This Szechuan, tea-smoked, five-spice salmon is smoked on the stovetop using a wok! A fun Chinese technique you will fall in love with!

This Szechuan, tea-smoked, five-spice salmon is smoked on the stovetop using a wok! A fun Chinese technique you will fall in love with!

Last spring, when Brian and I traveled through China, we were exposed to a whole new world of cooking techniques, flavors, and ingredients.  We took several wok cooking classes and learned about the local ingredients and how to prepare them.

This tea-smoked five-spiced salmon sounds complicated, but it truly couldn’t be simpler.  It’s a play off the traditional Chinese Tea Smoked duck, but lighter and less time-consuming. Delicately flavored, the whisper of smoke from tea leaves, rather than wood, infuses the salmon with a subtle hint of earthiness. Using a wok and tea leaves, it’s surprisingly fast, easy, and quite manageable indoors.  

Why you’ll love it!

The smoking process literally takes 8 minutes on the stove; then in the same wok, the baby bok choy is quickly seared. The salmon is served over a hearty bed of wok-seared bok choy, and you have a very healthy, low-carb dinner in no time. Once the fish has marinated the whole recipe can be completed in 20 minutes flat.

Using a wok to smoke ingredeints on the stove is a fun Chinese technique to try -and can be applied to all sorts of ingredients. In our catering business, we often make smoked tofu or smoked mushrooms to add depth and complexity to dishes.

What is tea smoking?

Tea-smoking is a quintessential technique of Szechuan cuisine and is traditionally used to smoke duck.  Instead of using wood chips or an outdoor smoker, the Chinese technique is done in a wok, with a mixture of uncooked rice, sugar, and tea. I added a couple of star anise and dried peppers to the mix- both optional.

Equipment you’ll need

  1. A wok (or pot) with a lid
  2. Steamer basket
  3. Foil
setting up the wok with the foil and steamer basket

Ingredients in Five Spice Salmon

  • Salmon (preferably thick pieces) Use fatty salmon, like king salmon, or sustainably raised ( antibiotic-free) Atlantic salmon.
  • Baby bok choy ( 2-3 per person), quartered lengthwise, or other veggies like mushrooms, onion, asparagus, or other quick-cooking veggies.
  • Garnishes: chili threads ( optional) or chopped scallions

Salmon Marinade:

Tea Smoking Ingredients:

  • uncooked rice (any variety)
  • loose tea leaves ( green or black tea)
  • sugar
  • optional additions: star anise pods, dry red chilies

How to make Five Spice Salmon

Step 1. Make the marinade for the salmon. Place ginger, garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, orange juice and zest, and olive oil in the blender and blend until smooth.

marinade ingredients in a blender

Step 2. Marinate the salmon for 4 hours or up to 24 hours in the fridge. Let it come to room temperature before smoking.

marinating the salmon in a zip lock bag.

Step 3. Prepare your wok for smoking by placing four layers of foil on the bottom.

placing 4 layers of foil in a wok.

Step 4. Mix the smoking ingredeints together- tea, rice, sugar and optional star anise and dried chili peppers.

tea smoking ingredients: rice, sugar, tea, chilies and star anise.

Step 5. Place the rice-tea mixture over the foil in a little pile.

smoking ingredients, placed on foil in the wok.

Step 6. Place a vegetable steamer basket over the top. The feet on the bottom of the steamer will allow a little space between the smoking tea mixture and the salmon. You need this space so the smoke can circulate.

steamer basket placed over the smoking mixture.

Step 7. Blot the bottom side of the salmon with paper towels so it doesn’t drip on the smoking tea, and place the salmon on the steamer, making sure the salmon doesn’t touch the edges of the pan or each other.

salmon placed on the steamer basket.

Step 8. Cover the pan tightly with foil and top with the lid.

wok covered with foil and lid on a gas burner.

Step 9. Turn the heat on high for 2-3 minutes until you begin to see smoke. You want to ignite the tea mixture, so it’s important to start on high heat. Once it begins smoking, you will see little puffs of smoke escaping; turn the heat down to medium-low and smoke for 8-10 minutes to infuse the salmon.

