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Smoking "Blazing Salmon" around the campfire

 
 
Salmon is one of my favourite fish to cook, especially because it responds so well to being smoked low and slow. A little while ago, I came across a video of this campfire style of cooking "blazing salmon". It is a Finnish style of cooking fish around a campfire called Luomulohi, which celebrates super simple techniques and flavours, to really enhance the flavour of the fish. Of course, I had to try it out.

Luomulohi uses wooden pegs or nails to fix the fish to a board, before slow cooking it around a campfire. It is super simple and you don't even need plates! You can eat it right off the board.

Cedar wood is the preferred backing for the fish during the cooking process and I would definitely recommend it, as during the cooking process, that wood will smoulder and add some sweet, earthy tones to the meat. Choosing your nails is an important consideration too. You want to make sure you are using food safe, nails. I used stainless steel. They can be a little tougher to find, as you probably don't have any sitting out in your tool shed right now, but it means that you won't get any nasty stuff in your food.

For this recipe, I decided to use Misrubins seasonings Fish Magic rub. This rub provided everything I was looking for, offering a touch of heat that goes so well with most fish. I highly recommend this rub in this recipe, but if you can't get your hands on some, feel free to use your favourite rub instead. I suggest something with a little heat and subtle flavours, otherwise you risk overpowering your meat.

Salmon, like most lean fish is great for cooking when you are trying to eat healthy. The meat has very little fat on it compared to other proteins and when using a rub without any sugar, is a very low calorie meal. If you want to make a healthier version of this salmon, spritz the salmon with a little bit of water to help the rub bind and then spritz periodically while the salmon cooks, instead of basting with the butter brush.

What you will need


  • Whole Salmon fillet
  • Misrubins Fish Magic rub or your favorite seafood rub
  • Half a stick/50 grams melted butter (or water for spritzing, if looking for a healthier option)
  • 4-5 sprigs of dill (optional)

Method

1. Start by selecting a nice full fillet of fresh salmon with the skin on. Select fish what has not been frozen and is locally and sustainably caught.

2. Using food safe nails, attach your salmon, skin side down to your cedar plank, with nails about 1 inch apart. Ensure that the nail goes through the skin of the fish and not just the flesh.

3. Lightly coat the salmon flesh with melted butter or water, before generously covering with the Misrubins Fish magic seasoning.

4. Build a low fire with wood or charcoal. Avoid large flames or high heat that will burn your salmon and ruin the flavour.

5. Place your planked salmon about 12 inches from your fire, with the thickest part of the meat closest to the flames. You may find that you need to adjust the positioning of the meat throughout the cooking process, to ensure that it cooks evenly. I have found that flipping it on the sides and even upside down periodically helps to get all of the fillet well cooked.

6. Periodically baste your salmon with your remaining butter, by bundling your dill together to form a brush. I like to add a little more of the Fish Magic into the butter, to add some extra flavour. If you are wanting to focus on keeping this one on the healthier side, instead of basting, periodically spritz the salmon with water.

7. Cook your salmon until you can see the flesh beginning to split when pressed lightly with your finger.

8. Let your salmon rest for about ten minutes before serving. I like to serve it directly on the board-no need for plates!.


 
 
 
 

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