Smoked Salmon Pinwheels

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These smoked salmon pinwheels are a freakin' delicious recipe that's perfect for your holiday menu or a festive dinner party.

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Total Time1

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: people

Author: Derek Wolf

Ingredients

Salmon:

1 Whole Side of Salmon skin off
2-3 tbsp Cowboy Butter Seasoning
1 tbsp of Canola Oil

Filling:

1 block Cream Cheese
1 tbsp Bacon Bits
1 tbsp Chopped Parsley
1.5 tsp Dijon Mustard
1.5 tsp Minced Garlic
1 tsp Red Chili Flakes
½ Lemon juiced

Glaze:

2 tbsp Melted Butter
1 tsp FYR GLD Hot Sauce
1 tsp Chopped Parsley

Instructions

Lay out your salmon with the skin off and trim any excess pieces of fat or meat.
Lather in oil and season both sides using my Cowboy Butter Rub.
Add the cream cheese and all the other ingredients for the filling and mix together. Slather a thin layer over one side of the entire salmon.
Beginning at the tail end, roll the salmon into itself all the way in order to create the pinwheel shape. Secure it with two pieces of butchers twine, leaving the middle of the salmon free of twine (since that's where you'll slice it, creating two pinwheels). If you want, wrap the salmon in plastic wrap and place in the fridge to set for 30 minutes.
Pull the salmon out and slice it to create that classic pinwheel. Season the top side of the salmon with more seasoning, place onto a skillet or wood plank and set in the fridge until ready to use.
Preheat your smoker to 275F to cook indirect. Add some wood chips or wood chunks to the coals for added smoke flavor.
Pull the salmon out and bring to room temperature for 7-8 minutes. Place the skillet into the smoker and let cook for about 30-35 minutes until it reaches 135-140F internal. About 10 minutes before the salmon is done, mix together your glaze and slather on top of the salmon pinwheels. Let finish cooking and then pull off to cool for 5 minutes.
Garnish the salmon with chopped parsley and enjoy!

Video

Notes

How to Remove Skin from Salmon

If you bought a skin-on side of salmon, don't worry one tiny bit — we've got you covered.

First, pat your salmon dry with paper towels so it's not slipping all over the place. To remove the skin, get a sharp knife (I like my fillet knife here) and a cutting board. Place the salmon on the cutting board, then grab the corner end of the salmon on the short side. Slide your knife between the salmon skin and the flesh at the corner, angle the knife down toward the skin, then slowly cut down the side of salmon between the flesh and the skin.

After you've cut through about an inch or two, you can rotate your knife so it's not angled anymore and runs parallel to your cutting board. Be sure to hold on to the end of the skin as you're cutting and keep sliding the knife down. Once you've removed the skin, go ahead and toss it.

More of a visual learner? Check out this video tutorial from the Culinary Institute of America!

Nutrition