Trim the salmon by cutting the head and tail ends of the fish to square the piece off. Trim the belly flesh from the salmon (reserve belly meat for another use).
Place the squared trimmed salmon side into a large foil pan, skin side down. Push the salmon flesh together to plump it up. Rub top of salmon liberally with cracked black pepper, pushing the pepper into the meat so that it adheres. Top side of salmon with fresh dill and drizzle about a 1/2 cup of Jim Beam Bourbon on top of that.
In a small bowl, combine salt and sugar. Sprinkle dry ingredients over the bourbon dill on the side of salmon. Drizzle with Jim Beam Bourbon. Cover with plastic wrap and then place another foil pan on top of the salmon. Add something heavy to the top pan to weight the salmon down. Place panned salmon in the refrigerator and allow to cure for 24 hours.
Once salmon is cured, remove it from refrigerator. Remove dill/salt/sugar mixture from the top of the salmon and rinse salmon under cold water. Pat dry with paper towels and place back in the refrigerator, uncovered, to allow the salmon to air dry for approximately 2 hours.
Now, it’s Time to Smoke
Set up your Bradley Smoker according to manufacturer’s instructions and set smoker temperature to 180 F.
Using a sharp knife, make an incision the length of the salmon starting on one side. You want to butterfly the side of salmon to make a large pocket. Place on Rack and set aside.
Place the bay scallops into a large bowl. Using the flat side of a knife or a rolling pin, smash green onions to bring out the sweet onion juices. Coarsely chop and add to the scallops. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Using a rasp or grater, zest lemon and add zest to scallops. Squeeze the lemon juice over scallops. Mix well.
Evenly place the scallop mixture onto the cut side of the butterflied salmon. Season the inside top layer of the salmon with black pepper and a little bit of salt. Fold over the top flap pressing firmly to make a “log” of scallop stuffed salmon.
Place salmon into smoker and smoke for approximately 2-3 hours or until the salmon and scallops are just cooked through (internal temperature 155 F). Brush salmon with honey during the last 30 minutes of smoking. Remove from smoker and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Slice and serve. Note: I suggest serving with a simple cucumber salad.
Serves 8
Ingredients
1 side fresh salmon (about 3-4 pounds), boneless and skinless
2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
1 bunch fresh dill, rinsed of excess sand and grit and patted dry with paper towels
1/2 cup + a drizzle of Jim Beam Bourbon
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups bay scallops (Tip: fresh is always best!)
2 green onions
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 lemon
1/4 cup honey
Directions
Smoker Temperature: 180ºF
Bisquette Flavour: Alder or Maple or Whiskey Barrel
Smoke Time: 2 to 3 hours
1 Bradley Smoker Rack
1 large bowl
1 rasp
