Pan Smoked Salmon Fillets Recipe

By
Danilo Alfaro
Danlio Alfaro
Danilo Alfaro
Danilo Alfaro has published more than 800 recipes and tutorials focused on making complicated culinary techniques approachable to home cooks.
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Updated on 06/1/22
Fresh salmon frying in a pan

Junophoto/Getty Images
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 20 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
273 Calories
17g Fat
2g Carbs
25g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 273
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 17g 22%
Saturated Fat 3g 16%
Cholesterol 71mg 24%
Sodium 541mg 24%
Total Carbohydrate 2g 1%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 25g
Vitamin C 4mg 21%
Calcium 20mg 2%
Iron 0mg 3%
Potassium 442mg 9%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This delicious hot-smoked salmon recipe can be prepared on the stovetop in a cast-iron skillet.

We'll cure the salmon with a simple spice rub of sugar, salt, and pepper. As for what type of wood to use, don't stress too much about it. We use hickory, but you can use oak, apple, ​mesquite, cherry or any other good smoke wood.

If you have trouble finding a round cooling rack that will fit inside your skillet, you can use an upside-down aluminum pie pan. Just poke a bunch of holes in it to let the smoke through.

Also, make sure your skillet has a lid that fits tightly.

You will need wood chips for this recipe.

Ingredients

Steps to Make It

  1. In a shallow glass dish, combine the sugar, salt, and pepper. Place the salmon fillets in the dish and rub thoroughly with the spice mixture. Cover with plastic and let stand in the fridge for at least an hour. For maximum flavor, let it cure overnight.

  2. Line a large cast iron skillet with foil. Cut a small (1 1/2 inches) hole in the center of the foil to expose the cast iron beneath. You might want to line the lid with foil too, just so that it's easier to clean later.

  3. Heat the skillet on high for about five minutes. Meanwhile, you can pat the salmon dry with paper towels (taking care not to rub off the seasonings) and then brush it with olive oil.

  4. Place the wood chips in the center of the skillet directly over the hole in the foil. Continue heating until the wood starts to smoke.

  5. Arrange the salmon on a round wire cooling rack or an inverted aluminum pie pan with holes punched in it.

  6. When the wood starts to smoke, set the rack (or pie pan) with the salmon on it into the skillet. Cover tightly and reduce heat to low.

  7. Cook for about 9 minutes—more or less depending on the thickness of the fillets.

  8. Serve and enjoy!