Hot-Smoked Salmon with Lemon-Dill Yogurt
Silky, flaky salmon gently smoked over alder or apple wood after a quick brown sugar brine, served with a cool lemon-dill yogurt and cucumbers. Great hot, cold or flaked into salads all week.
Diet swaps
- Dairy-free: Use unsweetened dairy-free yogurt.
Check labels on packaged foods if you have an allergy or celiac disease.
Ingredients
- 4 (5 oz) Skin-on salmon fillets
- 2 tbsp Brown sugar
- 2 tbsp Kosher salt
- 1 tsp Black pepper
- 1/2 cup Plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp Fresh dill, chopped
- 1 Lemon
- 1 English cucumber, sliced
Directions
- Dissolve the brown sugar and salt in 4 cups of cold water. Brine the salmon in the fridge for 1 hour, then rinse and pat dry.
- Set the fillets on a rack, season with pepper and let them air-dry in the fridge for 30 minutes so the surface turns tacky. This helps the smoke stick.
- Heat your smoker to 225°F with alder, apple or cherry wood. Smoke the salmon skin side down for 60 to 75 minutes, until it flakes easily and reaches 140°F.
- Stir the yogurt with the dill, lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon. Serve the salmon with the sauce and cucumbers.
Calorie breakdown
Salmon 290 · yogurt 16 · brown sugar 13 · cucumber 11 · lemon + dill 3
💡 Lighter tip: No smoker? Use a covered grill set up for indirect heat with a foil pouch of soaked wood chips over the lit side.
Helpful for this recipe
Pellet smokerShop on Amazon →Alder wood pelletsShop on Amazon →How to choose real extra virgin olive oilRead the guide →Our guide to safe, non-toxic cookwareSee picks →