There are a number of ways to smoke salmon. You may be familiar with the fully cured smoked salmon, like lox, that you find on bagels or cured platters. It’s dense, often salty and fully cured and safe to eat without cooking with heat. There is also the option of hot smoking fresh salmon with little more than seasoning on the surface of the fish to affect the final product. This recipe, however, lives somewhere in between. By giving the salmon a quick cure, you can force flavors into the flesh while pulling some water out and concentrating the flavors. The fish is not fully cured, so we finish it on the grill, which imparts smoke flavor and makes the fish safe to eat. The end product is flavorful, tender, juicy and quite versatile. Partially cured Hot Smoked Salmon is great served hot off the grill or cooled and eaten on salads, sandwiches or as a snack.