Step 10. Remove salmon and place in a warm oven until cooked to desired doneness, then under a broiler for a minute (or use a kitchen torch) to caramelize the top.

The foil removed, smoked salmon in a wok.

Step 11. Cook the bok choy. Cut the baby bok choy into quarters. On medium-high heat, quickly sear the bok choy in peanut oil until just tender. Add a tiny splash of the marinade and cook until it reduces.

stir frying the bok choy.

Step 12. Assemble. Place a hearty bed of bok choy in a bowl and top with the smoked salmon. Garnish with a little orange zest, chili threads and chopped scallion.

Finished dish: tea-smoked, five-spice salmon, plated and garnished.

Chef’s Tips

  • This is much easier to handle with 2 servings, especially the first time.
  • Leftovers will keep up to 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
  • Make sure salmon is at room temp before smoking.
  • Timing will depend on the thickness of the salmon- remove from heat when salmon reaches 125F-130F, it will continue cooking.
  • Use fatty salmon, like king salmon, or sustainably raised ( antibiotic-free)Atlantic salmon.
tea smoked salmon over bok choy on a white plate.

More szechuan recipes you'll enjoy!

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Tea-Smoked Five Spice Salmon

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Description

This Szechuan, tea-smoked, five-spice salmon is smoked on the stovetop using a wok! A fun Chinese technique you will fall in love with!

Ingredients

Units
  • 2 thick pieces of salmon-use fatty salmon, like king salmon, or sustainably raised (antibiotic-free) Atlantic salmon.
  • 4 baby bok choy (quartered lengthwise)
  • Garnish: chili threads ( optional) or chopped scallions

Marinade:

  • 4 cloves garlic whole
  • 2 tablespoons fresh ginger- sliced
  • 2 teaspoons Chinese Five Spice (store-bought or make our homemade 5-Spice )
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 5 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 orange (1/4 cup fresh orange juice and save the zest for garnish)

Tea Smoking Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons white rice (uncooked)
  • 2 tablespoons loose tea leaves ( green or black tea)
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 star anise pods, broken (optional)
  • 2 dry red chilies (optional)

Instructions

  1. Make the marinade. Place all of the marinade ingredients in a blender (except the orange zest)  and blend until smooth, reserving the orange zest for garnish. Set aside 3 tablespoons of marinade for the bok choy.
  2. Place the salmon and the rest of the marinade in a ziplock bag and marinate for 3 hours or overnight. Let it come to room temperature before smoking- about 30 minutes on the counter,
  3. Preheat oven to 300F
  4. Prepare the wok for smoking. (A wok works best -or use a pot with a lid). You will need a vegetable steamer basket or rack that fits in the wok. Line the wok with 4 layers of foil by taking a large piece of foil and fold it in half, then in half again, so you have an 8-inch square, four layers thick. Place foil in the bottom of the wok.
  5. In a small bowl, mix the tea-smoking ingredients together, then place it in the wok, spreading out to about 3-4 inches in diameter.
  6. Place the steamer basket over the “smoking mixture” so it sits above and is not directly touching it. You want space for the smoke to circulate.
  7. Take salmon out of the marinade, shake off the marinade a little, blot the bottom side of the salmon dry on a paper towel, then place salmon in the steamer basket, so they are not touching each other or the edges of the wok. Cover the wok with foil, then the lid. You want a tight seal. 
  8. Smoke. Turn your hood fan on. Place the wok on high heat for 2-3 minutes until you begin to see little puffs of smoke. Once you see smoke, turn the heat down to med heat for 2-3 minutes till you see a steady stream of smoke, then lower med-low heat for 5 minutes.
  9. NOTE: I smoked these 2 pieces of salmon for a total of  9 minutes. My salmon was 1½ inches thick and cooked to medium. Cooking time will depend on the thickness of the salmon.
  10. Once you remove the lid, if your salmon needs to be cooked more, place it in the oven to finish to desired doneness. Then, caramelize the top of the salmon by either placing it under the broiler for a minute or two or using a chef’s torch.
  11. While the salmon is smoking prepare the bok choy. Heat oil in a wok or skillet over medium high heat, and when hot, add baby bok choy, turning occasionally, until wilted, about 4 minutes. Add a tablespoon of the reserved marinade, tossing to coat, letting the marinade cook and reduce slightly.
  12. Assemble. Make a bed of bok choy, top with salmon, garnish with orange zest, chopped scallions, cracked pepper, and chili threads (optional).

