Chef Michael Smith’s smoked salmon with horseradish-dill Boursin and pickled red onions makes a beautiful backyard or camping brunch, with bagels toasted on the grill or over an open fire, or a unique hors d’oeuvres on mini-bagels or grilled slices of sourdough.Al Douglas/Supplied
Before TikTok and Instagram reels, generations learned to cook – or were merely entertained by the act of cooking – by watching chefs like Michael Smith actually make food on Food Network. Back in the nineties, Smith became one of the country’s best-known food personalities, broadcasting from the kitchen at the Inn at Bay Fortune, a five-star luxury Inn on 75 acres of Prince Edward Island that he and his wife, Chastity Smith, now own and operate.
The Inn is famously surrounded by culinary gardens, part of the draw every night from mid-May to mid-October, when visitors from around the world come to experience their uniquely Canadian FireWorks Feast. It begins late in the afternoon with a tour of the legendary farm – the herb gardens, the mushroom forest with its rows of inoculated logs growing shiitake, oyster and lions’ mane mushrooms – a partially guided, partially self-guided tour that allow a peek into the property’s sustainable, regenerative ecosystems.
This year, guests will get to experience Smith’s new smokehouse at oyster hour, as they mingle and sip cocktails while the chef brigade prepares oysters and other nibbles at outdoor fire stations. They then gather in the dining space, where dinner is cooked on the 25-foot wood burning FireWorks hearth that has become the heart of the open kitchen.
Smith’s latest cookbook, Wood, Fire & Smoke, is fitting considering his love and expertise of cooking over open flame. The collection of more than 80 recipes and techniques for grilling, smoking, spit-roasting and other methods of cooking over flames and coals includes advice on how to build and tend all kinds of cooking fires, and how to harness the flavour of smoke.
His smoked salmon with horseradish-dill Boursin and pickled red onions makes a beautiful backyard or camping brunch, with bagels toasted on the grill or over an open fire, or a unique hors d’oeuvres on mini-bagels or grilled slices of sourdough. Curing and smoking salmon takes some time, but is well worth the effort – if you like, streamline the process with store-bought smoked salmon.
Smoked Salmon with Bay Spice Cure, Horseradish-Dill Boursin and Pickled Red Onions
Smith’s book includes a chapter on condiments, including his unique multipurpose bay spice: In a spice grinder, combine 1/4 cup black peppercorns, 12 bay leaves, 3 tbsp each fennel seeds and coriander seeds, and grind to a fine powder. Transfer to a food processor and blend with 2 cups packed brown sugar and 1 cup Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Store in a tightly sealed jar in a cool, dark place for up to three months.
Excerpted from Wood, Fire & Smoke, by Michael Smith, published by Penguin Canada.
Smoked Salmon:
- 1 side of sustainably sourced skin-on salmon
- 1 cup (250 ml) + 1 tbsp (15 ml) bay spice (see above), divided
Horseradish-dill Boursin:
- 1 small wheel (50 g) garlic & fine herbs Boursin cheese (or 2/3 cup/150 ml plain cream cheese), at room temperature
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) prepared horseradish
- Leaves and tender stems from 1 bunch of fresh dill, minced, a few sprigs reserved for garnish
For serving:
- Your favourite bagels, artisanal bread toast, or crackers
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) pickled red onions
Cure the salmon: Place the salmon skin-side down in a baking dish or on a baking sheet. Sprinkle 1 cup (250 ml) of the bay spice evenly over the flesh and pat with your fingers into a thick, even layer. Cover with plastic wrap laid directly over the fish and refrigerate overnight.
By the next day the fish will have extruded moisture and its texture will have firmed up. Turn the fillet over into the sugary brine. Cover and refrigerate another day or two.
Under cold running water, gently rinse off the cure but don’t dry the fish.
Rinse the pan and return the fish to it skin-side down. Lightly sprinkle with the remaining 1 tbsp (15 ml) bay spice. Refrigerate one full day before smoking.
Build a fire: Use your favourite smoking wood to create a steady stream of aromatic smoke. Find the sweet spot where the smoky heat stabilizes at or below 70 F (21 C). Above 86 F (30 C) the texture of the fish firms and begins to flake.
Smoke the salmon: Position the firm salmon fillets in the smokehouse. Smoke, tending the fire, the smoke slowly smouldering and the heat low, checking on progress every hour or two, adding more wood as needed, slowly infusing the salmon with flavour. Smoke for at least 24 hours, or if the outside temperature remains low, two to three days for even more impressive results.
Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving.
Store in the refrigerator for up to five days or seal in a vacuum bag to freeze for up to a year. Thaw slowly in the refrigerator for several days before serving.
Make the horseradish-dill Boursin: In a small bowl, with a wooden spoon, stir together the Boursin, horseradish and dill. Reserve or transfer to a 1-cup mason jar or similar tightly sealed container and refrigerate for up to five days.
To serve, thinly slice the smoked salmon at a 45-degree angle. Serve atop bagels smeared with dollops of horseradish-dill Boursin. Top with pickled red onions and garnish with fresh dill sprigs.
Serves 24 as an hors d’oeuvres.
