Pineapple Smoked Salmon
We are so delighted to have received a beautiful, fresh, deep red salmon from Kevin, a fan from Kenai, Alaska. The Cowboy was in the mood for something tropical, so I’m going to smoke this salmon with some pineapple. This recipe includes a citrus marinade and a delicious coconut cream pineapple sriracha sauce. This is fine dining, folks!
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Prepare the Salmon
If I were going to grill or pan-fry the salmon, I would keep the skin on the filet. In this case, I’m smoking the salmon and I want the marinade to penetrate the fish on both sides. Using a sharp knife, slice the skin off as close as you can to the meat.
If there are any tiny bones left in the fish, use some tweezers to remove and discard the bones.
Slice the filet to be just a couple of inches wider than the pineapple is tall. You’re going to slice off two sides of the pineapple to sandwich around the salmon.
Score the pineapple in a criss-cross pattern. Repeat on the salmon, only slicing about 3/4th of the way through the filet. This is going to allow the marinade and juice to flavor the meat thoroughly.
Citrus Marinade
Mix the lemon and lime juice with minced garlic, dill, and dried cilantro. Add a pinch of salt, if that’s your preference. Spread over the salmon just before you tie the pineapple slices around it. The marinade is going to seep into that scored meat and the pineapple, filling every bite with flavor.
Sandwich the salmon inside the pineapple slices.
How to Smoke the Pineapple Salmon
Using hardwood lump charcoal, bring the temperature up to about 225. To add flavor, you can add some chunks of Apple, Cherry, Alder, or Oak wood to the fire. Avoid bitter-tasting woods. This is going to take about an hour to smoke and there will be a good smoke penetration.
Tip: If using a grill, target all of the heat over to one side and smoke the salmon on the other side. Keep the temperature the same, about 225 degrees.
Smoke for an hour, testing the temperature towards the end. When the salmon reaches an internal temperature of 145, it is ready to eat.
Coconut Cream Pineapple Sriracha Sauce
This sauce is going to be the perfect match for this pineapple-smoked salmon. Mix pineapple juice, sugar, coconut cream, and Sriracha sauce. This can be a glaze or a dip. We drizzled the sauce over the finished salmon so we could dig right in, and the flavor was incredible!
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More Delicious Recipes from Cowboy Kent Rollins
- Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Shrimp
- Pineapple Upside Down Cake
- Smoked Salmon
- Pan Seared Salmon
- Crispy Fried Fish
Cowboy Up Your Next Meal!
Pineapple Smoked Salmon with Coconut Sriracha - Cowboy Kent Rollins
Ingredients
- Juice of 2 limes
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 4 teaspoons dried cilantro
- 4 teaspoons dill weed
- 4 to 6 ounce salmon filet skinless
- 1 whole pineapple
- Butcher’s twine
Coconut Sriracha Sauce
- ½ cup fresh squeezed pineapple juice
- 4 tablespoons coconut cream
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons sriracha sauce
Instructions
- Heat your smoker or grill to 225 degrees F. I like to use a blend of fruit woods (cherry, apple, etc. )
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, lemon juice, garlic, dill weed, and dried cilantro.
- Cut two slices off the pineapple that are about ¾ -inch thick. Score the meat of the pineapple with a knife to create more juice.
- Place the filet on top of one of the pineapple slices. Generously baste the top of the filet with the lime sauce. Flip over and baste the other side. Top with the other slice of pineapple, meat-side down.
- Secure the pineapple pieces and salmon by tying with the butcher’s twine, to hold closed.
- Place on the smoker and cook for about 1 to 1 ½ hours, or until the internal temperature of the salmon is 145 degrees F. If using a grill, be sure to place the salmon on the indirect heat side of the grill.
- Meanwhile, mix all the ingredients for the Coconut Sriracha sauce together in a small bowl.
- Remove the salmon from the grill and remove the twine and pineapples. Chop the grilled pineapple and top on the salmon. Serve with the Sriracha sauce.