Categories Grilling, recipes

Hot-smoked salmon rillettes

by johnLeave a Comment on Hot-smoked salmon rillettes
While living abroad in Paris, I developed an affinity for all sorts of charcuterie. While the dried styles of saucisson are tasty enough, I really dig the rillettes, pâtés, and terrines. I always thought to myself: the only thing these potted meats are missing is a punch of smoke.

 

My first foray into smokifying a recipe comes from a trip I made to Seattle where I had the most delicious smoked salmon rillettes at an unassuming corner bar in downtown. I searched around for recipe inspiration and landed on Thomas Keller’s from Bouchon. My pastis of choice is in limited quantities so I changed the brine and omitted some steps to make it a more rustic recipe fit for hot smoking.
Looking good Mr. Salmon
This dish is an absolute crowd pleaser when I have people over for barbecue gatherings. I serve it simply— some salmon and a piece of crusty baguette (I’m partial to Easy Tiger myself).
Keep it simple– bread + salmon = tasty

Hot-smoked salmon rillettes

  • 2-2.5 lb filet of salmon
  • 2 medium shallots (minced)
  • 8 tablespoons butter (room temperature— THIS IS IMPORTANT)
  • 1 tablespoon crème fraîche
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1 bundle of chives (diced)
  • Brine
    • 1/2 cup sugar
    • 1/2 cup kosher salt
    • 7 cups water

Smoking that Salmon

  • Dissolve sugar and salt in water (I use a little bit of hot water to speed up the process and blend with cold water— thanks Cook’s Illustrated!)
  • Place salmon filet in the brine and refrigerate for 1 to 3 hours
  • Remove salmon from brine, pat dry and coat both sides of filet with oil
  • Season with white pepper and paprika
  • Light your grill/smoker with 1/2 – 3/4 full chimney starter, when coals are patchy with gray dump the coals into a charcoal basket placed on one side of the grill
  • Add one fist sized chunk of oak or alder
  • Oil the grill grates and place salmon skin side down opposite the charcoal basket
  • Smoke the salmon and check for doneness at 45 minutes or so— some recipes I’ve seen call for a 1.5 hr smoke but I’ve never had to let it go that long
  • Remove salmon from smoker/grill and set aside to cool while preparing other rillettes ingredients

Rillettes need fat— butter does the trick

  • Lightly sauté shallots in one tablespoon of butter and season with a pinch of salt
  • Put the remaining butter in a mixing bowl and whip with a spatula until smooth, add the crème fraîche and stir
  • Flake the smoked salmon into large chunks and add to the butter mixture along with lemon juice, shallots, chives
  • Season to taste with salt and white pepper
  • I like to get a chill on my rillettes but it is also tasty warm— you do you.

Can I get some more of that fish dip…to go?

  • If you’d like to send some home with guests or take to a salmon lover at the office, you can portion some rillettes into small mason jars
  • To make it look very official, pour a thin layer of melted clarified butter on top of the rillettes to seal
Santé.
John