting board. Slide a spatula between the salmon flesh and the skin, separating them, and discard the skin. Cut the salmon crosswise (against the grain) into six portions. Serve immediately.