A Taste of the Coast: Blue Crab Curry Bursting with Spice and SoulFresh crab, fragrant spices, and creamy coconut come together in a comforting coastal classic.There is something special about a dish that brings the flavors of the coast straight to the dining table. Blue crab curry is one such preparation—a celebration of fresh seafood, aromatic spices, and the comforting richness of coconut.

Smoked salmon. Two words that make your mouth water. For whether it’s the buttery nova that crowns a cream cheese-spread bagel; the soft, silken, cold-smoked salmon that sits on a blini (buckwheat pancake); the hot-smoked salmon you eat in Alaska; or the sweet-salty salmon candy you munch at Pike Place Market in Seattle, smoked salmon ranks as one of the world’s supreme delicacies.

What you might not realize is how easy it is to make at home.

Here at barbecuebible.com, we know a thing or two about smoked salmon. For it’s a dish I make in one form or another almost every week at home. I love how sugar and salt (the former a flavoring you don’t normally associate with seafood) in the cure turn salmon into an unforgettable delicacy. I love how smoking over smoldering hardwood transforms a commonplace fish into edible art.

Smoking salmon is easy, but it isn’t always simple. Herewith, the barbecuebible.com complete guide to smoking salmon.

The Types

But which smoked salmon?

Cold-smoked salmon: Fish that is cured and smoked, but not cooked. Think translucent flesh, a satiny texture, and slices thin enough to read through. Scottish, Irish, and Norwegian smoked salmons belong here; their character depends on the fish, cure, wood, and smokehouse.

Nova: Short for Nova Scotia, once a prime source of this deli favorite. Today, the name generally describes a mild cure and light cold smoke, rather than where the fish was caught. Don’t confuse it with traditional lox, which is salted, but not smoked. The latter takes its name from a word for salmon in Yiddish, with relatives in Scandinavian languages.

Hot-smoked salmon: Cured fish that is cooked as well as smoked. The flesh turns opaque and breaks into moist flakes. Kippered salmon belongs to this family; I’m partial to a dry cure that gives it a firm exterior and sweet-salty flavor.

Salmon candy: Strips or nuggets of cured salmon, smoked and repeatedly glazed with maple syrup or honey. Bronzed outside, flaky inside, and damn near irresistible. Some versions are dried further until chewy like jerky.

The Fish

Here are the salmon you need to know about for smoking:

King (chinook): My first choice when the budget permits—rich, buttery, and generously endowed with the fat that keeps smoked fish luscious. The drawback? The price. My local fish market sells it for $40 / pound!

Sockeye: Deep red flesh, a firm texture, and a forthright salmon flavor that stands up beautifully to smoke. Leaner than king (and not as luscious), so watch it closely to avoid drying it out.

Coho (silver): Milder and more delicate than sockeye, and often less expensive than king—a fine choice for kippered salmon or salmon candy. Its leaner flesh calls for a gentle heat.

Copper River: A place, not a species: Alaska’s Copper River produces king, sockeye, and coho. These fish store fat for a formidable upriver migration, making them prized for richness—and often priced accordingly.

The Source

When I was growing up, fresh salmon was a novelty and a luxury—a seasonal food you waited all year to enjoy. Today, farming makes it available year-round. Convenience has its advantages, but I still vote wild.

Wild Pacific salmon offers distinct species, firm flesh, and flavors worth seeking out. Fresh supplies generally peak from late spring through early fall, depending on the species and fishery; price and availability fluctuate. Good frozen wild salmon can be a better buy than tired “fresh” fish. Thaw it in the refrigerator.

Farmed Atlantic salmon offers consistent availability, plenty of fat, and usually a lower price. I find its texture softer and flavor less distinctive; environmental practices vary considerably by producer. Faroe Islands salmon is one option worth considering when wild isn’t available—ask who raised it and how. All “Atlantic” salmon sold commercially in the United States is farmed.

Fresh is best—but how do you recognize it? Look for glossy, moist flesh with no browning or dried edges; on whole fish, clear eyes and red gills. Ask to smell it. (Really.) It should smell clean and briny, not fishy or sour. A good fishmonger will understand. Your nose is a useful first check.

