Recipe: Smoky Dry Rub With Salmon
If you didn't get to grill much this summer, a smoky dry rub mimics the flavors you missed.
The summer of 2021 was a wet and cool one here in the Berkshires and we didn’t get the chance to do as much outdoor grilling as we like. My solution was to come up with a dry rub seasoning that mimics the flavors that grilling over hardwood imparts. This way we can either pan grill or oven roast our salmon from the cozy comfort of the indoors all fall and winter long.
There are a couple of spices that I recommend you invest in to get the full impact of these flavors: smoked pimenton paprika, cured sumac and Adirondack dried wild ramps. I source both of these from Burlap and Barrel, an online source of sustainable and fair-trade spices from around the world. This seasoning mixture is great on pork and chicken as well.
Smoky Dry Rub with Salmon
Serves: 4
1 1/2 pounds of sustainably raised salmon fillet (I source Faroe Island Salmon)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Spice Rub:
1 1/2 Tablespoons dried wild ramp leaves, lightly crushed
1 Tablespoon course sea salt like Maldon
2 teaspoons smoked pimenton
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, lightly crushed
1/2 teaspoon cured sumac
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Lightly score the flesh side of the salmon with the tip of a sharp knife — no more than 1/8 of an inch deep. This light scoring allows the spice rub to penetrate into the salmon and stay in place better during cooking. Combine the spice rub ingredients and sprinkle liberally over the salmon fillet about 30 minutes before cooking. Drizzle the top of the seasoned salmon with the olive oil and pan grill or oven roast salmon on the spiced side first for about 4 minutes before turning over to the skin side and letting that crisp up for another 4-6 minutes.
