Close up of the salmon bites

These Bacon Wrapped Salmon Bites are a fun little appetizer for game day or weeknight dinner. Seasoned with your favorite BBQ seasoning and basted with honey, these salmon bites have a nice crust to them. Finally, top them off with our Firecracker Sauce for the perfect combo of sweet, spicy, and savory. Each bite packs a ton of flavor and just the right amount of crunch. 

Post Sponsored by Cowboy Charcoal 

What are Bacon Wrapped Salmon Bites

Bacon Wrapped Salmon Bites are bits of cubed salmon wrapped in bacon, basted in honey and then smoked. Then we drizzle them with our delicious firecracker sauce over top. This recipe is very similar to my Salmon Burnt Ends Recipe I shared a while back, so if you’re a fan, you’ve gotta try these bacon wrapped salmon bites!

Why You’ll Love Bacon Wrapped Salmon Bites

You’ll love these bites for how easy they are to make and for the perfect honey-basted crunch you get when you pop them in your mouth. Our sweet but spicy firecracker sauce ties it all together. With only 20 minutes of prep and 40 minutes of cook time, you’ll have these salmon bites on your table in an hour! Salmon can get a bit repetitive, but these bites are a great way to serve something unique that doesn’t take too much time to make.

Want more salmon recipes? Try my Planked Salmon with Chili Lime Sauce, Nashville Hot Cast Iron Salmon or the Smoked Salmon Burnt Ends!

Ready to be eaten Bacon Wrapped Salmon Bites

Using Cowboy Charcoal

I kicked things off with my “ole faithful” of fire cooking materials… Cowboy Charcoal.  I filled a charcoal chimney to the brim with this clean burning charcoal and let all the coals turn ember in color. Then, dump the hot Cowboy Charcoal in the smoker so that the smoker can preheat. 

We all love that authentic smoky flavor that comes with fire cooking. Cowboy Charcoal is one of my favorites to cook with because it provides that flavor we all love while also burning hot, clean and holds a consistent temperature. Which is exactly what I needed to make these killer Bacon Wrapped Salmon Bites.

How to Make Bacon Wrapped Salmon Bites

Bacon Wrapped Salmon Bites Ingredients

Salmon:

  • Skinless Salmon Fillet
  • Favorite BBQ Seasoning (if you need some new rubs, check mine out here)
  • Bacon Slices
  • Honey
  • Chives
  • Sesame Seeds
  • Sliced Red Peppers

Firecracker Sauce:

  • Sriracha Sauce
  • Brown Sugar
  • Soy Sauce
  • Chili Paste
  • Honey
  • Minced Garlic
  • Ginger Paste

Let’s Get Cooking

Prep the Salmon 

Begin by removing the skin of your salmon filets and slicing them into 1.5-2” cubes. Next, wrap each piece of salmon with ½ slice of bacon and then secure with a toothpick.

Make sure to cut each piece of bacon in half. An entire strip of bacon will wrap around twice and be too thick. Next, coat the outside of the salmon in your favorite BBQ seasoning, and set to the side until ready to use.

Seasoned salmon wrapped in bacon
Bacon Wrapped Salmon Bites on the smoker

Smoke the Bites

Next, preheat your smoker using Cowboy Charcoal to 250F for indirect cooking. You can add some wood chips or wood chunks for added flavor if desired.

Place salmon in the smoker to cook until it reaches about 145F internal temperature (about 30-40 minutes). As the salmon cooks, baste the outside with honey every 10 minutes. 

Pro tip: don’t skip the honey baste. It helps to build flavor on the outside, giving you that sweet, crunchy crust you’ll love. 

Once the salmon is done, pull it off and let rest for 5 minutes.

Want more Cowboy Charcoal recipes? Try my Smoked Double Fried Wings, Grilled Butterflied Chicken Drumsticks or the Loaded Steak Fries!

Smoking with Cowboy Charcoal

Serve these Bacon Wrapped Salmon Bites

Finally, add a large skillet over medium-high heat (about 350F) along with some oil and your minced garlic. Let the garlic brown for about 2-3 minutes, then add the rest of the ingredients for the Firecracker Sauce. Stir until bubbling, then pull the sauce off to cool.

Finish the salmon with a spoonful of the Firecracker Sauce on top then add some chopped chives, sliced red pepper, and sesame seeds. Finally, it’s time to chow down! Best enjoyed with friends and family. Cheers!

Firecracker glaze over the coals
Salmon Bites ready for glaze

What to Serve With

You can add these bacon wrapped salmon cubes to your gameday table or serve alongside cauliflower rice, brown rice, pasta, green beans, mashed potatoes, or anything that sounds good. Just depends on what you like!

Storage

I’d be surprised if you end up with some leftover Bacon Wrapped Salmon Bites, but if you do, place them in an air-tight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days. 

