Hot-Smoked Side of Salmon with Fennel and Dill

Ingredients

• 1kg side of salmon, skin on, pin-boned
• 60g light brown sugar
• 40g flaky sea salt
• 1 tbsp coarsely cracked black pepper
• zest of 2 lemons
• 1 small bulb fennel, fronds reserved, bulb thinly sliced
• 1 small bunch dill, stalks separated from fronds
• 2 large handfuls oak or alder wood chips, soaked 30 minutes
• 1 lemon, sliced into rounds
• reserved fennel and dill stalks
• 1 cucumber, halved lengthways, seeded, sliced on the angle
• reserved sliced fennel bulb
• reserved fennel fronds
• small bunch dill, fronds picked
• 2 tbsp baby capers, drained
• 1 small banana shallot, very finely sliced
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• flaky salt and black pepper
• 200g soured cream
• 1 tbsp baby capers, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp finely chopped dill
• zest of 1 lemon, plus a squeeze of juice
• pinch of flaky salt

Method

1. Mix the brown sugar, flaky salt, cracked pepper and lemon zest in a bowl — the sugar balances the salt so the cure seasons rather than preserves, which keeps the flesh silky rather than firm like gravadlax. Lay the salmon skin-side down on a tray and pat the flesh completely dry with kitchen paper — a wet surface dilutes the cure and slows it down.
2. Scatter the cure evenly over the flesh, pressing it on. Cure for 30 minutes at room temperature — no longer. You'll see beads of moisture pulling to the surface and the flesh turning a deeper, more translucent orange; that's the cure doing its work.
3. While the salmon cures, set up the kettle BBQ for indirect smoking. Light a small chimney of coals — about a third of what you'd use for grilling — and bank them to one side. You're aiming for a low, steady 95°C in the cooking chamber, not a roaring grilling heat. Drop a foil tray of water on the cool side to keep the air humid.
4. Make the soured cream: fold the chopped capers, dill, lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice through the soured cream with a pinch of flaky salt. Taste — it should be sharp, herby and just salty enough to season the fish on its own. Adjust the salt now, not at the table. Cover and chill.
5. Rinse the cure off the salmon under cold water and pat the flesh and skin bone-dry with kitchen paper. Drying the surface lets a tacky pellicle form — that sticky film is what the smoke clings to, so don't skip it. Leave the salmon uncovered on a rack for 10 minutes while you finish the fire.
6. Drain the wood chips and scatter half directly onto the hot coals — you want a steady drift of pale blue smoke, not thick white billows. Thick white smoke is acrid and will taste like a bonfire on the fish.
7. Lay the lemon slices, fennel stalks and dill stalks on the cool side of the grill in a raft and place the salmon skin-side down on top. The aromatics stop the skin sticking and perfume the underside as it warms. Lid on, vents cracked open over the salmon to pull the smoke across the fish.
8. Smoke for around 2 hours at 95°C, topping up the wood chips once after the first 45 minutes. The salmon is ready when the flesh flakes gently under a fork at the thickest part and a probe reads 50–52°C internal — any higher and the white albumin starts weeping out and the texture turns chalky. Slide the whole raft onto a board and rest for 10 minutes.
9. While the salmon rests, build the salad. Whisk the white wine vinegar, sugar, olive oil and a good pinch of flaky salt in a large bowl until the sugar dissolves. Add the shaved fennel and shallot and scrunch gently with your hands for 30 seconds — this softens the rawness without cooking it. Add the cucumber, capers, dill and reserved fennel fronds and toss lightly so the cucumber stays crunchy. Taste, season, taste again.
10. Toast the rye in thick slices — dark rye benefits from a hard toast on the BBQ grate over the dying coals for 30 seconds a side, just until the edges char and the aroma turns nutty. Butter generously while warm.
11. Bring the whole side to the table on its aromatic raft. Flake open the salmon at the thickest point, pile the cucumber and fennel salad alongside, spoon over the dill and caper soured cream, scatter extra dill and fennel fronds, crack over black pepper, and serve with the buttered rye and lemon wedges to squeeze over at the table.