As I was eating this fennel-smoked
salmon recipe, I was also enjoying a baseball game on the radio. During a
critical point in the game, one of the players was thrown out trying to
take an extra base; a major blunder, which the announcer blamed on,
"trying to do too much." I had to chuckle, since I had just done the
same thing with the salmon.
We've done a hot-smoked salmon video
before, using a simple foil tray to hold and protect the fish, but his
time I wanted something more aromatic and edible. It worked like a
charm. This was one perfectly cooked piece of salmon.
As I say in the video, had I just served
the fish over the simple, yet wonderful tomato salad, I would have had a
winner, but I tried to do too much. I thought adding the smoky,
caramelized remnants of the fennel would elevate the dish to even more
epic levels, but that did not happen.
The fennel was tough and stringy, and
after a couple bites it was pushed aside so I could concentrate on how
great the rest of the plate was. Not only did the heat seem to toughen
the vegetable, but also the fact I'd sliced it with the grain made
things even worse. In hindsight, the grilled fennel should have been
discarded and some fresh, raw fennel should have been shaved into the
salad.
I hope you give this a try, especially
if you have problems with salmon sticking to your grill grates. Since
the fish never touches the grill here, it's easy on, easy off. Just this
feature alone makes the technique worthwhile. Enjoy!