Smoked Fish Tacos
By Morgan BollingPublished on April 23, 2018
Time
2 hours, plus 4 hours brining
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Salmon
1 cup packed brown sugar Kosher salt 1 tablespoon granulated garlic 1 (2-pound) center-cut skin-on salmon fillet, about 1½ inches thick1 cup wood chips 2 tablespoons apricot preserves 1 tablespoon waterTacos
½ cup mayonnaise ¼ cup spicy brown mustard 2 teaspoons lemon juice ¼ teaspoon ground cumin 1 small Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped fine1 small celery rib, chopped fine1 small carrot, peeled and shredded12 (6-inch) flour tortillas, warmed3 ounces (3 cups) mesclunBefore You Begin
Hickory wood chips are widely available and work fine in this recipe. However, we prefer the flavor that applewood chips (if you can find them) impart to the fish. To ensure even cooking, we prefer to purchase a whole center-cut salmon fillet and cut it into four equal pieces. Note that the seasoned fillets must be refrigerated for at least 4 hours before grilling. If desired, you can serve the salmon as whole fillets rather than as a flaked taco filling. Smucker's makes our favorite apricot preserves, and our favorite brown mustard is Gulden's Spicy Brown Mustard.
Instructions
- Combine sugar, ¼ cup salt, and granulated garlic in bowl. Cut salmon crosswise into 4 equal fillets. Transfer salmon and sugar mixture to 1-gallon zipper-lock bag. Press out air, seal bag, and turn to evenly coat salmon with sugar mixture. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
- Just before grilling, soak wood chips in water for 15 minutes, then drain. Using large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, wrap soaked chips in 8 by 4½-inch foil packet. (Make sure chips do not poke holes in sides or bottom of packet.) Cut 2 evenly spaced 2-inch slits in top of packet.
- Remove salmon from sugar mixture; discard sugar mixture. Rinse excess sugar mixture from salmon and pat salmon dry with paper towels. Whisk preserves and water together in small bowl; microwave until mixture is fluid, about 30 seconds.
- FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter one-third filled with charcoal briquettes (2 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Place wood chip packet on coals. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot and wood chips are smoking, about 5 minutes.FOR A GAS GRILL: Remove cooking grate and place wood chip packet directly on primary burner. Set cooking grate in place, turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot and wood chips are smoking, about 15 minutes. Turn primary burner to medium and turn off other burner(s). (Adjust primary burner as needed to maintain grill temperature between 250 and 275 degrees.)
- Clean and oil cooking grate. Brush tops and sides of salmon fillets evenly with apricot mixture. Place fillets, skin side down, on cooler side of grill, with thicker ends facing fire. Cover grill (position lid vent over salmon if using charcoal) and cook until centers of fillets register 135 degrees (for medium-well), 28 to 35 minutes. Transfer salmon to plate, tent with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes. (If skin sticks to cooking grate, insert fish spatula between skin and fillet to separate and lift fillet from skin.)
- Meanwhile, whisk mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, and cumin together in bowl. Combine apple, celery, and carrot in second bowl.
- Remove and discard salmon skin. Flake salmon into bite-size pieces and season with salt to taste. Divide salmon evenly among tortillas, about ⅓ cup per tortilla. Serve, topping each taco with desired amounts of mesclun, mayonnaise mixture, and apple mixture.
for the salmon
for the tacos
Time
2 hours, plus 4 hours briningYield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
Salmon
Tacos
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Salmon
Tacos
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Salmon
Tacos
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
The smoked salmon taco at Ruddell's Smokehouse in Cayucos, California, immediately won us over with its unbeatable combination of smoky fish, creamy mayonnaise-mustard sauce, and crunchy, fresh slaw all neatly packed in a tortilla. To prepare the salmon for smoking, we used a cure of brown sugar, salt, and garlic powder, which firms up the flesh and adds deep seasoning. We then smoked the salmon over indirect heat with a packet of wood chips. The result: sweet, smoky, and tender salmon. Adding an apricot glaze gave the salmon a sticky, faintly sweet coating that clung well, even after flaking the salmon into a taco. Mimicking Ruddell's unique slaw, we tossed together chopped apple, chopped celery, and shredded carrot. We took the same tack with the sauce—a combination of 1 part spicy brown mustard to 2 parts mayonnaise. The resulting taco was a smash hit.
Before You Begin
Hickory wood chips are widely available and work fine in this recipe. However, we prefer the flavor that applewood chips (if you can find them) impart to the fish. To ensure even cooking, we prefer to purchase a whole center-cut salmon fillet and cut it into four equal pieces. Note that the seasoned fillets must be refrigerated for at least 4 hours before grilling. If desired, you can serve the salmon as whole fillets rather than as a flaked taco filling. Smucker's makes our favorite apricot preserves, and our favorite brown mustard is Gulden's Spicy Brown Mustard.
Instructions
- Combine sugar, ¼ cup salt, and granulated garlic in bowl. Cut salmon crosswise into 4 equal fillets. Transfer salmon and sugar mixture to 1-gallon zipper-lock bag. Press out air, seal bag, and turn to evenly coat salmon with sugar mixture. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
- Just before grilling, soak wood chips in water for 15 minutes, then drain. Using large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, wrap soaked chips in 8 by 4½-inch foil packet. (Make sure chips do not poke holes in sides or bottom of packet.) Cut 2 evenly spaced 2-inch slits in top of packet.
- Remove salmon from sugar mixture; discard sugar mixture. Rinse excess sugar mixture from salmon and pat salmon dry with paper towels. Whisk preserves and water together in small bowl; microwave until mixture is fluid, about 30 seconds.
- FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter one-third filled with charcoal briquettes (2 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Place wood chip packet on coals. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot and wood chips are smoking, about 5 minutes.FOR A GAS GRILL: Remove cooking grate and place wood chip packet directly on primary burner. Set cooking grate in place, turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot and wood chips are smoking, about 15 minutes. Turn primary burner to medium and turn off other burner(s). (Adjust primary burner as needed to maintain grill temperature between 250 and 275 degrees.)
- Clean and oil cooking grate. Brush tops and sides of salmon fillets evenly with apricot mixture. Place fillets, skin side down, on cooler side of grill, with thicker ends facing fire. Cover grill (position lid vent over salmon if using charcoal) and cook until centers of fillets register 135 degrees (for medium-well), 28 to 35 minutes. Transfer salmon to plate, tent with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes. (If skin sticks to cooking grate, insert fish spatula between skin and fillet to separate and lift fillet from skin.)
- Meanwhile, whisk mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, and cumin together in bowl. Combine apple, celery, and carrot in second bowl.
- Remove and discard salmon skin. Flake salmon into bite-size pieces and season with salt to taste. Divide salmon evenly among tortillas, about ⅓ cup per tortilla. Serve, topping each taco with desired amounts of mesclun, mayonnaise mixture, and apple mixture.
for the salmon
for the tacos
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