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
- 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.
- 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,
- Preheat oven to 300F
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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