Equipment

Notes

Read through the post and look at the photos before starting so you understand the whole process. 🙂

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 4 ounces salmon plus bok choy
  • Calories: 373
  • Sugar: 12 g
  • Sodium: 493.8 mg
  • Fat: 21.6 g
  • Saturated Fat: 3.2 g
  • Carbohydrates: 21 g
  • Fiber: 3 g
  • Protein: 25.9 g
  • Cholesterol: 62.5 mg

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Comments

    1. Hi Anthony- sorry this didn’t work for you- it is actually one of my favorites on the blog. The salmon should be finished in a warm oven, especially if it is extra thick.

      Reply

  2. Oh.My.God. YOU are my superhero! Tea smoking is phenomenal. My only regret is just discovering this now. I’m keeping this to myself.

    Reply

  3. This was sooooo delicious!!! I’d love to include a photo but I don’t know how I can do that on here

    Reply

    1. Thanks Monica- you can share on Instagram and tag us but not here…sorry about that! Would love to see!

      Reply

  4. I have made this twice now. A real crowd pleaser. I make it in batches and then broil before serving. It was also delicious with cod.

    Reply

  5. This was exactly what I needed to make my salmon dinners more exciting! It was pretty easy for such a wonderful taste! Thank you for your creativity. By far my favorite site!!!

    Reply

  6. I don’t usually comment on blogs, but I have to say that this recipe is outstanding. I smoked a piece of salmon and dorado – both were delicious. This is even better than dishes I’ve had at upscale restaurants in the past. It also really gets the creative juices flowing with so many possibilities for smoking. Thanks for sharing your amazing tips Sylvia.

    Reply

  7. I just read a novel that mentioned hard boiled eggs, cracked but unshelled then marinated in this tea and spices combo to make a beautiful mosaic patterned egg. It must be tasty! I’ll be doing this Salmon dish for Father’s Day.

    Reply

  8. Oh, I am SO going to try this! Long ago, I tried smoking fish in my wok using a recipe from another cookbook. It was indeed easy, and delicious. But the smoking process caused the seasoning to peel from the sides of my wok, so I stopped (I have a 30-year-old, well seasoned wok that gets used several times a week in our house). This process looks like it might avoid that–with the two layers of foil and the steamer basket–and the next step (stir-frying the baby bok choi) should re-season the wok. Would love to hear more about how this works. (Also looking forward to making my own 5-spice seasoning, too!)

    Reply

  9. I’ve always wanted to do a tea – smoked fish since I saw it done on Top Chef! Every recipe I’ve tried of yours, Sylvia, has turned out well, so I’m ready to cook– I’ll let you know how it turns out!

    Reply

    1. You know Cindy- I have never used one, so I’m not entirely sure? But I don’t see why not? If you try it will you report back- curious!

      Reply

  15. Any thoughts about alternatives to woks? I’m in a small San Francisco apartment and my kitchen is already bursting with pots, pans, etc. Think I could rig a cast iron? Or not deep enough?

    Reply

    1. Use a Medium-sized, lidded pot! line the bottom with a double layer of foil. Add tea, then veggie steamer basket. Use the lid as the cover.

      Reply

  19. Very interesting. I never would have thought to use tea for smoking. Definitely going to experiment with this.

    Reply

  20. I should try these recipes at home. My kids will love single of it.
    Thanks. Your writing is really inspiring.

    Reply

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