Bites topped with sliced peppers

Reheating/leftovers

To reheat your salmon bites, arrange them on a lined baking tray and place them in the oven at 350 F until warm. If you need them heated in a pinch, you can use an air fryer, but avoid using a microwave, so they don’t become soggy. Moreover, the oven or air fryer will help them keep their crispiness.

This Bacon Wrapped Salmon Recipe is easy to toss together when you’re having people over for a get together or need something quick and easy for dinner. It pairs well with so many things, and the savory flavors of the salmon and crispy bacon are sure to be a crowd pleaser!. 

If you gave this recipe a shot, then let us know how it turned out in the comments! 

Ready to eat bites!

For more delicious recipes, check out my second cookbook Flavor X Fire or my first cookbook Food X Fire!

Needing more spice in your life? My spice line can help with that. Check them out here.

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Close up of the salmon bites

Bacon Wrapped Salmon Bites

Bacon Wrapped Salmon Bites are the ultimate smoking appetizer. Using some hot Cowboy Charcoal, you can serve these up to please just about anyone!
Author:Derek Wolf
4.55 from 24 votes
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 people

Ingredients 

Salmon:

  • 1 whole side Salmon cubed
  • ½ cup Favorite BBQ Seasoning
  • 12 Bacon Slices cut in half
  • 1 cup Honey for basting
  • Chives for garnish
  • Sesame Seeds for garnish
  • Sliced Red Peppers

Firecracker Sauce:

  • ½ cup Sriracha Sauce
  • ½ cup Brown Sugar
  • 2.5 tbsp Soy Sauce
  • 1.5 tbsp Chili Paste
  • 1.5 tbsp Honey
  • 2 tsp Minced Garlic
  • 2 tsp Ginger Paste

Instructions 

  • Begin by removing the skin of your salmon and slicing into 1.5-2” cubes. Next, wrap each salmon cube with ½ strip of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Coat the outside of the salmon in your favorite BBQ seasoning and set to the side until ready to use.
  • Preheat your smoker using Cowboy Charcoal to 250F for indirect cooking. Add some wood chips or wood chunks for added flavor if desired.
  • Add your salmon to the smoker to cook until about 145F internal (about 30-40 minutes). As the salmon cooks, baste the outside with honey every 10 minutes. Once the salmon is done, pull off and let rest for 5 minutes.
  • Add a skillet over medium high heat (about 350F) along with some oil and your minced garlic. Let the garlic brown for about 2-3 minutes, then add the rest of the ingredients for the Firecracker Sauce. Stir until bubbling, then pull the sauce off to cool.
  • Finish the salmon with a spoonful of the Firecracker Sauce on top along with chopped chives, sliced red pepper and sesame seeds. Serve and enjoy!

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 833kcal | Carbohydrates: 127g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 1899mg | Potassium: 721mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 105g | Vitamin A: 880IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 340mg | Iron: 12mg

Derek Wolf

Derek is the driving force behind Over the Fire Cooking. He started cooking with live fire in 2016 and decided to start a social media page so his friends and family could follow the journey. Fast forward to today and Over the Fire Cooking has spread across multiple platforms with millions now following Derek's fire cooking journey. He's a southern fellow who enjoys everything from classic BBQ to Central and South American inspired dishes. Whatever he's cooking up, it's guaranteed to be so freakin' delicious!

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Comments

      1. 4 stars
        I finally made these. Very good! We love spicy, but were too spicy for some of the meeker guests. I will make these again.

    1. Well, yes (estimated nutritional facts btw)… but thats if you ate ALL the bacon wrapped salmon bites. That would be an entire side of salmon with a whole pack of bacon. That is also the equivalent of 3 12oz cokes or 4 snickers bars. That would be ill advised to eat that all by yourself. Each salmon bite is closer to 4.5g of sugar per bite.

  1. This was outstanding. I used an oven but mostly followed the regicide as is. If I were to do this again, and I will, I will add in some liquid smoke because I bet that would almost make up for not having a smoker. I kept my salmon stakes long and used 1.5 pieces of bacon for each strip. The sauce was heavenly! I ditched the brown sugar, as I am diabetic, but missed the flavor. I’d try it with molasses next time. Overall, this will be a regular easy and tasty!

  2. 5 stars
    I Love this recipe Derek! I can’t stop trying all of these amazingly delicious recipes with ketovore sugar free subs. Thank you for sharing!!! Keep Cooking It Up! 😁

  3. One comment on the recipe, turn the bacon every time you baste with honey. It will help all sides of the bacon to cook.

  4. 5 stars
    Bacon wrapped salmon bites. …..love em. Making them again tonight. 5 lbs of salmon so 2 kids can have just regular salmon, 1 1lb of bacon and the rest we usually have. So for 55$ I can create a restaurant style meal that would cost well over 250$ to feed 6 people.