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Smoked Salmon Recipe perfection comes down to a cheap cedar plank and one number, 145 degrees, and when I pulled this fillet off the smoker last weekend it flaked so easily that one of my girls texted me from college asking for the recipe. If you love our air fryer salmon recipe on busy weeknights, this is the slow weekend version that tastes like a campfire in the best way.
Grab a plank, a fillet, and a thermometer, and let the smoker handle the rest.
Smoked Salmon Recipe Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 2 hours
- ⏳ Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 4 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 287kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Buttery and smoky with bright lemon and fresh herbs
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our smoked pizza
Quick Answer
Soak a cedar plank in water for 1 to 2 hours, rub a 1 pound skin on salmon fillet with olive oil, and season it with salt, pepper, fresh dill, and fresh parsley. Top the fillet with 4 pieces of butter and 4 lemon slices, then smoke it on the plank at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour. Raise the heat to 250 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 more hour and pull the salmon the moment the thickest part reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
Jump to:
- Smoked Salmon Recipe Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Smoked Salmon Recipe
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Smoked Salmon Recipe FAQs
- Other Recommended Smoker and Grill Recipes
- Cedar Plank Smoked Salmon Recipe
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- The soaked plank steams and smokes at the same time. Water trapped in the cedar turns to gentle steam directly under the fillet while the smoker bathes the top in smoke, so the fish cooks moist instead of drying out on a bare grate.
- Starting low lets the smoke do its job. The first hour at 200 degrees Fahrenheit keeps the surface of the salmon cool enough to keep absorbing smoke, which is where all of that campfire flavor comes from.
- Finishing at 250 degrees builds color and texture. The second hour firms the fillet, deepens the color, and concentrates the seasoning without ever pushing the fish past its safe zone.
- The skin is a built in shield. Leaving the skin on protects the delicate bottom of the fillet from the heat of the plank, and it releases cleanly once the salmon is cooked.
- Butter and lemon baste the fish for you. As the butter melts it carries the lemon juice and herbs down over every inch of the fillet, which means the salmon seasons itself for two straight hours.
- 145 degrees is the whole game. Salmon goes from silky to chalky in a matter of minutes, and a thermometer reading of 145 degrees Fahrenheit in the thickest part removes every ounce of guesswork.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It costs a fraction of the restaurant version, one plank and one fillet instead of a thirty dollar plate.
- It looks and tastes like special occasion food with almost no hands on work, the same reason we adore our Asian glazed Chilean sea bass.
- The thermometer method means even a first time smoker owner gets tender, flaky salmon instead of a dry fillet.
Key Ingredients
A short shopping list does the heavy lifting here, and every single item earns its spot on the plank.
- Salmon Fillet: One pound with the skin on. The skin shields the bottom of the fish while it smokes and peels away cleanly at the table, the same reason we leave it on for our pan seared salmon.
- Cedar Plank: The secret weapon of this whole recipe. A soaked plank steams the salmon from below while the smoker perfumes it from above, so the fish stays moist and picks up that sweet cedar smoke.
- Butter and Lemon: Four pieces of butter melt slowly under four lemon slices and baste the fillet through the entire cook, the same rich and bright pairing that makes our creamy lemon shrimp so addictive.
- Fresh Dill and Parsley: Fresh only, please. The gentle 200 degree start keeps the herbs green and fragrant instead of scorching them, and dill with salmon is one of the oldest matches in cooking for a reason.
- Salt and Pepper: A full tablespoon of each sounds bold, but a thick fillet needs to be seasoned with confidence to carry all that smoke.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This recipe forgives swaps beautifully, so make it your own.
- Swap the herbs. Fresh thyme, chives, or tarragon all work in place of the dill and parsley, alone or mixed.
- Add a sweet glaze. Brush the fillet with maple syrup or honey during the last 30 minutes for a glossy, lacquered finish.
- Try a brown sugar rub. Mix 2 tablespoons of brown sugar into the salt and pepper for a sweet and savory crust that plays perfectly with the cedar.
- Bring some heat. A pinch of red pepper flakes or a light dusting of cayenne under the herbs wakes the whole plank up.
- Use a different fish. Steelhead trout smokes beautifully on a plank with the exact same times and temperatures.
- Keep the smoker rolling. Once the salmon comes off, follow this cook with our fall apart BBQ ribs, or take salmon in a completely different direction with our coconut curry salmon the next time fillets are on sale.
How to Make Smoked Salmon Recipe
- Soak the cedar plank in water for 1 to 2 hours and heat the smoker to 200 degrees Fahrenheit, then rub the salmon on both sides with olive oil and lay it skin side down on the wet plank.
- Sprinkle the salt and pepper evenly over the salmon, then shower the top with the chopped fresh dill and parsley.
- Place the 4 pieces of butter down the middle of the fillet and set 1 lemon slice on top of each piece.
