Tea Smoked Salmon with Five Spice and Bok Choy
This tea-smoked salmon with five spices is seared with bok choy. An easy stovetop smoking technique used in Szechuan cooking applied to salmon.
Ingredients
Cooking Instructions
step 1
To make the Chinese Five Spice Powder, toast the Cinnamon Sticks (2 in), Whole Cloves (2 tsp), Fennel Seeds (2 tsp), Star Anise (2), and Sichuan Peppercorns (2 tsp) in a skillet over medium heat until just fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes only.
step 2
Grind in a coffee grinder until smooth, and set the Chinese Five Spice Powder aside.
step 3
Slice the Fresh Ginger (3 Tbsp).
step 4
Zest and juice the Orange (1). You'll need a quarter cup of orange juice and reserve half of the zest for garnish.
step 5
In a blender, add the Garlic (4 cloves), sliced ginger, 2 teaspoons of Chinese Five Spice Powder, Olive Oil (4 Tbsp), Soy Sauce (1/3 cup), Brown Sugar (3 Tbsp), the orange juice, and half of the zest. Blend until smooth.
step 6
Set aside 3 tablespoons of marinade for the bok choy. Place the Salmon (2 pieces) and the rest of the marinade in a ziplock bag and marinate 1 hour or overnight.
step 7
Turn oven to broil. Prepare Wok for smoking. You will need a vegetable steamer basket or rack that fits in the wok.
step 8
Take a large piece of foil and fold in half, then in half again so you have an 8 inch square, four layers thick. Place foil in the bottom of the wok.
step 9
In a small bowl, mix the White Rice (3 Tbsp), Green Tea Leaves (2 Tbsp), Granulated Sugar (2 Tbsp), Star Anise (2), and Dried Chili Peppers (2). Place the smoking ingredients in the wok, spreading it out, to about 4 inches in diameter.
step 10
Place a rack or steamer over the tea/rice mix, so its sits above, and is not directly touching. You want space for the smoke to circulate.
step 11
Quarter the Baby Bok Choy (4).
step 12
Take salmon out of the marinade, blotting the bottom side of the salmon only, on a paper towel, then place salmon on the vegetable steam, so they are not touching each other or the edges of the wok.
step 13
Cover the wok with foil, then the lid. Place wok on high heat for 2 to 3 minutes until you begin to see little puffs of smoke.
step 14
Once you see smoke, turn heat down to medium for 2 to 3 minutes, then medium-low for 5 minutes. I smoked 2 pieces of salmon a total of 8 minutes… salmon was 1½ inches thick -and was cooked to medium.
step 15
Then caramelize the top of the salmon by either placing under the broiler for a minute or two, or use a chef’s torch, and set aside or in a warm oven.
step 16
Heat oil in a wok or skillet over medium high heat. When hot, add baby bok choy, turning occasionally, until wilted, about 4 minutes. Add a couple tablespoons of the fish marinade, tossing to coat, letting the marinade cook and reduce.
step 17
Make a bed of bok choy, top with salmon, garnish with orange zest, chopped scallions, cracked pepper, and Chili Threads (to taste).
