Easy Tinapang Salmon (Oven-Smoked Salmon)

Every year from mid-July to September, Sockeye salmon is in season. This prized aquatic animal is leaner, very flavorful and has a deep orange-red hue.  Needless to say, it’s packed full of the healthiest omega-3s. Though there’s plenty of this type of salmon on the west coast, the price has always been on the steeper side and got even more expensive post pandemic. 

There’s a grocery store in our neighborhood that holds an annual one day sale of this coveted fish. I would always keep my eyes peeled for their printed ads to make sure I don’t miss it. Like I mentioned, this is a yearly event (Fresh St. Market) and the prices of both fileted and whole are both “reasonable”… just for a day.  Funny thing is, once I’m faced with piles of salmon at the store, I always have second thoughts which ones to buy…filets or whole. The latter is significantly less expensive but the extra labor I had to do at home is also a valid argument in my decision making. Do I want to spend the extra time of fileting a whole salmon or just take the easier (but expensive) route and buy the filets? Though it’s very tempting, the “wais” (wise) mom in me gravitates towards the cheaper whole … always!  The savings add up if you’re buying more than a couple, you know.

Smoked fish is one of the dishes that remind me of home.   Actually , hot smoked salmon is available at the supermarket but the price is sky-high. The price of a single serving portion is far from affordable and is definitely not within my budget. I guess our cravings and love for this dish were the reasons this recipe came about. 

Buying a smoker, even how small it is, is out of the question. That’s how the store-bought liquid smoke became one of my pantry staples. I could only find the Colgin Hickory Liquid Smoke before but I recently tried another brand that I saw, Wright’s Hickory Liquid Smoke and they equally work. It gives the salmon that “smoke” flavor without the need for a smoker. 

This dish is even easier to make than the Oven-Baked Homemade Tinapa (I skipped the steaming part in this one) and tastes as if it came out of the smoker!   This sure is one of my must-try recipes and my picky tinapa eaters can attest to it.  I use leftovers (if any) in my Special Pancit Palabok. Hope you love it as much as we do!  

Easy Tinapang Salmon (Oven-Smoked Salmon)

Pam from Pinoybites.com

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 25 mins

Marinating time 8 hrs

Course Main Course

Cuisine Filipino

Ingredients

  

• 2 Whole Sockeye Salmon filets, abt 2 – 2 1/2 lbs (or 1 whole Atlantic Salmon filet)
• 1/3 cup brown sugar firmly packed
• 2 1/2 tsps salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsps liquid smoke

Instructions

 

• Pat salmon dry using paper towels and place in a food-safe container with lid. Combine brown sugar, salt and pepper in a small bowl and spread evenly over the salmon pieces. Drizzle with liquid smoke. Make sure the fish is coated with the marinade.
• Cover tightly and marinate in the refrigerator for 8 hours, turning the fish after 4 hours. ( It’ll still be fine if you forget this step )
• Take the fish out of the fridge. Discard liquid and transfer to a greased baking tray or line it with parchment ( I used a 12×18 cookie sheet ).
• Preheat the oven to 375F. Spray some oil on top of the fillet then bake for 20 – 25 minutes. Fish will flake easily once cooked.
• Switch to BROIL (High) then cook for about 3 – 5 minutes. Ends and fatty parts will start to caramelize (see images above). Watch carefully to avoid burning the fish.
• Remove from the oven and serve with rice and vegetables of your choice on the side.

Notes

* Oven temperatures vary so watch the salmon especially after the first 20 minutes of baking.

** Use leftovers ( if any ) in place of regular tinapa for your Pancit Palabok.

Keyword dinner, fish, healthy, lent, meatless, salmon, smoked, smoked fish, sockeye, tinapa