Preparing Smoky, Spice-Rubbed Wild Salmon

This recipe goes along with the "A Foodie Shops Niles and Gets Cooking" column on Captain Alex Seafood in Niles. 

Grilled Salmon for Two

• 2-6 oz. filets, cut from the middle of the fish
• 1 tbsp. salmon spice rub*
• 1/2 tsp. brown sugar

*My salmon spice rub was bought in Pike Place Market in Seattle. Try your local spice aisle in your grocer or make your own with chili powder, ground cumin, salt and pepper.

For grill

• 2 to 3 pieces of hardwood (fruity works well: apple, cherry)

Soak your hardwood chips by submerging in water while preparing the fish and smoker (or grill). Filets should be boneless. Just sprinkle on your spice rub and set aside. Prepare your charcoal grill – we use hardwood coal. When coals are hot, place your soaked hardwood chips on the coals. They will smolder, giving the fish a nice flavor. Place fish on grill pan or heavy-duty aluminum foil for ease of cooking on the grill; cover grill. When thickest part of salmon reaches 135-140 degrees, remove from grill.

(My husband used our smoker and kept the heat between 200-225 degrees. The fish cooked in 1-1/2 hours. It should have only taken one hour, but the coal temperature took a dip below 200 degrees for a few minutes.)

Hungry for more? Like Niles Patch on Facebook