Smoked Sockeye Salmon with Arugula, Spinach, and Walnut Pesto: An Irresistible & Healthy Summer Dinner
Discover a truly remarkable dish with this Wild Smoked Sockeye Salmon, perfectly paired with a vibrant, buttery Arugula, Spinach, and Walnut Pesto, all expertly cooked in the smoker. This recipe delivers an incredibly delicious flavor profile that makes it the ideal healthy dinner for any occasion, whether it’s a casual weeknight meal or a special gathering with family and friends. Its fresh, wholesome ingredients and sensational smoky notes are particularly well-suited for warm summer evenings, offering a taste experience that is both sophisticated and comforting.
Embarking on new culinary adventures is always exciting, and for me, that excitement recently came in the form of a brand-new smoker. As the proud “parent” of this fantastic piece of cooking equipment, I can honestly say it has quickly become one of the best additions to my kitchen toolkit – second only to my beloved triathlon bike, of course! While the smoker is a fantastic tool, it’s important to remember that the incredible flavors achievable with this recipe are not exclusive to a dedicated smoker. Many of my previous smoked creations, like Smoked Orange Basil Salmon and Beer in the Rear Smoked Chicken, were successfully prepared on a standard outdoor grill. This means you don’t need to rush out and buy a smoker to enjoy this dish. Even with just a few wood chips wrapped in aluminum foil, your regular grill can be transformed into a smoking powerhouse. A quick online search for “grill smoking techniques” will reveal plenty of simple methods to get you started. And for those without a grill or smoker, fear not! This salmon can be baked in a conventional oven and still yield a wonderfully flavorful and satisfying meal, thanks to the star-studded pesto.
Among my recent successes with smoky flavors, this salmon recipe stands out, partly due to the incredibly bright, beautiful, and healthy pesto that crowns it. The pesto recipe, originally featured with my Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Arugula, Spinach, and Walnut Pesto, is intentionally crafted with less olive oil than traditional pestos. This adjustment ensures a lighter, yet richer texture, making it perfect for spreading generously over a delicate fish like Sockeye salmon. If you haven’t had the pleasure of trying Sockeye salmon, you’re in for a treat. It’s a truly outstanding variety known for its deep red flesh and wonderfully full, robust flavor. This inherent richness allows it to stand up beautifully to the intense heat of a grill or the smoky embrace of a smoker, making it a chef’s favorite for high-flavor cooking methods. I opted for Sockeye for this recipe because it was in season and on sale, ensuring peak freshness and value. However, feel free to use any high-quality salmon available to you; the pesto will elevate any variety.
This Smoked Sockeye Salmon recipe perfectly captures the essence of summer, offering a meal that is both refreshing and incredibly flavorful. Throughout my smoking journey, I’ve experimented with various wood chips—cherry, apple, and mesquite—learning how each type imparts distinct characteristics to different meats. For this salmon, mesquite was my wood chip of choice. Even with the relatively shorter cooking time required for fish, mesquite delivers a powerful, “in-your-face” smokiness. Its strong profile ensures that the salmon absorbs a significant amount of rich smoke flavor in a brief period, creating a delightful depth that complements the fish and pesto beautifully. The earthy, intense notes of mesquite enhance the natural oils of the Sockeye, creating a harmonious balance that will tantalize your taste buds and leave you craving more of this healthy, gourmet-quality meal.
So, here it is – my premier “big girl” smoker recipe, a dish that is as healthy as it is utterly delicious. The preparation is straightforward, yet the results are gourmet. For optimal enjoyment, serve this smoked salmon fresh and warm, accompanied by a side or two for a complete dinner experience. Think roasted asparagus, a light quinoa salad, or simply some crusty bread to soak up any lingering pesto. Alternatively, this dish is fantastic served at room temperature, making it a sophisticated addition to any entertaining spread, brunch, or casual buffet. The nutty, creamy pesto, with its vibrant arugula and spinach notes, marries perfectly with the rich, smoky flavor of the salmon, creating a symphony of tastes and textures. This combination is simply incredible, a testament to how simple, fresh ingredients, when prepared with care, can yield extraordinary results. I genuinely hope you’ll give this recipe a try, regardless of your cooking equipment. Even if you don’t own a smoker or a grill, baking it will still produce a fabulous meal that showcases the superb flavor pairing of sockeye and this unique pesto. It’s a truly perfect dish for any home cook looking to impress with minimal fuss.
For more advanced smoker cooking techniques, be sure to check out my Smoked Over-The-Top Chili recipe, perfect for your Big Green Egg or other smoker.
Smoked Sockeye Salmon with Arugula, Spinach, and Walnut Pesto
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Equipment
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smoker
Ingredients
- 2 lb sockeye salmon with the skin
- kosher salt
- fresh cracked pepper
- Arugula, Spinach, and Walnut Pesto
Instructions
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Prepare smoker to ~235F according to manufacturer’s instructions. I used mesquite chips to smoke.
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Lay the fish on a fish mat, skin side down. Schmear the pesto over top. I used roughly half the recipe of pesto for this dish.
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Put the fish in the smoker. Use the internal temperature probe in the thickest part of the salmon. Cooking times will vary depending on how often you open the door to the smoker or how fast the wood burns, but cook to 145F internal temperature. For me, this was about 30 minutes.
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Remove from the smoker and serve immediately. Yields: 4-6 servings.
Nutrition
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