The Trim

Keep skin in the game: I generally leave it on for smoking. It supports the flesh and helps keep it from sticking to the rack.

Prefer skinless? Lay the fillet skin side down on a cutting board. Starting at the narrow tail end, slip a sharp filleting knife between skin and flesh. Grip the skin with a paper towel and pull it taut while working the blade toward the thick end, keeping it nearly flat against the board.

Bones be gone: Run your fingertips along the fillet to locate the pin bones. Lift the fish slightly from underneath to expose their tips, then pull them out with kitchen tweezers or clean needle-nose pliers, following the direction of the bones.

The Cure

Salt firms the flesh and draws out moisture; sugar rounds out the saltiness. Cure in a nonreactive dish in the refrigerator, never on the counter.

Dry cure: For my kippered salmon, mix 2 parts dark brown sugar with 1 part kosher or coarse sea salt by volume, plus freshly ground black pepper to taste. Spread some underneath the fish and pat the rest over it. Figure on about 4 hours for fillet sections. My Scandinavian-style cold-smoked salmon uses an all-salt cure; a whisky variation uses equal volumes of salt and sugar, with juniper and bay leaves. And of course scotch whisky or bourbon. Those thicker fillets cure for about 24 hours under the respective recipe’s directions.

Wet cure (brine): My salmon candy starts with 1 quart water, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup kosher or coarse sea salt, and 1/2 cup maple syrup. Stir until dissolved, chill, and immerse the strips for about 8 hours in the refrigerator.

These are flavor formulas, not interchangeable preservation treatments. Salt brands differ greatly in weight per cup; stick with the salt specified in your recipe, particularly for cold smoking.

After curing, rinse as directed, blot dry, and arrange the fish on a rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Dry uncovered in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours, or until tacky. That sticky surface—the pellicle—helps the smoke adhere. Don’t skip it.

The Smoke

The basic distinction: cold smoking flavors the fish without cooking it; hot smoking does both.

Cold Smoking

Use a dedicated cold smoker or an external smoke generator feeding an unlit grill or smoker. Keep the fish away from the smoke source and monitor the chamber temperature: typically 70 to 90 degrees F, without exceeding the limits of your tested process. Alternatively, place the fish on a rack over a large pan of ice and smoke on a charcoal grill or smoker (set on low heat).

My Danish-style preparation takes 18 to 24 hours, followed by a rest in the refrigerator. The finished fish is bronzed, somewhat firm, and satiny inside.

Here’s the catch: cold smoking does not kill parasites or reliably eliminate harmful bacteria. Use a tested process with specified salt levels and temperature controls, and fish commercially frozen for parasite destruction when required. A pan of ice can help control heat; it does not make an improvised process safe. If you’re new to smoking fish, start with hot smoking.

Hot Smoking

Two options here. For “cool” hot smoking, set your smoker or grill to 225 degrees F. On a charcoal grill, bank a small fire on one side and place the salmon on the other, away from the coals. Oil the grate, lay the fish skin side down, and close the lid. Allow roughly 1 to 2 hours for a fillet, depending on thickness.

For “hot” hot smoking (good for kippered salmon), set your grill to 350 degrees. The cook time here is 20 to 30 minutes.

Salmon candy, cut into strips, takes about 45 to 60 minutes at 225 degrees. Start brushing it with maple syrup after 30 minutes, repeating once or twice as the glaze sets.

Times are guides. For all three hot-smoked preparations, check the thickest part with an instant-read thermometer: aim for 145 degrees F. The flesh should be opaque and separate into clean flakes. Candy should have a glossy, bronzed exterior; don’t sacrifice a moist center chasing a darker crust.

The Wood

Over the centuries, smoke-masters have developed specific preferences for wood. Alder is king in the Pacific Northwest. Hawaiians swear by kiawe (aka mesquite). Beech is the wood used at Danish smokehouses. Cherry and apple bring a mellow sweetness. Remember to dose the smoke gradually: this is one case where too much smoke really is too much smoke.

The Serve

For cold-smoked salmon, use a long, slender, very sharp knife to cut broad, paper-thin slices on the diagonal, leaving the skin behind.

