Category Archives: Grub

Grilling, baking, smoking

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#Recipe – Delicious Low Fat Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese Spread – Goes GREAT on Thomas’ Bagel Thins.

Equipment you need:

  • A Smoker
  • A GLASS, PLASTIC or CERAMIC Bowl for Brining (Do NOT use metal – salt can cause metals to leech and can poison brined meats)
  • Aluminum foil


Ingredients:

  • Salmon – 1.5 pound filet (You can smoke more salmon, but the recipe requires only 1.5 pounds)
  • Kosher Salt – .5 cups (Salt:Water ration is 1 cup salt to 1 gallon water – Do NOT use iodized salt or common table salt)
  • Water – .5 gallons (Brine solution should cover submerged meat)
  • Apple Wood Chips – 3 to 6 ounces (These burn slowly, releasing that delicious smokey flavor)
  • Fat Free Cream Cheese – 8 oz tub (You really don’t need low fat or regular cream cheese as the salmon has plenty of – healthy – fat content already)
  • Lemon Juice – 1 tablespoon (To retain freshness and color)
  • Dried Dill – 1 tablespoon (You can substitute any dried or even fresh herbs to taste)
  • (optional) Chipotle Hot Sauce – 1 tablespoon

Directions:

  1. Mix brine solution with water and salt in brining bowl (do NOT use metal)
  2. Soak salmon filet in brine solution for 12 to 24 hours (do NOT exceed 24 hours or the salmon will get too salty)
  3. Take salmon out of brine solution and pat it down with paper towls to dry it off
  4. Place salmon on aluminum foil and put in a cool, dark place (on a rack in your oven – works even better with the convection fan turned on without heat, do NOT refrigerate)
  5. Wait 3 hours for salmon to air dry (Salmon should form a pellicle for best smoking results)
  6. Take salmon out and place in smoker
  7. Fill wood chip burner bin with 3 ounces of apple wood chips
  8. Smoke salmon at 210 degrees for two hours
  9. (optional) Fill wood chip burner bin with 3 more ounces of apple wood chips
  10. Smoke salmon at 210 degree for another two hours
  11. Remove fully cooked salmon from smoker and allow to cool (Refrigeration is okay now)
  12. Remove salmon skin and undesirable parts from filet and throw away (or compost – fish is a great fertilizer for roses and other plants)
  13. Mash the good salmon up in a bowl
  14. Mix in the tub of cream cheese and stir well
  15. Mix in the lemon juice
  16. Mix in the dill (or other herbs) and the (optional) chipotle sauce
  17. Serve as a spread over your favorite bagels or Thomas’ Breakfast/Bagel Thins
I hope you enjoy this recipe; I love this spread. It is healthy – filled with Omegas from the Salmon – low calorie, and makes a great breakfast for those on a diet (such as myself). Lox is so expensive in the store and this cream cheese alternative is both healthy and affordable. If you make a huge batch of salmon (my smoker can handle about 10 pounds easily at once) and freeze it in freezer bags, it can be real easy to make year round. I’d recommend using your smoker a few times first to get the feel for cooking times, etc before investing in ten pounds of salmon though!