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Candied Smoked Salmon Bites Recipe

Candied Smoked Salmon Bites

These sweet and savory candied smoked salmon bites are perfect as a snack, appetizer, or even a topping for your favorite dish.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours
Marinating Time 3 hours
Total Time 5 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 35 pieces
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Calories: 200

Ingredients
  

Salmon
  • 4-5 lbs salmon whole side of salmon
Marinade
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup 100% maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 cups water

Equipment

  • Smoker
  • Aluminum Foil
  • Sauce Pan

Method
 

  1. Slice the salmon into approximately 1 inch by 1 inch cubes. I usually get about 35 pieces from a whole side of salmon.
  2. In a large bowl, mix the sugar, salt, syrup, and honey with 2 cups of water. Mix in the salmon cubes and allow them to sit, refrigerated, for at least 3 hours or overnight.
  3. When you are ready to start cooking, preheat your smoker to 180°F.
  4. Cover the grates in your smoker with aluminum foil and place the salmon cubes onto the foil, spaced at least 1 inch apart. Save the extra marinade liquid.
  5. Add wood chips to your smoker, close, and smoke for 1 hour.
  6. While the salmon is smoking, add the remaining marinade liquid to a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes, until slightly reduced, forming a glaze. A film may appear on the surface of your glaze. This is excess protein from the salmon and is not harmful, though it can be skimmed off.
  7. After the first hour, flip the salmon cubes and brush with the reduced glaze. Continue smoking for 4-5 hours, stopping to flip the cubes and brush with more glaze every 45 minutes. Depending on the setup of your smoker, you may also need to rotate the racks to evenly smoke all your salmon cubes.
  8. When the salmon reaches at least 160°F internally and the glaze has caramelized around the cubes, they are done.
  9. Serve, as a snack, appetizer, topping, or however you'd like!

Notes

This smoked salmon recipe is great for parties or as a tasty snack. Adjust the sweetness by varying the amount of honey or maple syrup. Ensure your smoker maintains a consistent temperature for the best results.