I tend to get on health kicks. And if I am on a health kick, then Kevin is on a health kick. Recently while shopping at Sam’s, they had their huge salmon fillets on sale. Sometimes I feel like they are playing chicken with me – to see if I can resist it or not.
There was a sale (strike 1), a “sell it today” price reduction (strike 2), and I had a coupon for a $1 off!
Yep, so we bought it…..for me. That’s right – a 2 1/2 pound salmon fillet. For me.
I promise you, I didn’t eat all of it! In fact, we didn’t even cook it all. I brought it home, divided it into 5 ounce fillets, and froze them. In my opinion, these are way better than the pre-frozen salmon fillets they sell. Maybe it’s all in my head – but I know at least I got these for a better deal!
How to Smoke the Salmon
If you are working with frozen filets then you will need to thaw them under cold running water.
While the filets are thawing you can assemble the teriyaki marinade. The marinade is really simple. We are taking an “off the shelf” teriyaki marinade and adding a few extra flavors.
Place the salmon into the marinade and let it soak for 30 minutes.
Set up your smoker for 250F. Since these are small filets you can also easily cook them on a Weber charcoal grill set up for low indirect heat.
Smoke the salmon, skin side down, for about 30 minutes until an internal temperature of 145F is reached.
By the way…here is our full list of recipes for smoked salmon!
Serving the Teriyaki Salmon
One of my (and Kevin’s) meals with these fillets was this salmon salad. It was SO GOOD and very simple.
I used fresh spinach, cucumbers, red onion, Parmesan cheese and a few croutons. I topped the salad with the salmon. And the dressing? A very simple teriyaki complimented this perfectly.
It’s a good reminder that health kicks can also be yummy!
Smoked Teriyaki Salmon
Ingredients
- 2 five ounce salmon filets
Teriyaki Marinade:
- 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
- 1 crushed garlic clove
- 1 tbn soy sauce
- 3 tbn brown sugar
Salad Fixings
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 8 thin slices of red onion
- 1/2 cucumber sliced
- 2 tablespoons of freshly grated parmesan cheese
- a handful of croutons
Teriyaki salad dressing:
- 1 tbn rice vinegar
- 1/2 tbn teriyaki
- 1/2 tbn olive oil
- 1/4 tsn garlic powder
- 1/4 tsn white sugar
Instructions
To smoke salmon
- Set your smoker to 250F or use a Weber kettle set up for indirect low heat. Use a mild wood like apple for smoke.
- Smoke salmon fillet for 30 minutes. Don't flip.
- Smoke with the skin side down. If your salmon doesn't have skin, place on a piece of tin foil to make your life easier.
- Cook the salmon until it reaches an internal temperature of 145F.
- Serve salmon on salad either hot or cold.