Deck Dad BBQ - Favorite Fish/Seafood Recipes

If you are thinking about fish and smoking meat, chances are you are thinking about smoked salmon! My wife is a huge salmon fan and makes all sorts of delicious recipes in the oven. This one is my take on the smoker. 

The cut of fish you get is the first part of this adventure. The fresher the better with salmon. For ease of your prep, try to get the  fish already de-boned and scaled so you can focus on the cook out of the gate. Be sure to run your hand over the fish to make sure that all of the bones are out just to be sure.

For this recipe I am wet brining the fish. The other option is to do a dry salt brine. Once you have trimmed the fillet if necessary, prepare the brine. For this recipe I used 1 quart of water, 1/3 of a cup of kosher salt, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, and 1/2 a cup of regular sugar. Stir until dissolved. Then place the fish in a container and pour the brine over. Make sure it is completely submerged. Then place the covered container in a fridge for 8-12 hours. 

Once removed, place the fish on a cooling rack in a pan and pat both sides dry with a paper towel. Then place the fish on the pan in the fridge for about 4-8 hours to dry out. 

Combine a 1/2 cup of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard in a bowl. Remove the fish from the fridge and with a basting brush, brush the olive oil and mustard completely over both sides of the fish. Then sprinkle dry rub generously over the top side of the salmon. For this recipe I used my Go To Rub. But any seafood or general rub you prefer will work. 

At the smoker get the charcoal going for a low smoke, The ideal temp is 180 -200. If your smoker settles in closer to 225 watch the internal temp of the salmon closely. I used apple wood for this smoke, but any mild wood will work well. As with all smokes, temp of the meat is the key factor but with salmon due to the type of cut and the fact that it is easy to overcook, watching your internal temp with a probe and checking regularly with an instant read thermometer is key. 

Medium rare is going to be 135 and medium 145 (the official recommended internal temp for salmon). Once you are done cooking take off and let rest. Then break off a hunk of good bread and enjoy!

• 1 3-4 lbs salmon fillet 
• 1 Quart wet brine
• 1/2 Cup olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1-2 Tablespoons Go To Rub

Shrimp was one of the first sea foods I remember trying as a kid. It was a simple shrimp cocktail style if I remember correctly, but I loved it. Years later I tried BBQ shrimp and realized I could have shrimp with the amazing BBQ flavors I love so much and as they say, the rest is history!

I start out with de-veined Gulf shrimp. Our local grocery store has a good selection and I am comfortable buying the shrimp with the shells already removed at this point after buying it there enough, but that is a call you can make based on your local purveyor.

Place the shrimp in a bowl, and drizzle avocado oil over the shrimp to coat for cooking. Next shake 2 Tablespoons of your favorite BBQ rub into the bowl and with gloves on gently mix the shrimp around the bowl to coat the shrimp with the oil and seasoning until evenly mixed.

Out at the smoker, get the pit fired up to 350 degrees for direct cooking over charcoal. Once there place the oiled shrimp on the grill. The cooking process does not take long for shrimp so be ready to stay close and keep an eye on things. After 2-3 minutes flip the shrimp with tongs and give them another 2-3 minutes on the other side. The shrimp will be cooked when they turn a nice pink color and have a white/opaque interior appearance (135 degrees internal roughly). Shrimp become tough when over cooked, so be vigilant. I like to serve with a spicy BBQ cocktail sauce.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 6 minutes (over 350 degree grill heat)

Feeds: 2-3 

• 1 dozen de-veined Gulf shrimp 
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• 2 tablespoons BBQ rub