Serve European-style with toast points or blinis, sour cream, capers, minced red onion, and chopped hard-cooked egg—the whites and yolks in separate little bowls. Add dill or parsley and lemon wedges. Or go Danish with an open-face rye bread sandwich.

Jewish deli-style? A toasted bagel, a generous schmear of cream cheese, smoked salmon, sliced onion, tomato, and capers. Sunday morning doesn’t get much better.

Serve hot-smoked or kippered salmon warm or chilled, in generous flakes; put salmon candy out with cocktails. Its sweet-salty swagger can stand up to the strongest spirits.

Refrigerate promptly at 40 degrees F or below and enjoy homemade hot-smoked salmon within 3 days, or freeze it. Follow your tested process’s storage limits for cold-smoked fish. Salmon candy may look like jerky, but this version still belongs in the refrigerator.

Finally, to make an amazing smoked salmon spread, puree equal parts smoked salmon and cream cheese in a food processor, adding plenty of black pepper. That’s another Raichlen favorite. I think I’ll have some right now!

The post The Complete Guide to Smoked Salmon appeared first on Barbecuebible.com.

People often ask me what my favorite food is to grill in the summer. You might be surprised to hear it’s not steak or ribs or pork loin. No, my number one favorite grill food this time of year is fish—especially swordfish. And nowhere does it taste better—or grill better—than at my summer home on Martha’s Vineyard.

Fish on the grill. Four words that strike terror into the hearts of even experienced grillers. For as much as grilling endows fish with incredible smoky succulence, there’s a lot that can go wrong. Will it stick to the grate? Will it fall apart when you turn it? Will the high heat of the fire dry it out?

Well, grilling fish is easy, but it isn’t always simple. The secret is choosing the right grilling method for the particular fish you’re cooking.

Choose the Right Grilling Method for Your Fish

Direct Grill It

Direct grilling—cooking the fish directly over the fire—is ideal for firm, meaty fish steaks, such as swordfish, tuna, and salmon. These fish have enough structure to stand up to high heat and flipping without falling apart.

Start with a hot, clean, well-oiled grill grate. Pat the fish dry and brush it lightly with oil before it goes on the grill. Once the fish hits the grate, leave it alone long enough to develop a good sear. When properly browned, it will release more readily from the grate. Turn it with a thin-bladed spatula and, whenever possible, flip it only once.

Swordfish is particularly well suited to this technique—one reason it remains one of my favorite fish to grill.

Try it:

Indirect Grill It

Indirect grilling is ideal for whole fish, like snapper or salmon. Instead of positioning the fish directly over the fire, you cook it next to the heat with the grill covered. Think of your grill as a smoky outdoor oven.

This gentler method cooks the fish evenly from edge to center and is especially useful for larger fish that need more time over the fire. Brush the fish with oil, season it inside and out, and place it away from the direct heat. For an extra blast of wood smoke, toss a few wood chunks or chips onto the fire.

Try it:

Smoke It

Few foods take to wood smoke as enthusiastically as oily fish. Salmon, bluefish, and whitefish have enough natural fat to stay moist as they cook, while soaking up all that wonderful smoky flavor.

For the best results, brine or cure the fish first, then let the surface dry before it goes into the smoker. Alder is the classic wood for salmon, but apple, cherry, and other mild hardwoods work beautifully, too. Serve the fish hot from the smoker, or chill it and enjoy it later.

Try it:

Griddle It

For delicate fish fillets—think sole, flounder, or black bass—a griddle or plancha can be your best friend. You get the intense heat and sizzling crust of the grill without the open spaces between the bars for the fish to stick to—or fall through.

Preheat the griddle until hot, then slick it lightly with oil. Lay on the fish and let it sear undisturbed before turning it with a thin-bladed spatula. The broad, solid cooking surface makes this one of the easiest ways to grill fragile fish and still get plenty of live-fire flavor.

Try it:

Use a Grill Basket

A grill basket is cheap insurance for fish that has a tendency to stick, tear, or fall through the grate. It’s particularly useful for whole trout and small snapper, as well as delicate fillets like halibut and turbot.