- Set the cedar plank in the smoker and smoke the salmon at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour.
- Raise the smoker to 250 degrees Fahrenheit and smoke for 1 more hour, then check the thickest part with a meat thermometer and pull the plank the moment the salmon reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Soak the plank the full time. A dry plank scorches and can even catch fire, while a soaked plank steams. One to two hours in plain water is all it takes.
- Pat the salmon dry before the oil. A dry surface helps the seasoning cling and the top of the fillet take on better color in the smoker.
- Do not open the smoker to peek. Every peek drops the temperature and stretches the cook, the same patience that pays off with our beer can chicken.
- Put the thermometer in the thickest part. The thin tail end always finishes first, so the only reading that matters is the center of the fattest section of the fillet.
- Pull it at 145 degrees, not by the clock. Every smoker runs a little differently, and the thermometer is the only tool that never lies about doneness.
- Feed a crowd the easy way. One plank holds one pound, so run two planks side by side, or round out the spread with our grilled shrimp skewers.
- Save the plank if it is still solid. Rinse it, let it dry completely, and a lightly used plank will handle one or two more cooks before it gets brittle.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Smoked salmon loves rich, cozy sides. Spoon it next to our creamy smoked mac and cheese for a double smoker dinner that will ruin restaurant versions for you forever, or keep it classic with a pile of our savory mashed sweet potatoes to soak up all that lemon butter.
When I want the plate to feel a little lighter, I lean on vegetables that come together while the smoker works. Our Parmesan oven roasted yellow squash and our cucumber tomato feta salad are both effortless, and our quick garlic ginger snow peas add crunch in under ten minutes.
Do not sleep on the leftovers, either. Cold smoked salmon flaked over our kale and quinoa salad with cranberries and pecans might be the best lunch in this entire house, and it is exactly how I stretch one fillet into two meals.
Smoked Salmon Recipe FAQs
Start at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for the first hour so the fish absorbs the maximum amount of smoke, then raise the smoker to 250 degrees Fahrenheit for the second hour to firm and color the fillet. The salmon itself is done the moment the thickest part reads 145 degrees Fahrenheit on a meat thermometer, no matter what the clock says.
Yes, and it is the one step you cannot rush. Soak the plank fully submerged in water for 1 to 2 hours before it goes anywhere near heat. A soaked plank releases steam that keeps the salmon moist, while a dry plank can scorch, taste bitter, and even catch fire inside the smoker.
Plan on about 2 hours of smoking time, 1 hour at 200 degrees Fahrenheit followed by 1 hour at 250 degrees Fahrenheit. With the 1 to 2 hour plank soak and a few minutes of prep, the whole project runs a touch over 4 hours, and nearly all of that is hands off waiting.
You can smoke the fillet on foil or a grill mat with the same times and temperatures, and it will still be delicious. You will miss the sweet cedar aroma and the gentle steaming the plank provides, though, so watch the thermometer closely because the fish can dry out faster on a bare surface.
Cool the salmon, then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 2 months. Leftovers are wonderful served cold over salads and bagels with cream cheese, or gently rewarmed in a low oven so the fish does not overcook a second time.
Dry salmon almost always means the fillet went past 145 degrees Fahrenheit, usually because the cook was judged by time instead of temperature. Check the thickest part with a meat thermometer starting at the 90 minute mark, pull the plank the moment it hits 145, and the flesh will stay silky and flake apart with a fork.
Want to keep the backyard cooking streak alive? Our grilled marinated barbeque sirloin steak is the follow up your grill has been begging for.
Cedar Plank Smoked Salmon Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound salmon fillet skin on
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter cut into 4 pieces
- 4 lemon slices
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill chopped
Instructions
- Soak the cedar plank in a large pan or clean sink filled with water. Let it soak for 1 to 2 hours.
- Take the salmon out of its package. Leave the skin on.1 pound salmon fillet
- Heat the smoker to 200 degrees Fahrenheit and make sure it is producing smoke.
- Rub the olive oil over both sides of the salmon.1 teaspoon olive oil
- Place the salmon on the wet cedar plank with the skin side down.
- Sprinkle the salt and pepper evenly over the salmon.1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon pepper
- Sprinkle the chopped dill and parsley over the top.2 tablespoons fresh dill, 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
- Place the 4 pieces of butter across the salmon. Put 1 lemon slice on each piece of butter.3 tablespoons butter, 4 lemon slices
- Put the cedar plank with the salmon in the smoker.
- Smoke the salmon at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour.
- Raise the smoker temperature to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Smoke the salmon for 1 more hour.
- Check the thickest part of the salmon with a meat thermometer. It is ready when it reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Carefully take the cedar plank out of the smoker. Serve the salmon while it is warm.
Notes
Nutrition
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This is light, delicious and so easy to make. Enjoy