This is truly a treat. Even the people who don’t like fish, tend to like it! The smoking compliments the rich flavor of the salmon.

Ingredients:
fresh salmon fillet
extra virgin olive oil
salt
fresh ground black pepper
wood chips (hickory, mesquite, pecan, apple, etc.)

Preparations:

1. Soak wood chips is water for at least an hour. I like to use hickory or mesquite, but feel free to experiment. You’ll find wood chips next to the charcoal in many supermarkets.
2. Start your grill. You will use both direct and indirect cooking so keep your coals to one side.

Instructions:
1. Rinse salmon in cold water and pat dry with paper towel.2. Run your hands over the salmon and remove any bones you find.
3. Place salmon, skin side down, on heavy duty foil and then on a cookie sheet. The foil will eliminate any problems of sticking to the grill, while the cookie sheet gets the salmon to and from the grill easily.
4. Coat the salmon flesh with olive oil and liberally season with salt and pepper.
5. When coals are ready, place salmon on it’s foil directly over the coals. Close grill and cook for about 15 minutes.
6. Shift the salmon off the coals to a different part of the grill.
7. Drain wood chips and place a couple of handfuls on the coals.
8. Close grill and let it smoke for about 20 minutes, checking occasionally. If the smoke dies down, add more chips.
9. When salmon flakes easily with a fork, it is done. If you like a dryer fish, smoke longer. If you like an oilier fish, smoke shorter.