Oil the basket well before adding the fish. Once it’s clamped securely inside, you turn the basket—not the fish. That means no wrestling with a spatula and far less chance of leaving half your dinner stuck to the grill grate. You still get plenty of heat, smoke, and char, but with considerably less drama.

Try it:

Use a Cedar Plank

Planking is one of the most foolproof ways to grill fish. A cedar plank is ideal for fillets like salmon and striped bass, and because the fish never touches the grill grate, sticking and falling apart cease to be problems.

Set up your grill for indirect grilling. For extra flavor, char one side of the plank over the fire before adding the fish, then place the fish on the charred side and move the plank away from the direct heat. As the cedar plank heats, it perfumes the fish with wood smoke while helping keep it moist.

Try it:

Use a Salt Slab

A salt slab turns your grill into a sizzling, mineral-rich plancha. It’s especially well-suited to delicate whole fish, such as snapper, black bass, and porgie, because the fish cooks on a solid surface instead of directly on the grate.

Heat the slab gradually to prevent cracking, then lay the fish right on top. The hot salt gives the exterior a beautiful sear while gently seasoning the fish as it cooks. And because there are no grill bars involved, there’s nothing for the delicate flesh to fall through.

Try it:

Grill It in Leaves

Wrapping fish in leaves is an age-old grilling technique found throughout Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. It’s particularly useful for delicate fish: the leaves keep the flesh off the grate, trap moisture, and perfume the fish with an herbaceous smoke as they char over the fire.

Banana leaves are especially good for the job. Soften fresh leaves briefly over the grill, wrap the seasoned fish inside, and secure the package with toothpicks. The leaves take the punishment of the fire while the fish steams and smokes inside. No sticking. No falling apart. And when you open the package at the table, you get a blast of fragrant steam.

Try it:

Grill It on a Stick

Sometimes the simplest grilling equipment is a sharpened stick and a good wood fire. This primitive method is perfect for camping, where fish can be positioned beside the embers and cooked by radiant heat rather than directly over the flames.

Thread the fish securely onto a sturdy stick or stake, then angle it toward the fire. Turn or reposition it as needed to cook both sides. Moving the fish closer to or farther from the embers gives you surprisingly precise control over the heat—and there’s no grill grate for the fish to stick to.

Try it: Salmon on a Stick

Know Exactly When It’s Done

There’s a fine line between perfectly cooked fish and fish that’s dry enough to make you reach for the tartar sauce. Don’t guess. Use an instant-read thermometer.

Whole fish: Insert the probe into the thickest part of the flesh just above the bone.

Fish steaks: Insert the probe through the side to the center.

Most fish: Cook to an internal temperature of 140^° to 145^°F.

Blue tuna: 100^° to 110^°F.

Rare tuna: 120^° to 125^°F.

Medium-rare tuna: 130^° to 135^°F.

Tuna plays by different rules. However you cook it, the center should stay gloriously rosy.

Fish, Fire, and Summer

Grilling fish doesn’t have to strike fear into the heart of even the most seasoned griller. Once you learn how to match the fish to the fire, the rest gets a whole lot easier.

The payoff? Fish that’s moist, smoky, succulent, and beautifully browned—the kind of meal that reminds you why fish belongs over a live fire in the first place.

The post The Ultimate Guide to Grilling Fish—Without Sticking, Drying Out, or Falling Apart! appeared first on Barbecuebible.com.

Comforting Kerala lunch… Matta rice Anchovies- Netholi Peera, Click Here For Recipe Carrot Thoran Recipe Ingredients Coconut Oil- 1 tbsp Mustard seeds- 1 tsp Whole dried red chilies- 2 Curry leaves- 1 sprig Carrot, chopped small- 2 Salt- 1 tsp Chili powder- ½ tsp Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp Grated coconut- 1/2 cup Preparation To a …

Anchovies- Netholi Peera, cooked with coconut, Kerala recipe… Kerala Peera is a traditional South Indian dish from the state of Kerala, known for its unique and rich flavours. It’s a coconut-based dry dish typically made with seafood, and it’s often flavoured with spices like turmeric, cumin, and green chilies. The word “Peera” refers to the …